Are All Calories Equal?

We all know the true science behind weight loss is a caloric deficit. If you eat more than you need, you’ll gain weight, and if you eat less than you need, you will lose weight! That begs the question: does it really matter what we eat as long as we stay in deficit?

Technically, it’s possible to lose weight on junk food alone, you’ll feel terrible though!

Let’s break it down — here are the benefits of loading up on healthy food compared to unhealthy food. 

Compared to eating high-fat, sugary meals, consuming high-protein, fibre-rich meals will help you feel fuller for longer. This is beneficial in stopping you from overeating. Fast food may be satisfying in the moment, but your body isn’t absorbing any nutrients from it, leading you to be hungrier than you would be if you’d just eaten a high-protein meal.

Foods such as potato chips and sugary soft drinks are far more calorie-dense than healthier options like wholegrain crackers and organic juices or tea.

For example, 100 grams of potato chips comes in at around 546 calories, and 100 grams of whole grain crackers comes in at 390 calories. That’s a total difference of 146 calories. It mightn’t seem like a drastic difference, but keep in mind how easy potato chips are to eat! You’re much more likely to fill up more quickly on the whole grain crackers, so your calorie consumption wouldn’t be anywhere near 390 anyway!

Although eating 1,000 calories worth of junk is the same energy intake as 1,000 of healthy food, your body processes them very differently.

Eating nothing but processed foods will leave you feeling fatigued and you’ll notice the hunger pains much more quickly!

Improving the quality of our diet ultimately improves the way we look, regardless of what the scale says. Of course, eating fewer calories will help us to lose weight, but by ensuring the calories we eat are found in nutritious foods, our bodies can build and retain muscle simultaneously, keeping us toned!

Eating healthily applies to mental wellbeing too. Our moods will benefit from a healthy diet and the risk of developing chronic diseases will decrease.