Why Counting Calories Isn’t The Answer

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Transcript

You’re listening to The Love & Lettuce Podcast, episode number 3. Today we’re talking about counting calories and why, in my opinion, counting them isn’t the answer. It isn’t the answer to the question, what is the best way of eating for amazing health? Calorie counting just won’t get us there because it’s not allowing us to focus on the right thing. Let’s dive in.

Hey, this is Laura Lima, holistic nutritionist and founder of New Mama Nation, and host of The Love & Lettuce Podcast. I am here to help mamas know what to eat to give them energy and help them feel fantastic, so they can better enjoy life with their littles. And remember, this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only, and does not replace medical advice from your healthcare provider, and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. As always, please consult your health care provider to find out what is right for you. With that said, let’s get to the show.

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In virtually every conversation I’ve had about weight loss, the subject of calorie counting inevitably comes up. And forget weight loss… it seems that every convo I’ve had about health, period, includes this oh-so-popular topic. And hey, I get it. Much of what we hear in commercials, see on food packages, and “learn” from companies’ marketing efforts is that the calorie is the be-all and end-all, that as long as you consume X number of calories or fewer per day, then you’re good to go. You’ll lose weight (if that’s your goal), and so long as you stick to that calorie intake, you are eating healthily. Basically, burn more calories per day than you take in and all will be well with your world. Right?

Wrong, at least in my opinion.

Now I will say that, yeah, you don’t want to eat more food than your body needs on a consistent basis, even healthy ones. Instead, you should be taking in the necessary fuel upon which your body relies to run. And you shouldn’t make a habit of always going over and above that. Yeah. But calorie counting in and of itself is not the healthiest way to determine the foods that you’re going to eat in a day.

Because guess what? Some of the healthiest foods are the highest calorie. I know, mic drop (but I’m not going to drop my mic). While protein and carbs each provide four calories per gram, fat provides nine. So to someone who is solely focused on the calories, that’s like, yikes, stay away from fat. And I’m like no, don’t! Eat it wholeheartedly. Yes, avoid vegetable oils, but butter, coconut oil, avocados and fish, plus a lot more? Eat ’em up!

If we’re focusing on counting calories that our food provides, we are almost guaranteed to miss out on such an essential component of food: fat. And believe me when I say we need fat to function. Our brain needs it, our blood sugar does too, our hormones require it, our heart wouldn’t be as healthy without it, our skin craves it. In short, we need it. And counting calories just doesn’t take that into account. It doesn’t tell us how healthy the food is. And when it comes to fat, it can actually cause us to get less than an ideal amount.

What is a calorie anyway?

Well, it’s a unit that is used to measure energy. In our case, food energy. A Calorie, which, scientifically speaking, should have a capital C, as written on food packages is actually a kilocalorie, or kcal. Here’s the definition of a kcal: The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. Energy is important, but it’s a type of food that truly dictates the energy the food will provide. Is it colourful veggies with healing olive oil and sea salt plus nutrient-rich eggs? Or is it a packaged food that’s, yay, low calorie!… but really a bunch of overly processed ingredients that are providing nothing in the way of health and everything in the way of nutrient deficiencies and crappy feelings, both mentally and physically. I’ll take the former please, all day, every day.

The question is, are we focused on the wrong thing?

I’d say so. Focusing counting calories in our food takes the focus away from where it should be… on how nutritious that food is. Which vitamins is it providing? How about minerals? Healing fats? (Oh wait, those are high calorie, so we should keep them to a minimum…) Wrong! That’s where calorie counting fails us. It doesn’t allow for plenty of healthy fats in our diet. And if we do decide to eat them anyway, we feel guilty for going over our allotted number of calories for the day.

And what about how a food makes us feel? Does it cause bloating and gas? Or is it digested happily by our gut? Do you feel tired after eating it? Or alive with vibrancy and energy? Are you mood swingy soon after and craving more of the same? Or are you balanced, satisfied and feeling dang good? In order to eat in a truly healthful way (and lose weight as a fun side effect, if that’s on your radar), then we must change the way we view food.

Instead of looking at a dish and immediately taking out our phone and counting calories, we should look at it and make a happy mental note of how many nutrients it’s providing. Protein, fibre, fat, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants, amazing. Check, check and check.

