#not sure why this has broken 1000 notes but it is releasing all the brain chemicals

[poetryincostume]

The Saddest Girl In The World

Edwardian-ish ribbon corset with beading, 2023

Silk ribbon, cotton taffeta ribbon, Czech glass beads

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

For those who worry about food labels:

A calorie is defined as the energy required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. The calorie is represented by a lowercase c. Obviously, this unit of measurement is very small; just by holding a small container of water for a few minutes, you could raise that gram of water by 1 degree.

A Calorie, or kilocalorie, is what’s on food labels. This is represented by an uppercase C. A Calorie is 1000 calories; or the energy it takes to raise 1kg of water by 1 degree Celsius. This takes a little longer; you’d have to hold the container of water close to you, maybe under your armpit, for a bit. But again, it’s easily done. Side note: since water has an even conversion of 1g:1mal, a kilogram of water would just be a liter. That’s it. A one liter bottle.

A calorimeter test is done by combustion. The tested item is placed in a special set-up, designed to reduce heat lost to the environment, and burned. The heat from that burning raises the water temperature; that temperature change is measured, and after solving for the ratio of 1 degree per liter, you get a number of Calories. By this logic, gasoline is extremely calorie dense, and water has no calories (it can’t burn with that method).

The reason Calories are ever brought up at all is because your mitochondria are constantly performing these combustion reactions on a small scale. The hydrocarbons (sugars, fats, etc) you eat are broken down, and the energy released from those broken bonds allows mitochondria to form ATP. ATP‘s bonds are very weak, and the phosphorous tail releases a lot of energy when broken off, so it’s the perfect molecule to store and transport energy to the rest of your body.

A Calorie is used up extremely quickly, just by the nature of existing, because so many of your vital cell functions require energy. Transcribing DNA? That reaction needs energy. Forming proteins? Needs energy. Active transport? Energy. Any chemical reaction that creates a more ordered product than its reactions requires more energy, because reducing entropy in a system has an energy requirement. You know what forms ordered products? ANY structural molecule. The fact that you’re a solid mass of cells and not a puddle of ions and oils is because your body used its energy to make that structure.

Many of these bodily processes are absolutely essential to life. If your cells can’t replicate, you die. If your cells can’t respirate, you die. If your cells can’t make the correct proteins, you die. If your body can’t produce the right enzymes, you die. If your- okay, you get the idea.

Because your body has such a high energy requirement, it has special systems in place to make sure it’s constantly supplied; a backup plan, so to speak. To get this, it’s good to understand why fats are so important: they’re chock full of nonpolar bonds. The explanation is a bit confusing, but basically, nonpolar bonds release more energy when they’re broken, and hydrocarbon chains contain a LOT of nonpolar bonds. This means that breaking them down can release a lot of energy per molecule, making them a space efficient energy storage. However, fats are also generally nonreactive, and don’t dissolve in water, so they make great containers and insulators for your body. All of your cells membranes are made from a phospholipid bilayer.

Your body also needs sources of carbon in general. Sugars and fats are extremely useful, because they’re long chains of carbon. Carbohydrates are somewhat calorie dense, and a large amount of that calorie density comes from how rich in carbon they are; same goes for fats. The same thing that makes them high calorie is the thing that gives your body the most essential building block for EVERYTHING. Muscle, skin, brain tissue, liver, you name it, it’s made of carbon.

When you consume enough food that your mitochondria produce more energy than they use, the entra energy is put into synthesizing fat. This is so your body doesn’t have to resort to reacting your muscle tissue for energy. It’s efficient. It’s useful. it’s necessary. Having fat is not something to fret over unless your weight is directly and noticeably altering your quality of life. If your annual blood tests show normal cholesterol levels, and you’re not experiencing weight-caused heart issues or mobility impairments or smth, you’re fine.

Fat is good for you. Sugar is good for you. Calories are important. Eat!