A calorie is not a calorie - kind of!

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  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    TheAlexMarkov wrote: »
    Hi Annie,
    agree with you - and I am glad you find that remotely helpful. I for one was using honey before but since molasses and honey have pretty much the same caloric and macronutrient composition but differ significantly on a micro level I switched to molasses.

    If you adjust for what's an actual serving size (depending on how you use them), they probably don't differ that much. A TBSP of either isn't going to have many nutrients.

    Anyway, curious how you use them, as they are both kind of rare for me. I know some like honey in tea, I don't sweeten tea although it's supposed to be good for a sore throat. Molasses doesn't seem to work for that, but since I don't do it am not an expert, of course. Mostly I use honey for recipes (occasional sauce) and again for the small amount I wouldn't sacrifice the specific taste of honey (which is amazing). Molasses is good in some specific baked goods, similarly (I rarely bake anymore, though). Those are pretty much the only ways I use either, so changing it up would make no difference nutritionally.

    I think that some people use molasses on pancakes/waffles. Other than that I would think that baking or some sauces would be the most common usage. When I am adhering to my sodium restrictions I make a soy sauce substitute that uses molasses. By itself it doesn't taste so much like soy sauce but in the recipe it only changes the taste minimally. I am lazy about making it so instead I just found a tamari that is 50% less sodium than soy sauce.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Annie_01 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    TheAlexMarkov wrote: »
    Hi Annie,
    agree with you - and I am glad you find that remotely helpful. I for one was using honey before but since molasses and honey have pretty much the same caloric and macronutrient composition but differ significantly on a micro level I switched to molasses.

    If you adjust for what's an actual serving size (depending on how you use them), they probably don't differ that much. A TBSP of either isn't going to have many nutrients.

    Anyway, curious how you use them, as they are both kind of rare for me. I know some like honey in tea, I don't sweeten tea although it's supposed to be good for a sore throat. Molasses doesn't seem to work for that, but since I don't do it am not an expert, of course. Mostly I use honey for recipes (occasional sauce) and again for the small amount I wouldn't sacrifice the specific taste of honey (which is amazing). Molasses is good in some specific baked goods, similarly (I rarely bake anymore, though). Those are pretty much the only ways I use either, so changing it up would make no difference nutritionally.

    I think that some people use molasses on pancakes/waffles. Other than that I would think that baking or some sauces would be the most common usage. When I am adhering to my sodium restrictions I make a soy sauce substitute that uses molasses. By itself it doesn't taste so much like soy sauce but in the recipe it only changes the taste minimally. I am lazy about making it so instead I just found a tamari that is 50% less sodium than soy sauce.

    Interesting. (I use maple syrup on pancakes/waffles, like God intended. (Kidding. Sort of.) Or sometimes I just add microwaved frozen berries, which makes a nice covering, or do a rhubarb/strawberry sauce, which is delicious. I also don't have them that often, so what I put on them doesn't matter much, but molasses on them seems weird. I defer to the diversity of taste, though!)

    Curious if people really do use these so often and in such amounts that the nutritional differences in the first post (for 100 g) would make a difference to them. I'm snobby about honey even though I don't use it that much and enjoy trying different ones from the green market (and the slight differences based on the plants the bees were near), so can't imagine replacing it with molasses, although I agree there are things that are good baked with molasses and I use it occasionally too.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    I think you are trying to compare apples and oranges....
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    I think I have a homemade barbecue sauce that uses molasses...
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    jessiferrrb wrote: »
    MityMax96 wrote: »
    I think you are trying to compare apples and oranges....

    is there an info-graphic for that?

    LOL
    Looks like someone posted one.
  • comeonnow142857
    comeonnow142857 Posts: 310 Member
    edited April 2017
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    A calorie isn't a calorie if you mean by "calorie" the stuff that isn't calories, but that's a confused way to have a conversation.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    And you added to the "muddiness" LOL
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    edited April 2017
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    For newbies though, telling them a calorie isn't a calorie muddies the waters. More pertinent to say not all foods are nutrient dense and not all nutrient light foods should be avoided.
    crazyravr wrote: »
    So you can lift a kg of feathers or a kg of iron. Which one would you prefer.
    Agree... pointless thread.

    I'd like to see what a kilo of feather looks like though. Infographic anyone?



    I flipping love a fig newton, remind me of my dad who would keep them in his workshop out of our way because they were his favourites and he rarely shared, heh.
  • buffinlovin
    buffinlovin Posts: 100 Member
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    Krby13 wrote: »
    If everyone is in agreement against the OP's post why does everyone reply basically saying the same thing? If the first 1 or 2 people to reply already put the OP's argument to bed, why do 50 more people feel the need to reply with their own version of the same exact answer? Just to really drill the point home that the OP is wrong? If you want to show you agree with another poster's response to the OP why not just hit the "like" button and move on? Or respond with "ditto" or "agreed" or something like that? As I go through many of these posts it just stands out to me that most discussions are just muddied by everyone actually saying the same thing over and over again.

    For me, I tend to respond at work, so I'll frequently start answering a question, have to stop to work, and will eventually get back to finishing it while on break. By then, a lot of people will have probably said what I've said a bunch of times lol
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,698 Member
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    TheAlexMarkov wrote: »
    Hi,
    there is this notion in the fitness community that a calorie is a calorie - which I guess is true on a macronutrient level but as I a fitness enthusiast and promoter I feel obliged to encourage people to eat nutritious foods.

    So I will start posting some infographics like this one - please feel free to share opinions.

    Thanking you much,
    Alex

    cdx83yml85sg.png
    Kinda of a fail here since you're measuring grams and not calories. Beyond that, a calorie is a calorie. What makes up that calorie is where differences lie.
    Just like a mile is a mile. But obviously walking UPHILL a mile expends more energy than walking a mile on a flat terrain.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

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