Do you really think all calories are equal?

Do you really think all calories are equal?

I find that most people really don't get calories. They just look at the total amount of calories for a product and don't see that for example, the calories in a Mars Bar are totally different to those in a banana. 

 

But when it's cold, don't you just crave heavy, warm carbs? I do! BMI BMR Kcals. In theory understanding the amount of food, we need each day should be a simple formulaic equation. We calculate the units of energy we expend throughout the day by working out our BMR and adding on our activity level. 

 

Then we eat the amount of food that our body s require. A calorie is a calorie IS a calorie, they say so it doesn't matter whether you eat 100 calories of chocolate or of broccoli, they will have the same effect on your weight. 

 

But they have a very different effect on your health. So here is the unvarnished truth about calories. And that fits in well with my interview previously with the fascinating Holli Rubin, talking to me about Body Image and why we as women struggle with this more than men. 

 

 
C..c..c..calories! The good, the bad, the ugly. 

 

Our bodies have complex ways of turning our food into energy using a range of biochemical pathways and systems, some of which are more efficient than others. As well as this, the result certain foods have on our hormones and hunger can further prove that it is a case of what you eat rather than how much. 

 

Moreover, it is not the amount of calories in a certain food; it is the amount of calories the body absorbs from the food. We are all told a diet abundant in fruit, vegetables, and whole plant based foods (preferably raw) will greatly benefit our health as well as our waistline. Rich in water, fibre and nutrients our stomachs are kept full and cells satisfied. 

 

When we eat a diet which provides adequate nutrition, we crave less and move more which can only help with our bid to fit into our LBD come party season. 

 

A lesser known reason of why whole plant-based foods are the best for health and weight loss is due to the thermic effect, also known as the efficiency of the digestive system to process the food. For example if you eat a large leafy salad full with raw cauliflower, shredded carrot, cabbage, tomatoes and a fruit based dressing, the amount of calories it will take your body to separate the soluble and insoluble fibre and assimilate the nutrients will mean the amount of energy actually absorbed from the meal will, in turn, be less than the amount of calories it is calculated at being on the plate. 

 

Another little-known fact is the amount of energy required to store certain macronutrients as fat. For example, say you eat 100 calories of excess fat it costs the body only 3 of those calories to store the excess 97 on your hips! If you take 100 calories from a clean source of carbohydrate, is will cost the body 35 calories to store the remaining 65 as fat and it is often a lot more efficient to simply burn off the excess! 

 

These facts were further proven when a book called the China Study was released. China has an extremely high consumption of high carbohydrate whole, plant-based food and very little meat. Whereas America along with other Westernised countries consume a relatively small amount of whole foods in comparison though a much larger amount of meat- particularly red meat. 

 

The study showed that China had higher average calorie consumption to America, yet people were slimmer in China. This could also be due to the effect carbohydrates have on our energy levels. Every cell if your body runs on glucose. You wouldn't expect your car to run well if you put the wrong fuel in it, so why would you have a diet high in fats and expect to be full of energy and vitality? If you're eating a plant based diet full of whole foods you're going to have more of a desire to excessive and lead an active lifestyle which in turn will further boost your metabolic rate. 

 

You will see at Nosh we provide a whole host of low-fat whole food juices and smoothies which are jam packed full of nutrient, minerals and enzymes and of course completely raw. They're great to help with cleanses, detoxes and weight loss! Please share your views on the above article. Look forward to hearing from you (: