All Calories Are Not Equal

labels may tell us the calories in the food are the same.

These factors may combine to have such an effect than the nut bar is actually lower in calories than the brownie.

Cooking can also have a large effect on the calories we take from food. Cooking breaks down constituents in the food making them much easier to digest and absorb. So the exact same steak or serving of carrots can contain fewer calories just by being served rare or raw. Could this also help explain the success of the raw food diet for weight loss?

Surely that is it? Well no. The texture of food can have an impact. Harder foods use up much more energy in chewing and digestion than softer ones. So again the brownie loses as it will be softer and easier to chew that a hard or crunchy nut bar.

So are these amounts really significant enough to have an impact on our weight? Well yes. An average woman should have around 2000 calories per day (men around 2500). If this amount can be out by 25% we could be over or under eating a huge 500 calories per day. When we consider an over eat of just 20 calories a day can lead to a weight gain of 1kg fat per year that could have a huge impact.

So what can be done? Well at present the food industry have no plans to start changing labels. So we need to look at more than just the calories in food.

This new information basically supports eating the sort of food we know we should be eating anyway! I couldn't sum it up better than New Scientist - the foods that should make up the vast majority of our diet should be the types of food that don't come with a label.

Lots of fruit and vegetables which are high in fibre and tend to be harder, crunchier (keep veg steamed or lightly boiled, no over boiled soggy cabbage please!) and take more chewing than other foods, should make up a large part of our diet.

Proteins should also be consumed regularly. The best types are lean meats (not processed types like ham, burgers and sausages), fish, tofu, nuts and seeds.

Carbohydrates should be complex and wholemeal - oats, brown rice, bulgar wheat and some wholemeal bread or pasta are ideal. Simple carbs like sugar, white bread, white pasta and rice should be avoided.

Pulses and beans like lentils, beans and peas are high in fibre, protein and complex carbs so brilliant to include regularly in your diet.

In short exactly what we know we should be eating!!!

So when looking at food labels, don't read the calorie content, read the ingredients. Look for all natural ingredients, no preservatives or sugar and ideally as few ingredients as possible. If it contains anything you have never heard of or cannot pronounce, put it back on the shelf.

Want to get the absolute best rates and best quality when you record your album? Check us out! We provide THE best quality recording at the best rates for Nashville AND Los Angeles. You won't find better. Click here.

Pages: 1 2 Social tagging: Calories > Equal