I think at one time or another we each have counted calories to improve our health, but is it really that important?

What is a calorie anyway?

It is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius.

A Little History 

The caloric value of food is not a recent measurement; in the late 1800’s, Professor Wilbur O. Atwater was the driving force behind the popularity of calories. Atwater and his team at Wesleyan undertook an exhaustive study in the caloric count of over 500 foods. Their intent was to produce a scientific and healthy way of maintaining one’s weight. His advice was simple: cut out excess and ensure a balance between foods (pretty sound advice).

It wasn’t till 1918 that calorie counting became a mainstay in American diets. Lulu Hunt Peters, an American physician, author, and philanthropist, wrote a book targeted toward American women titled Diet & Health with Key to the Calories. It remained in the top ten non-fiction bestselling from 1922 to 1926, and was the first weight-loss book to become a bestseller. Her book remains in circulation and is still quoted today.

The Challenges of Counting Calories.

Digestion is far too messy of a process to accurately convey in neat numbers. The counts on food labels can differ wildly from the calories that YOU actually extract. It can depend on which species of a food we eat, how we prepare the food, which bacteria are in our gut, and how much energy we use to digest the foods. This just goes to show that there is a complex interaction between food, the human body, and its many microbes.

Merely counting calories based on food labels is an overly simplistic approach to eating a healthy diet, one that does not necessarily improve our health. Another important distinction is whether the food is processed or not. Processed foods are so easily digested in the stomach and intestines that they give us a lot of energy for very little work. In contrast veggies, nuts, and whole grains make us “sweat” for our calories, generally offering more vitamins and nutrients than processed foods, and keeping our gut bacteria happy.

The basic flaw in a calorie-counting diet is that it rarely considers the nutritional value of the calorie: NOT ALL CALORIES ARE CREATED EQUAL.

Let’s look at three different American breakfasts and some of their nutritional values.

Breakfast #3

• Oatmeal with toasted walnuts and a pat of butter
• Blueberries
• Orange juice

This breakfast has 432 calories.

32 grams of sugar (that is 6.4 teaspoons of sugar).

10 g dietary fiber

130 mg sodium

Just as different foods provide different nutritional value, there are factors that can affect how calories are burned.

Check out some of these factors:

• Age: Caloric needs change throughout our life time. A two year old child has a way different caloric need than say a 50 year old.
• Sex: Men (often have a bit more muscle) burn more calories than women on average.
• Heredity/Metabolic Type: Some people have naturally faster metabolisms than others.
• Body Condition: Muscle will burn more calories than fat.
• Activity Level: Your activity level affects how many calories you need to maintain that level.
• Weather: Being cold (shivering) or really warm (sweating) can burn more calories.

To Sum It All Up

Just as not all calories are created equal, they also don’t burn equally either. Our stomachs don’t act the same as a bomb calorimeter, we don’t burn fuel the same way a machine does! Our rate of burning calories can vary based on who we are, what we are doing, and the kinds of food we are eating; and all calories are definitely not created equal.

So what to do? Should we count calories? I believe it can be one of many tools that can help with improving our health, it can be a great starting point to evaluate where someone is at. Often we don’t know how much food we are actually eating until we maintain a food journal. I also believe it is more important to look at where our calories are coming from, and how the foods we eat can improve our overall health.

I hope this was some fun and interesting info about those calories we are always counting. Do you count calories? Did this information change how you think of calories? Had you ever heard of a bomb calorimeter?

Be Blessed and enjoy some nutrient-dense food,

Heather

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Sources:

• Dunn, R. (2013, September 1). Science reveals why calorie counts are all wrong. Scientific American. Retrieved from www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-reveal-why-calorie-counts-are-all-wrong/.
• Petre, A., MS, RD (2016, December 7). Does calorie counting work? a critical look. Healthline. Retrieved from www.healthline.com/nutrition/does-calorie-counting-work.
• Telpner, Meghan. (2013). Undiet eat your way to vibrant health. McClelland & Stewart. Toronto, Canada.