Is there such a thing as unhealthy calories???

There's such a thing as unhealthy food. Calories are energy.

What’s more important, what you eat or how much you eat? Dietitians are often asked this question: Are all calories created equal?

Good?
Yes, calories are calories whether they come from carrots or cookies but that’s not the end of the story. Foods are diverse and offer more than just calories so to truly evaluate the quality of calories, consider their nutrient density.

“Good” calories are nutrient-dense, which means you get the most bang for your calorie buck. For example, compare 100 calories of soda to 100 calories of milk. Calories from soda provide sugar and that’s just about all. That same number of calories from milk provide protein, calcium and vitamins A and D – therefore, the milk is a more nutrient-dense food.

But even the most nutrient-dense foods can get us into trouble. Peanut butter, olive oil and avocados are high in heart-healthy fats but the calories can stack up quickly – here’s where portion control is key.

Bad?
“Bad” calories tend to score low in the nutrient department and eating too much of them can negatively affect health. Foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol can lead to heart disease and a diet overflowing with sugary foods isn’t good for your waistline. That said, ALL foods can be included in a healthy diet as long the majority are “good.” So enjoy the chocolate, cookies or occasional fried treat, just be smart about how much and how often you indulge and always remember that portion control is key.

Bottom Line: In the grand scheme of a healthy diet, it does matter where your calories come from. Opt for sensible portions of mostly nutrient-dense foods so you can give your body what it needs. This will leave some room for the less healthy foods that you love to eat.

Tell Us: What’s your take on good and bad calories?

As long as you're hitting your macro levels and getting enough nutrients in your day a bit of ice cream sounds like a great idea.

^^ This. Sounds like you planned well. Enjoy.

I don't know that I would call it unhealthy calories, however, calories like sugar calories are what you hear people refer to as "empty calories". Basically they give you a momentary feeling of being full, but it doesn't last long because of the sugar spike they cause in your system.

If you are feeling satisfied, and have allowed for a treat then I say go for it! You deserve it now and again

While, I think we should let ourselves splurge once in awhile with ice cream or whatever our craving is...
While it does matter what your goals are, there are definitely differences in calories...
So many people are overfed but still under-nutritioned (yes, I'm pretty sure I made that word up)
Imagine 2 different people:

Person 1 eats their recommended daily calories from fresh, unprocessed food, lots of veggies and fruit, etc.
Person 2 eats the same amount of calories but instead, gets them from fast food, ice cream, processed foods etc.

Both people may still experience weight loss if they are eating less than they are expending each day but person 1 is absolutely healthier based on what they ate, not just how much of it.

So figure out what you want to do; simply lose weight or become healthier?
Either way, don't ignore occasional cravings once in awhile...if you REALLY want ice cream, eat it and don't feel bad about it! Daily cravings, probably not such a good idea but I'm sure you get the idea
Good luck!

Calorie = Unit of energy

Nutrition is a completely different story. Ice cream with chocolate sauce can easily be incorporated into a healthy, balanced diet...just depends on what the rest of your day looked like. Did you hit all of your macros...did you get all of your vitamins and minerals?

I frequently have "unhealthy calories" from beer and wine...but I've gotten my nutrition in for the day and I like a good buzz in the evening.

Just eaten glace soya ice cream with strawberries and chopped nuts! Heaven! I consider it partly healthy so don't feel bad , plus earned a lot of exercise cals today!

I don't know that I would call it unhealthy calories, however, calories like sugar calories are what you hear people refer to as "empty calories". Basically they give you a momentary feeling of being full, but it doesn't last long because of the sugar spike they cause in your system.

If you are feeling satisfied, and have allowed for a treat then I say go for it! You deserve it now and again

Ditto

I don't know that I would call it unhealthy calories, however, calories like sugar calories are what you hear people refer to as "empty calories". Basically they give you a momentary feeling of being full, but it doesn't last long because of the sugar spike they cause in your system.

If you are feeling satisfied, and have allowed for a treat then I say go for it! You deserve it now and again

^ This....

Ditto

What’s more important, what you eat or how much you eat? Dietitians are often asked this question: Are all calories created equal?

Good?
Yes, calories are calories whether they come from carrots or cookies but that’s not the end of the story. Foods are diverse and offer more than just calories so to truly evaluate the quality of calories, consider their nutrient density.

“Good” calories are nutrient-dense, which means you get the most bang for your calorie buck. For example, compare 100 calories of soda to 100 calories of milk. Calories from soda provide sugar and that’s just about all. That same number of calories from milk provide protein, calcium and vitamins A and D – therefore, the milk is a more nutrient-dense food.

But even the most nutrient-dense foods can get us into trouble. Peanut butter, olive oil and avocados are high in heart-healthy fats but the calories can stack up quickly – here’s where portion control is key.

Bad?
“Bad” calories tend to score low in the nutrient department and eating too much of them can negatively affect health. Foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol can lead to heart disease and a diet overflowing with sugary foods isn’t good for your waistline. That said, ALL foods can be included in a healthy diet as long the majority are “good.” So enjoy the chocolate, cookies or occasional fried treat, just be smart about how much and how often you indulge and always remember that portion control is key.

Bottom Line: In the grand scheme of a healthy diet, it does matter where your calories come from. Opt for sensible portions of mostly nutrient-dense foods so you can give your body what it needs. This will leave some room for the less healthy foods that you love to eat.

Tell Us: What’s your take on good and bad calories?

^^^ This! Awesome response.

Depends on if you're talking weight loss or health.

For weight loss, calories are the most important factor. Last night I ate almost 300 calories of ice cream, and 800 calories of taco bell. I'll still lose weight, because I stayed under my calorie goal.

Nutritionally, of course, my choices last night weren't healthy. Chocolate is full of refined sugars and fats (not the healthy kind of fats). Taco Bell has so many refined carbs I don't even want to think about it. Of course eating fruit, or a homemade quasadilla made with grilled chicken and a whole wheat wrap would have been HEALTHIER. It would have provided me with healthy carbs, lots of protein and some healthy fats if I added avocado or something in there.

So I try to eat healthy most of the time, because I know my body needs proper nutrition, especially because I work out a lot. But there's nothing wrong with eating ice cream, calorie-wise.