Why counting calories doesn't count
The amount of energy (or calories/kilojules) in our food is extremely difficult to measure. Those little numbers that we crunch in our heads are based on research which is decades old. It has also been shown that the labels we read can have marginal errors of up to 25%.
That’s right, even if we read the label, do the maths and stick to that certain number... it is still not guaranteed to be correct.
Crazy!
Who decided the number of calories we can consume in one day?
What if you did an epic workout and need more calories to recover? What if you move house or work physically all day? What happens if you are still hungry? Your energy requirements, should not be dictated by a number.
Not all calories are the same...
Processed foods are generally low in vitamins and minerals, and higher in complex carbohydrates, sugars, fats and additives. These “additives” in the form of fillers, emulsifiers, preservatives or sweeteners are generally seen as “foreign” to the body. When absorbed and the liver will then break them down into smaller chemicals to be eliminated and excreted. The simple sugars will go straight into our blood stream, and our pancreas will respond with a spike of insulin that will take the energy straight into our cells. If not burnt straight away… Yep, it will turn to fat.
Your body burns more energy by breaking down and digesting whole foods compared to processed foods.
When we consume whole foods in the form of plants, grains and unprocessed animal sources. Our body works hard at extracting all the macro (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micro (vitamins and minerals) nutrients. This facilitates a slow release of energy from our food (this is how to avoid that afternoon slump). Whole foods speed up our metabolism, give us satiety and provide us with the fiber and nutrition our body needs to function. Energy production and health are optimized.
That's why the processed chocolate bar with the same amount of calories is NOT the same as a green smoothie.
When in doubt… Think about your food sources:
If it comes from the ground or a tree, it’s a plant. Go nuts!
If it’s a lean protein source and not highly processed and drenched in sauces or dressings. Enjoy.
It’s best if there is no nutritional label. Eat what mother nature has produced.