Food for Thought: Are All Calories Created Equal?

Are all calories created equal? TL;DR –  no, not all calories are created equal. 

In this post we will give you some food for thought and will clarify the subject once and for all. 

Many people use calorie counting when trying to lose body fat. Losing fat is all about crunching the numbers, right? Well apparently no. We all know that to lose weight we must create a calorie deficit. That means, to consume less calories than your body burns daily. But if it was such a simple math equation, then why do so many diets fail? The simple answer is that QUANTITY of calories matters BUT we still need to consider the QUALITY of those calories!

Quality Matters

Let’s look at a quick example.

Meet Joe and Ann.

Joe & Ann both consume a daily snack worth 100 calories. Joe’s snack consists of eating three yummy tootsie pops. Ann’s snack, being more of a green foods type of person, consists of lovely broccoli. 

So what’s the difference? Same amount of calories. A calorie is a calorie, right? Wrong!

How We Process Food

Calories provide energy to our body.  Our body is a complex biochemical system with processes to regulate energy balance. Different calorie sources can have vastly different effects on hunger, hormones, energy expenditure and the brain areas that control food consumption.

First, the food we eat goes through different biochemical pathways. Some of which are inefficient and cause energy (calories) to be lost as heat. This means that the energy available is less than the original energy of the food we consumed. 

Second, the food we eat affects our brain which controls hunger and eating behavior.

Third, foods with high glycemic levels (like sugar, white bread and potatoes) spike blood sugar and stimulate hunger and cravings, which can drive people to overeat.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly in our case, different foods have different effects on our body, releasing effective energy or piling up as waste accordingly.

Effects

And now let’s get a bit technical, let’s return to Joe and Ann. Both have consumed 100 calories, remember?

Joe’s tootsie pops are mainly composed of white sugar. When Joe digests sugar, enzymes in the small intestine break it down into glucose. This glucose is then released into the bloodstream, where it is transported to tissue cells in our muscles and organs and converted into energy. Beta cells in the pancreas constantly monitor the amount of glucose in the bloodstream and release insulin to control it.

This means that if Joe consumes more sugar than his body needs right away, it can be stored for later to keep his blood-sugar levels constant. This stored energy can easily translate into fat.

In addition, eating food that spikes blood sugar fast tends to lead to a crash in blood sugar a few hours later. When that happens, you get cravings for another high-carb snack and then the distance from your fridge comes into play… 

Now let’s see what about ‘Green’ Ann.
Ann’s broccoli, on the other hand, has vitamins, minerals, fiber and other bioactive compounds. These components break down slower having a less chance to be stored as fat, in addition to slowing down digestion and making you feel full for longer periods of time.

So what’s the bottom line? When seeking healthy food that also helps with fat loss, you should aim at foods with high-protein, low-carb, rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. These will result in better health, reduce fat cells, help achieve a feeling of fullness for longer periods of times, slow absorption of glucose and slow digestion. 

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