You’ve probably heard some iteration of the old saying, “a calorie is a calorie.” But is this really true?
Are all calories, indeed, the same?
The answer is no…unfortunately, all calories cannot be treated equal. Surely you can agree that drinking 1,200 calories in juice and soda is a lot different than eating 1,200 calories of high-quality protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs. This brings me to the one thing that you must understand:
Even though the amount of calories you’re eating is important…the quality of those calories is a lot more important.
For example, if your goal is to lose weight, eating more high-quality foods (like good quality protein, healthy fats, minimally processed, and nutrient-dense foods), and limiting lower-quality foods (processed foods, sugar, and heavily-refined foods) would be the most appropriate options.
Would you agree? Well, Harvard University agrees.
Harvard, which is always up-to-date on the current research on health, analyzed studies looking at quality of foods vs. the quantity.
And what they showed is:
The quality does matter—especially when it comes to weight loss.
A study covering 120,000 healthy men and women showed:
One particularly important finding is:
So what can you take away from all of this?
The quality of the foods you’re eating is just as important to your results as the amount of calories you’re eating.
If you’re eating better quality foods, there is a much higher chance you’re going to eat fewer calories as well.
And this could make your overall goals a lot easier to achieve.
- Coach Michelle
Are all calories, indeed, the same?
The answer is no…unfortunately, all calories cannot be treated equal. Surely you can agree that drinking 1,200 calories in juice and soda is a lot different than eating 1,200 calories of high-quality protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs. This brings me to the one thing that you must understand:
Even though the amount of calories you’re eating is important…the quality of those calories is a lot more important.
For example, if your goal is to lose weight, eating more high-quality foods (like good quality protein, healthy fats, minimally processed, and nutrient-dense foods), and limiting lower-quality foods (processed foods, sugar, and heavily-refined foods) would be the most appropriate options.
Would you agree? Well, Harvard University agrees.
Harvard, which is always up-to-date on the current research on health, analyzed studies looking at quality of foods vs. the quantity.
And what they showed is:
The quality does matter—especially when it comes to weight loss.
A study covering 120,000 healthy men and women showed:
- Foods that caused the most weight changes (gain) were associated with potato chips, sugar-sweetened beverages, and processed and unprocessed red meat.
- The best weight loss foods were nuts, seeds, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and yogurt
One particularly important finding is:
- They determined that calories are important—but they believe that consuming higher-quality foods, and fewer lower-quality foods, helped guide people to consuming fewer calories overall.
So what can you take away from all of this?
The quality of the foods you’re eating is just as important to your results as the amount of calories you’re eating.
If you’re eating better quality foods, there is a much higher chance you’re going to eat fewer calories as well.
And this could make your overall goals a lot easier to achieve.
- Coach Michelle
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