Welcome to Part 2 of my series on the principles behind Flexible Dieting, also known as IIFYM, or “If it fits your Macros.”
What is a Calorie?
In the simplest terms possible, it’s a unit of energy that your body utilizes. If you want a more technical response:
“The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius” or: “A unit equivalent to the large calorie expressing heat-producing or energy-producing value in food when oxidized in the body” (Source; More Reading)
Okay, so a Calorie is a unit of energy.
If you think of your body like a car, Calories are like gasoline; Calories are stored as energy in food, and here’s how much is stored in each macronutrient: (Source)
- 1 gram of Carbohydrate yields 4 Calories
- 1 gram of Protein yields 4 Calories
- 1 gram of Fat yields 9 Calories.
It’s worth noting that while Alcohol is not a macronutrient, it does yield energy– 1 gram of Alcohol yields 7 Calories.
So here’s how to think about it– When your body digests and absorbs food, it frees up the energy stored in the food. It either uses it for immediate energy, or stores it (as fat) for later use.
So in terms of energy, a Calorie is always a Calorie, since it is just a measure of the amount of energy in a food. This is one of the fundamental principles behind flexible dieting– Remember from last weeks post: If you want to lose weight, you need to consume less energy than you burn.
Are there times when all Calories are not created equal?
The short answer: Yes.
What is the long answer?
I have to reiterate that when you’re looking at energy balance, all Calories are equal. We don’t want to look at food purely as energy, though– There’s the entire “healthful diet” thing that everyone should consider. When it comes down to what you eat, it should provide plenty of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber, etc. And this is where all Calories are not equal.
If we compare 100 Calories of banana vs. 100 Calories of soda, you’ll notice that they both have 100 Calories. That’s obvious, right? I mean, I said it’s 100 Calories of each.
Here’s where they differ, though; let’s look at what the Banana yields (Nutrition Data):
- Energy derived from the macronutrients present– Carbohydrates will be broken down into simple sugars (Monosaccharides) during digestion.
- Fiber, which has many important healthful benefits from colon health to reducing cholesterol, among other things. (Source)
- Micronutrients: These are Vitamins and Minerals, which your body requires to maintain physiological functions. (Source 1, Source 2)
- Phytochemicals: These are chemical compounds that have been shown to offer great health benefits, but they are not required for survival, and more research needs to be (and is being) done on them. These are the chemicals people are referencing when they make the claim that “Red Wine is good for you;” they’re talking about “Resveratrol.” (Source 1, Source 2, Source 3)
Here’s a look at what the soda yields (Nutrition Data):
- Energy derived from the macronutrients present– Carbohydrates will be broken down into simple sugars (Monosaccharides) during digestion.
As you can see, there’s a great benefit to picking 100 Calories of banana over soda! On top of that, sugary drinks take little time to digest, meaning they offer a lot of energy in a short time, and do nothing to satiate you.
While one could argue that this is an unfair comparison, it’s the sort of decisions people are faced with in every day life. We could make the same comparison between a banana and a bag of chips, since both the chips and the soda are empty calories.
So what do you recommend?
Officially, as a nutritionist, I recommend you try and derive as much of your food from whole food sources as possible– That means you can maximize satiety, micronutrient content, phytochemical content, and (usually) the amount of food you eat. This is important to maximize the healthfulness of your diet. Of course, that’s not an option for all of us, and we all enjoy foods that are processed (or just not whole foods). . . That’s my “official” recommendation, though.
Here’s what I stick to on a daily basis for myself: I try to get as much variety as possible in my diet when it comes to food choices, food groups, and even the colors of different foods (the color of fruits and veggies can clue you into the different phytochemicals present). I also limit my consumption of non nutrient dense foods (So called “Free Foods”) to 1 – 2 food choices daily (Examples include cookies, pretzels, buttermilk pancakes, etc.) which usually comes out to between 150 and 200 Calories daily; although, there are days where I don’t eat any free foods since I really enjoy everything I eat!
And that is the subject of next week’s post! Most people think about a healthy lifestyle and think they can’t enjoy the food they eat. Well, those people are not following sound advice. Check back next week for Part 3 of this series where we talk about the importance of being “Non-restrictive” and flexible; hence, “Flexible Dieting.”
Any questions about this post? Please ask!