What are kilojoules?

A kilojoule is a unit of energy. Kilojoules measure the amount of energy in foods, which depends on the amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the food. Kilojoules also measure the amount of energy a body burns when moving about or exercising.

Energy in food and the body can also be measured with the calorie, often called the large or nutritional calorie. A kilojoule is equal to .24 large Calories. This is different than the small or gram calorie, which is commonly used by scientists to measure the amount of energy required to heat water. There are 1000 small calories in one large Calorie.