Stop counting calories

Katerina Pavlakis written by

Your body knows better

The concept of calories is so ingrained in our understanding of nutrition that we don't even realise how outdated and inaccurate it actually is.

It is generally accepted that to lose weight (or to avoid gaining extra weight) one has to 'eat less, move more', and dieticians up and down the (Western) world still repeat the mantra of 'a calorie is a calorie'.

But what is a calorie?

Back in the late 1800s a chap called Wilbur Atwater conducted an extensive series of experiments, to establish the energy content (measured in calories) of various foods. Calorie content was determined using a contraption called a 'bomb calorimeter' by evaluating the combustion heat generated by a substance as a measure of its potential energy content. The data from his experiments is still used in nutrition charts today.

The problem: the human body is far(!) more complex than a combustion chamber. It has multiple sophisticated physiological processes to digest, convert and utilise food, not just as 'energy' but also as building blocks for growth, repair and maintenance of tissues and functions.

To start with, to convert any food into 'energy' the body must use resources: not just energy but also nutrients to power the thousands of biochemical reactions necessary to break down and utilise the nutrient content of the foods we eat.

The type of food, the state of that food, its content of nutrients and crucially, micronutrients, as well as the condition of our gut - and our mind - all determine the way the body will process and use our daily meals. Crucially, the body also has an inbuilt system to regulate energy balance which directs hunger, satiation, absorption and metabolic rate.

Processed foods are engineered to trick the body - they mess with our hormones and gut flora, interfere with brain signalling and outmanoeuvre our energy regulation system.

Quick example: artificial sweeteners may not add calories nor raise your blood sugar level, but the sweet taste will still alert the body to 'incoming sugar' hence insulin is released in response. So now you have raised insulin levels without the glucose spike the body was expecting to process - and we are only just beginning to understand the dysregulation this kind of confusion is causing.

This outdated concept of the body as a combustion engine has led us to allow the calorie count determine the health 'value' of a food: the lower the calorie count, the 'better'.

Like the lady who came into our shop the other day, lamenting that she only just found out that olives are 'fattening' (for the record, olives have a high fat content, and are rich in super healthy oleic acid, fibre and polyphenols).

Heavily processed foods are stripped of nutrients to save cost and increase shelf life. But the body still needs to draw on nutrients, not just calories, to process that empty food - while you may be getting calories you are being drained of nutrients. The result is a chronically 'overfed but undernourished' state that is causing much of today's ill-health crisis.

Perhaps you have experienced some of the tell-tale sign yourself, without knowing how to read them:

• The need to keep snacking to 'keep going'.
• Feeling hungry soon after a meal
  • The body senses the lack of nourishment and urges you to eat more.
• Binging on certain foods we just can't stop eating once we start.
  • The addictive nature of processed foods is short-circuiting natural satiety signalling.
• Strong cravings (sweets, carbs, caffeine, alcohol...)
  • To overcome the lack of sustenance the body is asking for substances that will trigger the stress response to help us cope.

When we give in to these urges we blame ourselves for our 'lack of discipline', not realising that these are nothing but survival instincts kicking in (hence impossible to overcome by sheer force of will).

Do yourself a favour and stop counting calories.

Stick to real nourishing food instead.

Avoid 'food products' (clue: fancy packaging) and the trickery of artificial ingredients.

Focus non quality, not quantity.

Eat well and your body will find its natural balance. 

Its' designed that way.

A calorie is NOT a calorie.

Categories: (RE)THINK