Do You Count Calories?

If you count calories, here are some things you should know:

You can’t account for every single calorie

Even if you weigh your food, it’s challenging to count the unused milk in your cereal bowl or the extra teaspoon of oil you used when cooking.  You should also consider how the spices you cook with can alter caloric absorption and how your body utilizes calories.  Also, the type of food determines how your body absorbs calories.  The more processed the food, the easier it is for your body to digest and absorb the calories.  Eating whole (less processed) foods requires your body to expend more energy to digest, therefore absorbing fewer calories.  It’s safe to say… it’s a very complex process!

Food and exercise can affect caloric value

100 calories from spinach is very different than 100 calories from a donut.  Each food can affect satiety, digestion, metabolism, and hormones differently.  It’s the same with exercise.  Different workouts can result in the same caloric burn but may not have the same effect on health.  When choosing foods and exercise, consider the long-term impact.

Labels can be misleading

The FDA allows food labels to be accurate within 80%.  That’s a lot if you are counting calories!

Bottom Line

Calorie counting is a small part of the larger health equation.  I believe most people don’t need to count calories as there are many other ways to track overall health if you are trying to lose weight.  If you’d like to learn alternate ways to track food intake, let’s chat!