Good calories vs. Bad calories - how do we count?!
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jocelynkyork
Posts: 16 Member
Anyone finding a good way to reconcile the difference?
I just watched the documentary Fed Up (which is phenomenal) and I was surprised by the idea of calories in food not really counting the way that people tend to think they do.
For instance, a handful of saltines may have fewer calories than a handful of almonds, but that doesn't mean that your body will absorb the calories the same way. Obviously I know that nuts are healthy and saltines are not, but that becomes problematic when calorie counting.
The almonds have a ton of fiber and nutrition and the saltines are just empty carbs, so the almonds filter more efficiently through the body, leaving less excess for the body to turn into fat. The saltines basically go right through and most of it becomes fat.
At least that's how I understood the explanation.
So, by that logic, what is the point of calorie counting? I just had a reasonable amount of healthy whole foods for breakfast and my calories came out at 450. When I eat the same amount of food, sometimes more, with some foods that are less nutritious, I end up with at least 100 calories less!
This is very frustrating and I don't know what to do about it. I'd rather eat healthy whole foods, feel full but not stuffed, and maintain a good energy level throughout the day, but when I caloriie count, I feel like I often have to cut out filling whole foods like almonds because of the high calories and instead eat something stupid like crackers.
Anyone else found a way around this?
TL/DR: How do we calorie count and feel full when many of the healthier whole food alternatives (ie almonds) have way more calories but also more nutrition than many less healthy lower calorie processed foods?
I just watched the documentary Fed Up (which is phenomenal) and I was surprised by the idea of calories in food not really counting the way that people tend to think they do.
For instance, a handful of saltines may have fewer calories than a handful of almonds, but that doesn't mean that your body will absorb the calories the same way. Obviously I know that nuts are healthy and saltines are not, but that becomes problematic when calorie counting.
The almonds have a ton of fiber and nutrition and the saltines are just empty carbs, so the almonds filter more efficiently through the body, leaving less excess for the body to turn into fat. The saltines basically go right through and most of it becomes fat.
At least that's how I understood the explanation.
So, by that logic, what is the point of calorie counting? I just had a reasonable amount of healthy whole foods for breakfast and my calories came out at 450. When I eat the same amount of food, sometimes more, with some foods that are less nutritious, I end up with at least 100 calories less!
This is very frustrating and I don't know what to do about it. I'd rather eat healthy whole foods, feel full but not stuffed, and maintain a good energy level throughout the day, but when I caloriie count, I feel like I often have to cut out filling whole foods like almonds because of the high calories and instead eat something stupid like crackers.
Anyone else found a way around this?
TL/DR: How do we calorie count and feel full when many of the healthier whole food alternatives (ie almonds) have way more calories but also more nutrition than many less healthy lower calorie processed foods?
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That film was full of misinformation and at times complete lies. A calorie is a calorie, it's a standardized unit of energy, and a surplus of calories from either saltines or almonds will cause weight gain. I don't completely understand what you mean about almonds filtering through your body and saltines becoming fat, but no food will become fat without excess calories, and no food has a higher propensity to become fat than any other. Almonds are more nutritious than saltines, but nutrition doesn't cause weight gain, excess calories (and only excess calories) do. They're high in fat which has a higher calorie density than the carbs from which saltines are largely composed, which is why you can eat a larger volume of saltines than almonds for fewer calories. Calories from saltines will not cause more weight gain than calories from almonds, although they won't give you that same nutrients.0
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JoeyFrappuccino wrote: »That film was full of misinformation and at times complete lies. A calorie is a calorie, it's a standardized unit of energy, and a surplus of calories from either saltines or almonds will cause weight gain. I don't completely understand what you mean about almonds filtering through your body and saltines becoming fat, but no food will become fat without excess calories, and no food has a higher propensity to become fat than any other. Almonds are more nutritious than saltines, but nutrition doesn't cause weight gain, excess calories (and only excess calories) do. They're high in fat which has a higher calorie density than the carbs from which saltines are largely composed, which is why you can eat a larger volume of saltines than almonds for fewer calories. Calories from saltines will not cause more weight gain than calories from almonds, although they won't give you that same nutrients.
I found this to be true when I tried a raw vegan diet for a while. I actually gained weight because I was not tracking calories and was consuming a lot of nuts, nut butter, dates and avocados.0 -
Thanks! I am definitely a cashew and avocado girl, so this is tough for me. Guess I'll just have to run more!0
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A calorie IS a calorie...its a measure of heat..and no matter what "type" of calorie it is ( fat, carbs, protein ) it all counts the same once you consume it. If you doubt that, try eating "good fats" such as raw nuts, avocados, olive oil, etc and not measuring and counting and watch the weight pile on. I would be THRILLED to eat 3 avocados a day and handfuls of almonds...but that would not be effective for weight loss. The theory is the "bad" stuff does not have a lot of nutritional value (and usually its the processed foods like crackers etc which also contain lots of extra things like sodium, sugar, sometimes fats in excess) and those foods that raise the glycemic levels suddenly only to have them drop sharply again shortly after consumption, will leave you feeling hungry and wanting more food, hence you eat more. If you have a portion control problem to begin with (which is exactly what 99% of people looking to lose weight have) then eating all the "good" high fat foods you want will NOT create weight loss for sure. Truth be told, you could get by on 1200 calories a day of ice cream, chocolate bars and chips and lose weight...however you would feel like crap and it would not last long because 1200 calories of ice cream, chocolate and chips is NOT a lot of food, and its not enough to satiate someone with an overeating problem anyway. Calories COUNT....the people who are trying to sell diets, fitness programs, smoothie mixes, books, etc that tell you they don't, are merely trying to get you to buy their programs, which, if they are well designed, have carefully counted calories (even if they don't mention it).0
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I found this to be true when I tried a raw vegan diet for a while. I actually gained weight because I was not tracking calories and was consuming a lot of nuts, nut butter, dates and avocados.[/quote]
Me too ...I gained A LOT of weight very quickly on a raw diet. I started out wanting to lose 10 pounds and within 6 weeks I had gained 5...I have seen very overweight people lose weight on a raw diet because they were transitioning from a SAD diet loaded with junk foods...but if you are a fairly "clean" eater to begin with, there is no such thing as unlimited amounts of ANY type of food. The thought behind that myth is, how many people are actually going to eat 10 bananas for breakfast (which by the way is 1,000 calories) or 5 apples which is 400 calories...it makes no sense. SMALL LIMITED portions is the only way. Get rid of the big bowls (even for salad) get rid of the full sized dinner plates, eat nothing from hand to mouth (no finger foods) having single servings of everything (no seconds) that fits on the small plate and in the small bowl ( a buddha bowl its called) and you will lose weight.
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