Calorie Counting: Should You Do It?

By Vivian El-Salawy on June 29, 2016

Calorie counting – it is so easy to do nowadays with the assistance of journals meant for tracking your health and iPhone applications, but is it worthwhile?  The answer is: yes, as long as you are doing it right and being healthy about it.

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The fact is that calorie counting is not an exact science.  A calorie is a measurement of energy.  Although most foods come with nutritional information that includes the amount of calories in a specific product, often times this number is slightly skewed.  Calorie counting is not meant to be an exact, numerical calculation of what you’re putting inside of your body.  According to Greatist.com, public health authorities often claim that 3,500 calories one way or the other lead to the loss or gain of a pound.  However, it is important to consider that this is not always the case for every single body.  Every individual is unique, and as a result, all of our bodies function differently whether it is a matter of our biology or our lifestyles.  Having said that, calorie counting is less about making you a walking math equation and more about making healthier choices through being conscious of what you’re eating.

Image via Chasing Nirvana Yoga

According to Yoni Freedhoff, the two most important things about calorie counting are the quality of the calories and the type of calories.  A really cool experiment published in the journal Food and Nutrition Research compared the “thermic effect of food” (TEF) with the consumption of a whole food grilled cheese sandwich versus a processed grilled cheese sandwich.  Here is the interesting thing about this study – although both meals have approximately the same amount of calories as well as protein, carbohydrates, and fat ratios, the whole food sandwich required nearly 50 percent more energy to absorb.  In other words, there are more calories stored from processed foods than whole foods.

In addition, the amount of calories does not determine the quality of the food you are putting inside of your body.  The types of calories you consume matter.  For instance, 500 calories of fruit versus 500 calories of chips make a huge difference in terms of what you are putting inside of your body.  The fact that healthier foods are typically lower in calories means you are more likely to feel fuller after consuming 500 calories of fruits than you are consuming 500 calories of junk.

Image via Just Harvet

Calories aside, those who calorie count are also well-versed with other nutritional information provided with the food they eat.  Applications such as “Lose It!” provide calories for all kinds of produce, in addition to meals/items from specific restaurants or supermarkets.  However, this application also provides additional information: sugar, carbohydrates, (saturated) fats, protein, and more.  When you start paying attention to part of the label, you are more likely to start paying attention to the rest of the label.  In comparing two items with a similar amount of calories, it then comes down to comparing their grams sugar, sodium content, and so on.

Calorie counting often helps people make better decisions about the food they are eating.  Yes, it is okay to have a rack of ribs with fries every once in a while, but it is important to acknowledge what you are putting into your body.  Calorie counting is about being honest with yourself about what you are eating.  Additionally, calorie counting is also about maintaining your energy.  If you exceed whatever personal goal you have in terms of calories because you had a barbecue that day and maybe some birthday cake – that’s totally fine.  Keeping track of your nutritional intake merely allows you to be able to get back on track or prioritize healthy eating as a lifestyle.  If you exceed your calorie goal with fruits, vegetables, or other healthy produce, good for you!  That means your day will be full of energy.

Image via Modern Health Monk

All that being said, it is crucial to consider that everyone’s body functions completely differently and while certain individuals may need specific accommodations for their bodies, others may need something else.  While calorie counting is not favored by all who try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it most certainly has its perks and has worked for many others.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine by thy food.” –Hippocrates

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