So maybe it does matter what kind of calories?

Showmm

Just found this link to a news article. The scientists in the article are saying that it probably does matter where your calories come from.

"A growing body of research from anthropologists, evolution experts, nutrition specialists and others suggests the energy the body derives from different types of foods varies widely, even when the caloric content appears to be identical."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/debate-over-calories-starting-to-erode-the-food-pyramid/article8798087/

It's an interesting read and probably worthy of a bit of discussion. One of the scientists they quote is the fellow who created the glycemic index, so I would think he knows what he's talking about for the most part.

Disclosure: I'm not a clean-eater by any stretch, but I do enjoy cooking meals from scratch.

Mokey41

I read that today as well. Makes sense that food that is harder to digest packs less of a calorie punch than highly processed foods. They didn't really give much info on how much of a difference it makes though.

Showmm

I agree, it was all a bit vague.

Timshel_

Well, considering the building blocks of amino acids, proteins, and nutrients certainly varies from food to food, I would think that it was appearant that different calories yeild different results.

Timshel_

Honestly, never really considered anything else. I always think hamburger vs. fish and veggies. Which sounds more healthy for the body?

dobenjam

It absolutely does matter what kind of calories. Many say it doesn't, and in a weightloss sense they are technically correct. But processed, sugary foods don't sustain us very well and cause things like insulin spikes and hunger later on. Can you only eat Twinkies and lose weight? Sure (there is actually a twinkie diet). But what you eat affects more than your weight. It affects your hormones, mood, etc. And there are somethings you can't get from processed foods like live enzymes from fresh fruits and veggies.

Also think about it this way. Your body is constantly tearing itself down and building it back up with what you eat. Calories provide energy, but what about all the other things you need to keep building your body back? What you eat is the material your body uses to build it back up and you want to build your body with the best materials possible.

justicekenny

nice

AlabasterVerve

I think the food you eat matters a great deal so I love to see articles like this. Hopefully they'll encourage the type of rigorous studies that are desperately needed in the nutrition field instead of all the absolutely meaningless epidemiological studies that are good for a sensational newspaper article but that's about all. Egg Yolks Worse Than Cigarettes was a headline that got a lot of press recently which is just disgraceful.