Calorie question - different types?

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mandinicole08
mandinicole08 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This is probably a strange question, so I apologize in advance!

Is there a difference in calories between certain types of foods (like, if I eat 100 calories of fruit, will my body treat it different from 100 calories of greasy french fries?)?

If my calorie intake per day is 1280, does it matter where those calories come from? And am I correct in assuming it's a combination of fat and calories that really makes the difference ... so from my above example it's healthier to eat the fruit vs. the fries?

Thanks for the help!

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  • LolasEpicJourney
    LolasEpicJourney Posts: 1,010 Member
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    From what I have heard - fat tends to keep you feeling full longer? You still dont want to over do it - but you do need some fat in your diet. I think a calorie is a calorie - but you shouldnt really plauge your body with the nasty stuff - at least not often. You are providing fuel for your body - where fruits and veggies and healthy foods help provide good energy - I find the junk leaves you feeling sluggish and desiring something more
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    It makes a HUGE difference in how your body treats these calories. It is true calories in and calories out but your body does respond to the type of calories differently. Certain foods will make your body work harder to break them down. And if you pick good food types will affect things like, tiredness/fatigue, cravings, etc.
  • cjjones007
    cjjones007 Posts: 602
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    It makes a HUGE difference in how your body treats these calories. It is true calories in and calories out but your body does respond to the type of calories differently. Certain foods will make your body work harder to break them down. And if you pick good food types will affect things like, tiredness/fatigue, cravings, etc.

    x2 there
    Protein is the part that will keep you the fullest the longest, followed by fat, complex carbs (whole grains, etc.), and then simple carbs...
    Protein is also the hardest of the above items to convert to fat... it CAN be converted to carbs in some cases (if it's a proper full/complete protein) - I could explain further but then I'd just end up getting my "geek" on LOL!


    Bottom line is that fruit is great - I find that veggies keep me fuller longer because of the higher fiber content in my choices, and I find that Protein keeps me more full for the longest just as all my research predicted...
    hope it helps!
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
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    When you eat, say, carbs and fat, a chain reaction of body functions and hormone secretions begins. A completely different chain reaction of body functions and hormones happens when you choose complex carbs and protein. For instance, if you eat too much sugary stuff (or refined carbs, etc), your blood sugar will spike, and in response, your pancreas says 'hey, i need a boat load of insulin out here to clean up all this sugar, quick!' Insulin comes to the rescue and carries the sugar into your liver where it is transformed into glycogen for later use by your muscles. Insulin also can transform your blood sugar to fatty acids, where the energy is stored for later use, as fat. Eiw! Your muscles can only hold so much glycogen, so if the insulin sees that it has nowhere to put the transformed blood sugar, it's going to store it as fat. When you continually eat carb-dense food, you will continually have a presence of insulin in your bloodstream, which prevents you from burning the stored fat as fuel. If you continue this cycle long enough, you become insulin resistant, and require more insulin to do the same job. Insulin resistance eventually turns into diabetes.


    The absolute best way to make appropriate use of the food you consume is to pair complex carbs with lean protein, at every meal, with several meals a day (5 to 6), spaced out about 2-3 hours apart.

    Just say no to french fries! :)
  • mynameisuntz
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
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    Your body will interpret the macronutrients different - fats, carbs, and protein. From there, your body will interpret saturated fat different from polyunsaturated fat, or glucose from fructose.

    However - it will treat glucose as glucose regardless of food source, as well as polyunsaturated fat as polyunsaturated fat regardless of food choice.

    Meaning the glucose from an apple will be treated exactly the same as the glucose in a candy bar.

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