As much as I’d love to just say, okay, little grasshopper, go to it!… I know you’re probably wondering just what a truly healthy plate might look like, especially since if you’re used to relying on calorie counting, taking that away might make you feel a little bit lost with how to build your meals. I’ll give you an idea here, but just know that this is a general guideline and that not every day or every meal will look like this.

About a quarter to a third of your plate should be your protein.

With the remainder being filled with vegetables, and the fat being poured on top, and/or mixed in. Protein examples include meat, fish, eggs, and legumes (which are lentils, beans, peas), your veggies could be your salad and/or a side vegetable, and the fat is the dressing on the salad, the olive oil poured over your fish, the butter on your sweet potato, and so on.

Real food also mixes it up to keep things interesting. Case in point: Salmon provides both protein and fat, as do eggs, and beans contain fibre in addition to protein. You’re already getting fibre from the vegetables, but you’re getting so many other nutrients from them too. But even though this is often the case, the overall idea is a quarter to a third of your plate being protein, the rest veg, and fat on top of it all, even if you’re already getting fat from the other stuff on your plate.

How much should you eat?

Okay, so now we’ve filled our plate and we’re sitting down to a beautifully healthy meal. I know what’s happening at this point in your mind. You’re thinking, oh boy, how much of it am I supposed to eat? And should I go for seconds? Or are those not allowed? Fret not, my little flower, for it’s easier than you think. Here goes. Pay attention to how it makes you feel.

That’s right, we’re getting mindful up in here. Are you feeling stuffed before you have finished? Stop eating! In fact, aim to eat until you’re satisfied rather than stuffed. On the other hand, are you still feeling unsatisfied after you’re all done? Have more! (And if you pick up your phone to open your app and start counting calories, and then fret over the extra ones you’ll be consuming, I’m going to give you a friendly tap on the back of your hand before you can even get there.) Yeah, not only are we getting mindful up in here, but we’re getting serious too.

I’m going to throw in a caveat because, well, what’s life without ’em! It can sometimes be helpful to add up how many grams of protein you’re getting in a day, or how many tablespoons of fat. But for me, that’s usually to ensure my clients are getting enough rather than the other way around. I also analyze their food intake to check for fibre, again to make sure they’re getting plenty. Those are really the only times that counting comes into play for me around food (and measuring ingredients when following or creating a recipe obvi).

Beyond that, I like to look at my plate and make sure it’s going to provide my body what it needs as far as nutrients, and then see how I feel once I’m done eating.

For me, this is a far superior way to look at food and our intake of it. Here’s the bottom line: When it comes to eating food with our health in mind, counting calories just isn’t the way to go. It doesn’t make sense from that perspective. It doesn’t align with looking at the nutrition of the food, and how much it will add to our health or take away from it. Calories are pretty self-centred. They only tell one story and encourage us to forget about the rest. What good is knowing the calorie count when we don’t know where those calories came from? What is their source? Is it a healthy oil, in which case the calorie count will be higher? Good! Is it refined sugar, in which case it’ll probably be lower? Bad! But calorie counting would tell us the opposite.

I’m here to tell you that there’s more to the story.

It’s not just about that seemingly all encompassing number; it’s about the valuable nutrients the food will or won’t provide, the fuel that will feed our body and our mind. Counting calories just don’t take that into account. And yet, that is the most important thing when it comes to the foods that enter our bodies. The number one thing that we should be paying attention to is this: What nutrients will this food provide? How will it make me feel, both mentally and physically? If this gives you positive answers, then my friend, eat it up.

How do you feel about calorie counting?

Have you tried it before? Can you relate to this different perspective? Find me on Instagram and let me know. I am @lauraannlima. Take a screenshot of this episode and tag me in your story, or send me a DM, and let me know what you thought. I will see you there.

Tune in to next week’s episode, which will be episode 4, to find out why I actually believe treats are part of a healthy diet. What?! I know… a nutritionist telling you to eat the treats. I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you there because I find that this is the thing that can make or break a nutrition plan for many of my clients and students. So watch out for that coming next week. If you’re not already subscribed to this podcast, do it! That way when a new episode comes out, you’ll see it right there on your phone. 

And don’t forget to get your free copy of my New Mama Energy Guide. Just go to bit.ly/newmamas for instant access.

Thanks for listening to The Love & Lettuce Podcast. To find out how to work with me and for more great info, check out newmamanation.com. This is Laura! Until next time, love and lettuce.