Tracking foods and counting calories is almost synonymous with the traditional ‘diet’. More recently the focus has been shifting more towards improving people’s relationships with food and increasing awareness around nutrition and food.
There’s no doubt that for most people if you calorie restrict you will lose weight. This is the reason most quick fix, high profile diets work. Unfortunately it’s been shown that 80-90% of people go on to regain the weight again.
I don’t advocate my clients count calories as a general rule. I do think education around the calorie content in food is important and the concept of calorie density. The 2 snack options in this pic are the same total number of calories. The wee calorie bomb French fancy is gone in one mouthful, the high protein yoghurt with blueberries takes longer to eat, is larger in quantity and is likely to satisfy your hunger much more. It also has the added bonus of more vitamins and antioxidants.
In short, yes calories are important but it’s more important what foods those calories come from, the added benefits of eating those foods and selecting foods for their overall health benefits, not just their fuel.
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