"Darryl L. Pierce" wrote:
>
> Dan Abel > wrote:
> >> There's quite a difference between the calories you get from starches
> >> and the proteins you take in.
> >
> > There is no difference at all. Calories are a measure of the amount of
> > energy. Food calories used to be measured by taking a sample of the food,
> > burning it, and measuring the amount of heat produced.
>
> Proteins are _not_ just calories. Proteins are a complex carbohydrate
> molecule that provide more than just energy (calories). Simple
> carbohydrates have to be combined (requiring more energy) to create
> proteins, which is the basic building block for the body. Proteins
> provide the full molecule that can then be adapted, as opposed to
> constructed, by the body.
>
><snip>

Proteins are **not** carbohydrates! Where did you get that notion?

Proteins are made from amino acids. Some (but not all) amino acids can
be made through carbohydrate metabolism. However, that is not the
preferred route, as long as a pool of amino acids is available.
That normally comes from the ingestion of proteins. They are taken apart
by various enzymes and then put back as needed to make new protein.

Yes it's true that the calorie *content* of proteins are not the same as
the calorie content of carbs or fats. However, a calorie is indeed a
calorie.