5 Very Important Reasons NOT to Count Calories Ever Again

You Don’t Need To Count Calories Ever Again. The common understanding is that it is a common unit of energy, which is contained in all products. Caloric value – the amount of energy the body can get by digesting food. Caloric value is needed for metabolism in both a state of rest and in the moment of action.The majority of people spend up to 70 % of their total daily consumption of physiological energy during rest. For women, that is equal to 800 – 1200 calories a day. Any decrease of calories will lead to a slowing down of your metabolism. We eat less, and as a result, the body begins to save the calories, which makes it difficult to shed excess weight. Therefore, those who want to lose weight should try to maintain a high metabolic state. 

 Most diets require calorie counting or adding up of points. Loosing weight for most means less calories and more exercise. However, you can be freed from this unpleasant work of counting and tracking if you avoid processed foods and substitute your daily diet with whole foods. So much has to do with what you eat and not the quantity of your daily calorie intake. Modern diets are full of grains, starches, soy, processed foods, and refined sugars. Avoiding these, will free you up from the bondage of bad calories. Substituting your daily sources of carbohydrates with fruits and vegetables will help you stay on track. You don’t need to count calories if you consume whole unprocessed foods and avoid grains, starches, sugars, and foods that are poorly processed by your body. 

5 Very Important Reasons NOT to Count Calories

Calorie labels are inaccurate

By USDA labeling laws, the calorie content of processed foods can vary up to 20% from the amount listed on the label. “[T]he ratio between the amount obtained by laboratory analysis and the amount declared on the product label in the Nutrition Facts panel must be 120% or less, i.e., the label is considered to be out of compliance if the nutrient content of a composite of the product is greater than 20% above the value declared on the label.”  (FDA Guidance for Industry: Nutrition Labeling Manual)

Your body doesn’t treat all calories the same way

Every macronutrient has a different effect on your metabolic rate and how fulfilled you are after every meal.

In summary, a calorie is not necessarily a calorie: given the functional differences between edible plants, interfamily and even interspecies differences must be considered when making comparisons between food processing techniques.  (Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2012)

Nutrients in Fruits and Vegetables vary by season, variety, ripeness

Nutritional value of fruits and vegetables vary from every region from every season from different growing conditions and every other variable for nutrients, including calories.

Junk food is junk food, no matter how many calories are involved.

Calories from nutrient-rich foods versus nutritionally-bankrupt ones from processed or refined carbs will have different effects on the body.

It doesn’t work in the long term 

If calorie counting really worked, we would be the thinnest country in the world.

When you eat healthy foods, you don’t have to count calories. As long as you feed your body what it needs, it’ll take care of the rest, including keeping you at a healthy weight.