All calories are NOT created equal
You may have seen on the internet or heard from one of your friends that “it doesn’t matter what you’re eating as long as it fits into your calorie goal.” This my friends, could not be further from the truth.
One of the first things I ever learned in grad school was this: a calorie does not equal a calorie
What does this mean? In short, that your body metabolizes foods differently. Take for example 100 calories from lentils and 100 calories from French fries. After eating, you might absorb 100% of the sugar from the French fries, but only a small percentage from the lentils. Lentils also come with fiber, protein, and vitamins/minerals that not only slow the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream but give your body beneficial nutrients to keep it functioning optimally. French fries, while good for the soul don’t get me wrong, do not get metabolized in the same way as lentils.
I don’t say this to create fear around food (in fact I love fries with a burger and there are no “good" or “bad" foods in my book) but to help you become aware and empowered around your food choices! When you see anyone telling you that it doesn’t matter what you’re eating as long as it fits into your calorie goal, run far away. Our bodies are way more complex than that and there’s so much more that goes into how much energy our bodies take in from food. Not to mention that all of us do not thrive off of the same diet.
Besides foods being metabolized differently, here are a couple other reasons why calories are not created equal:
Thermic effect of food: protein has the highest thermic effect, meaning you burn more calories eating that macronutrient over others. Carbs come in next, with fats being the lowest of all three.
Food processing: food processing messes with a foods natural state and makes it easier for calories to be extracted from that product. For example, it’s easier to eat a couple tablespoons of nut butter than it is to eat handfuls of nuts.
Calories are important, but it is more important to understand our bodies complex systems before we become fixated on counting calories for the rest of our lives.