Before I give you my schpiel about why I think calorie counting is pretty close to time wasting, we need to define a couple of things.
First of all, a calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a liter of water 1 degree.
A calorimeter is kind of a scale that’s used to measure the calorie content of a food.
All foods are a combination of calorie-containing carbohydrates, proteins and fats and calorie-free vitamins, minerals, flavors, water and others.
If you multiply the calorie total of a food by 85%, then you get the metabolizable energy intake (MEI) of that food, which is the amount of energy you (should) get after the digestive processes have been completed.
OK, now let me tell you my reasons.
1. Calorie counting is inexact.
It would be impossible to contemplate all the variables that can skew nutritional content data because these measurements are not taken inside a human body, but on the outside. In a lab, using a scale. Isn’t the whole idea to learn how calories affect us once we’ve eaten them?
What if the person has, say, Chrohn’s disease (in which the intestines gradually lose ability to assimilate nutrients). No matter what he eats, he will assimilate just a small fraction of the food energy.
Or what if the person is a 6-month Inuit baby? Her caloric requirement would be much higher than that of a baby that’s not exposed to the extreme cold temperatures of an Artic igloo home.
I know that these two are extreme examples, but my point is that everyone’s metabolism has nuances that are not taken into consideration by the standard rules.
2. Calorie counting doesn’t consider the importance of the quality of the food.
For example: even though the caloric content of organic and non-organic produce is — for the most part — the same, the nutritional profile is not. Organic produce has more nutrients and your body is hungry for those nutrients. If you get more nutrients from less food, your hunger will be satisfied and you’ll naturally eat less. Caloric content is almost irrelevant when you’re eating nutrient-dense foods.
3. Calorie counting is an excuse.
Obsessing about calories can be the perfect excuse to eat junk food. Take 100-calorie snack packs for example. You think, how bad can it be? It’s just a snack, and it’s only 100 calories! Now, read the label more closely and you’ll notice that this “healthy 100-calorie snack” is made with very low quality ingredients. The 100-calorie label fuels the illusion that you are doing something good for you. But you’re not.
4. Calorie counting doesn’t count on the stress response.
Let’s say you love ice-cream. One day you have a fight with your boyfriend and you eat some ice cream, crying in front of the TV. The next day you make amends and go for ice cream with your boyfriend. Even if you ate the same kind and amount of ice cream both times, heck, even if you ate it at the same time both days, your body will respond differently because of your stress response.
Your metabolism is much faster when you are relaxed, so even the same amount of the same food will have a very different impact in your body.
So, is the caloric content really that relevant?
The truth is that you will never know exactly how quickly you burn calories at any given time, so there’s no need to worry much about them. Instead, eat as many nutrient dense, high quality foods as possible, try to relax and eat slowly until you are satisfied.
You will see a huge difference in the way food affects you, including your ability to lose weight, if that’s what you want.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree with you on the merits of calorie counting (or lack thereof), but think the example of the organic vs inorganic produce may not be the best to illustrate your point.
Remember the fuss about the UK Food Standards Agency finding organic no healthier this past summer? Obviously people weren’t happy with the findings, but it’s likely that the nutrient content of veggies is also variable (like calorie expenditures) due to soil quality, time to market, etc.
Organic is obviously the big win when it comes to things like pesticides. But even then it can be tricky. I’ve read about farms that are choosing to bypass the formal organic label because the process is political or pricy or both.
Totally agree with you on #3. Actually, I agree with you on pretty much everything, but especially 3. Those 100 calorie snack packs get on my nerves. People often equate lower calories with being healthy…not the case.