I was on the g (chat that is) with Lisa today talking about blog topics. She mentioned that there is so much stuff out there about calories being just a calorie or are they not created equal.
Its confusing. If you try to read anything about health and nutrition...there is SO much info on the googlio.
I am just going to tell you my thoughts. I believe a calorie is just a calorie but you want calories to WORK for you. Munch on this.....back in the olden days (channel the 50/60s...I reference this because I watch Mad Men)....people would eat 3 square meals a day and not worry about snacks to keep their metabolism up. They wouldn't make sure they got their daily allotment of almonds, etc. They didn't worry about low carb, etc. They just ate.
You see them eating bacon, eggs fried in oil and whole milk in the morning. WTF....we wouldn't eat that now. Dinners were rolls, potatoes, maybe a meatloaf (pretty sure they didn't have extra lean ground turkey then from Jeanie-O). Then dessert! Seems they were always eating pie and ice cream.
What gives? How can THEY eat butter, carbs and sugars and be skinny skinny. I think it boils down to TWO things...1. portion control. Americans now think every meal is a feast or celebration. It isn't people! Portions have gotten OUT of control....check out the Cheesecake Factory. RIDIC.....if you actually ordered a meal at a restaurant and portioned it out into the number of servings. You would be shocked. And onto number 2......activity level. People were more active!
Now a days people come home from work, stuff their face and watch the boob tube all night. Back in the olden days, people would eat, clean up, go play outside and get to bed early. They wouldn't plop down on the couch and do nothing all night.
Things were just not as processed back then either. Things didn't ship from all over the world and country to local grocery stores. I believe things were more pure from bacon to butter to anything else. Nothing super mass produced and over processed. Ingredients were more nutrient dense and not cheapened down to increase profits and lower cost to consumers.
Also, there wasn't fast food. Fast food is cheap and fast. If you watch Food Inc, you will realize that most fast food isn't even food. There is NO nutrition in fast food. Its fatty. That is about it. Not even the good chub chasing fat.
If you eat 200 calories worth of twinkies vs 200 calories vs almonds/apples and budget that caloric amount into your diet....is that okay? I believe so. However, the bloat you get from the Twinkie can't be avoided. Also, your body will process those sugars fast leaving you hungry more quickly.
Make calories work for you by eating foods that help your body, give you energy and keep you full. Fiber and nutrient dense foods refuel and recharge your body....giving you energy and a level of fullness that will sustain you to your next meal. Can a Twinkie do all that? I think not! (maybe Twinkies need to make fiber added Twinkies like a lot of processed foods do now!)
Back then, people didn't worry about low carb vs no carb diet. They just ate. However, their carb intake wasn't out of control. They didn't munch on chips, crackers, candy all day long from a vending machine. Right now we just carbo load all day. We are maxed out on carbs and when we eat them they just convert to sugars and store as fat.
Its okay to eat starches and rice for dinner, just keep in mind how many carbs you have had that day. Try to be more active at night. Don't just plop down. If you are a plopper, then eat a lower carb meal. Proteins have less calorie per gram than carbs...protein up!
Bottom line, I do believe a calorie is just a calorie BUT you want to make your calories work for you. You read about those Twinkie Diets or that Whiskey diet......limiting calories work. If a Whataburger hamburger is 660 calores and you have 3 of them...that is 1,980 calories a day. Can you just live in three hamburgers? You would probably be fine if you did but that won't fill you up all day. Plus there is no nutrition in them..when will you ever poo???
Calories are just a calorie....but they are not created equal. Make them work for you. I believe this entire topic is just like the question....what came first the chicken or the egg?
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