Calorie Quantity VS Calorie Quality
Let's just be real, we live in a society that has told us for years that in order to be healthy we need to just buy “their” ultra processed bars and eat less which has led to countless programs that promise weight loss results. While being aware of what you eat is so important to learning about nutrition, it is much less about the quantity and way more about the quality.
Why is this true!?
Reason # 1:
The quality of the food we eat depends on how many calories we burn. 10% of the calories that we burn in a day come from the thermic effect of food, which simply means the amount of calories we burn from digesting food.
When we eat protein, it is much more difficult to break down than carbs and fats so we burn 2-3x more calories digesting it. Eating more protein=higher calorie burn and a significant boost to your metabolism!
Carbs fall into one of two categories:
Simple Carbs = Instant Energy with a Crash Later
Complex Cabs = Sustained Energy and More Calories Burned
Examples of complex carbs are brown rice, oats, potatoes, quinoa, beans, whole grains, chickpeas, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, corn, asparagus, zucchini, peas, etc
Examples of simple carbs are fruit juice, cereal, soda, candy, baked goods, milk, corn syrups, sugar, white bread, etc.
Fruit is considered a simple carb and a complex carb. Because it has natural sugars but is jam packed with nutritional benefits including fiber it shows up in both categories.
Reason # 2:
Eating the right combination of high protein with moderate carbs and fats (aka calorie quality) is where you will see the biggest body compositional changes.. The reason for this is because it is the ONLY way to promote fat loss while minimizing muscle loss.
When we count calories and eat less than normal, focusing only on quantity, we may experience weight loss, but what exactly are we losing? The answer is it could be water weight, muscle weight, or fat. There is really no way to prioritize what we lose with just calories in vs calories out.
But when we prioritize protein while moderating carbs and fats it allows us to preserve the lean muscle mass we have (because we need this to burn more calories!) and promote fat loss over water weight and muscle weight loss. When we do this we finally start to see the muscle definition that we have been working for. If we just focus on lowering our calories, this change will not occur.
Reason #3:
Focusing only on calorie deficits, you could experience nutrient deficiencies. If we immediately go to cutting calories without being aware of the nutritional components of what we are eating then there is a large chance that we are missing out on very important vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to thrive. If we instead focus on building a quality plate that has protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats then our bodies are much more likely to respond in the way that we want them to (because they have exactly what they need). Lack of proper nutrients is one of the biggest reasons why we feel exhausted, have brain fog, have extra stress, and hormone imbalances when it comes to dieting.
Reason #4:
Without focusing on calorie quality, you will be hungry again A LOT sooner. The benefits of protein and complex carbs are that they keep you fuller longer and provide volume to a plate. The less fiber and protein you eat, the more you will be going to the pantry for snacking. Fiber also is very beneficial for healthy digestion so without eating enough of it, you can experience digestion issues.
Reason #5:
Without focusing on calorie quality, you will not be able to proactively manage your blood sugar. When we eat carbs, our blood sugar immediately spikes and we need protein and fats to be able to regulate our insulin production to bring our blood sugar back to baseline. When we eat all three together, it helps to slow digestion of carbs and delay their absorption into the bloodstream. Without proper blood sugar balance, we can experience uncontrollable hunger, cravings for sugar, the inability to lose weight, or fatigue.
So let's walk through an example:
Let’s say I am going to cut my calories to 1300 in an attempt to lose a few pounds. To get to that 1300 calories a day, I could eat so many different foods. Let's look at two different scenarios…
Person A eats a pop tart and biscuit for breakfast, a burger for lunch, and a slice of pizza for dinner. All of those foods totaling 1300 calories.
Nutritional Value: Based on this day of eating the protein amount is very small as it was only prioritized with the burger. The poptart, biscuit, pizza, and bun for the burger are highly caloric foods that are filled with carbs and fats, but without any nutrients inside. Remember, carbs and fats are not bad, but they are best and NEEDED when they are filled with nutritional benefits.
How the Body Responds: Your body will quickly break down all the foods minus the burger patty and give you a quick blood sugar spike that will cause imbalance without other nutrients to assist. Since none of these carbs had much fiber or complexity, you are most likely to be hungry again quickly and have no sustained energy throughout the day.
Person B eats some yogurt with berries and turkey sausage for breakfast, a turkey wrap for lunch on higher fiber wrap, and a salad piled high with veggies and their favorite protein for dinner. All of these foods total up to 1300 calories.
Nutritional Value and How the Body Responds: Protein was prioritized at every meal with a good balance of complex carbs, healthy fats, and fiber. Because of the nutrient density they will have sustained energy, a more boosted metabolism, their body will be working harder and burning more calories to break down what they ate, and they will feel satisfied and full.
So this is why QUALITY trumps quantity. Your body NEEDS fuel. If you are wanting the best place to start when it comes to giving your body what it needs to thrive, start by focusing on calorie quality and building a well balanced plate (there is another blog post on this with recipe ideas!).
Once you give your body what it needs, it will start responding like you want. GUARANTEED.