Is a calorie just a calorie?

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1960 – “A calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from. Extra weight is the result of eating too much and not burning enough.”

versus

2017 – “A calorie is not a calorie. Not all calories are used in the same way by the human body.”

Wow, that’s quite a shift in perception, is it not?

What are calories anyway? Well, broadly speaking, calories measure the capacity of a certain food or drink to provide energy to the human body. Through the process of digestion, we then absorb this energy that keeps us going throughout the day.

Calories come from macronutrients: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Fats are the highest in calories (9 kcal/g), whereas proteins and carbohydrates provide almost half of that amount (4 kcal/g). An astonishing number of calories comes from alcohol (7 kcal/g).

In fact, calories are, to some degree, a useless piece of information regarding what we should eat and how to maintain a healthy body weight. Instead, what we choose to eat influences our body’s response in the process of losing weight. Although true that all calories release the same amount of energy, different foods cause the body to react differently.

Watch bellow less than 1 minute of information provided by Robert Lustig, one of the most vehement advocates of differentiating foods based on the type of calories they contain:

Quality, not quantity! In other words, why CICO (Calories in, calories out) does not work!

To have a clearer picture, let’s quickly asses the two products Dr. Lustig debates upon:

There are approximately 21.2 g of proteins, 49.4 g of fats, 21.7 g of carbohydrates and 12.2 g of fiber in 100 g of almonds. The high content of fiber alters the way the other macronutrients are being used and processed by the body. Although many times avoided because of their high number of calories, studies results are favorable to eating almonds (nuts and seeds in general), showing positive outcomes in the process of losing weight (especially if consumed as snacks). So, if normally, 30 g of almonds provide 173 kcal, only 134 kcal will be absorbed and that is because fat absorption is impeded by the fiber content. (1, 2) Moreover, having so much protein helps induce satiety for a longer period, hence lead to a smaller calorie intake. (3)

versus

Soft drinks contain substantial amounts of sugar. Sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Both its components are monosaccharides with the same molecular formula, yet so different in regard to how the body reacts to each of them.

To keep it simple, once the glucose enters the body, it raises blood sugar, therefore letting the pancreas know to secrete insulin. By using this hormone, the glucose gets transported to the liver and the muscular tissue and used as either immediate energy source or stored for later use. However, the liver and muscular cells can only store a certain amount and when there is too much glucose in the blood stream, it gets stored as fat. Fructose, on the other hand, gets directly into the liver, however the liver has no system to regulate it, therefore it is rapidly converted to fat when its storage capacity is exceeded. Part of this fat will remain in the liver while the rest will be released in the blood stream, neither scenario being too favorable to health and weight in particular.

In conclusion, different foods affect our metabolism, certain hormones and the appetite in various ways.

So…do you still believe “a calorie is just a calorie”?

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