Are you obsessed with counting every 1 cal you put inside your body? Do you feel out of control when you don’t keep a tab on the food items you consume? Well, this is a problem faced by a lot of youngsters. Somewhere, in the long run, we have intermixed the concept of calories and health together. It has made most of us assume that you become unhealthy with every extra 1 cal that goes into your body. But is that true?
Does counting every calorie you put inside your body make any difference in your health? Want to know more about counting calories and personal health? Then let’s dive right into it.
Calories and Health
Yes, keeping an account of what you eat is a healthy practice. A general understanding of which foods are high in calories and which are not is also a good practice. But when your whole diet becomes a constraint to this calculation, one can safely state that you are out of control. And this extreme state will do you bad than good.
Are you wondering how? Yes, as I told you earlier, keeping track of what you eat is a beneficial practice. But it is good for you until and unless it tracks your food habits, not determine them. It will pull your attention away from the food you are eating. That is highly dangerous. It will change one’s outlook toward food. You’ll start eating to fulfil your calorie intake than satisfy your taste buds or, worse, lead to an eating disorder. Moreover, calories are not what they always look like.
Different types of 1 Cal that can enter your body
Yes, every 1 cal that enters your body is not the same. Even though, in technical terms, calories do the function of imparting energy, in the biological sense, it does so much more than that. While some 1 cal you put inside your body is beneficial for you, others can be harmful. Yes, it is still 1 cal, but what it does to your body is determined by where it comes from.
So based on what they provide for our body, calories are divided into two: Empty calories and beneficial calories. Every 1 cal with little to no nutritional value is an empty calorie. At the same time, every 1 cal that provides so much more than just energy to your body is a beneficial calorie. So did you understand why keeping a tab on every 1 cal that passes your lips is not a foolproof technique? Actually, there are many reasons why counting calories doesn’t always work. Want to know them?
Why is counting every 1 Cal not a perfect technique?
You have no clear-cut idea about how many 1 cal your body needs.
Yes, you heard it correctly. The no. of calories each individual’s body needs is entirely different. It is not an approximate number written on the internet. Yeah, it is not the number suggested by your calorie counting app. The calories you require to complete your daily tasks without fail depend on multiple factors. A detailed procedure like calorimetry can only determine that.
Your body does not absorb every 1 cal you consume.
You may count every 1 cal that passes through your mouth as 1 cal that reaches your body. But this is not always true. As stated earlier, food is not just made up of calories but has various factors like minerals, nutrients, fibres etc. in it. So the amount of calories absorbed by the food you intake also depends upon all these factors. That means that 1600 calories put inside your body will not be completely absorbed by your body.
The calorie count on packages is not always accurate
Yup, you heard it right. The calorie count on packaged foods need not always be accurate. Food and Drug Administration allows a margin error of up to 20% on this nutritional information.
Counting every 1 cal can make you ignorant to body’s needs.
As we saw earlier, a calorie is not the only thing required by the body. When our body doesn’t receive enough nutrients to function properly, it will send signals to you. But due to your obsession with counting every 1 cal you eat, you may likely ignore them. Then you will start eating solely to meet the calorie intake and stop satisfying your body’s needs. This practice is extremely dangerous.
Exercising doesn’t always burn a certain no. of calories, consistently
Yeah, that is right. You don’t always burn a specific number of calories through a specific exercise routine. That means you won’t be able to work off all those excess calories by exercising for a fixed amount of time. Neither your body nor the calories work in that manner.
Yes, I am trying to convey that it is not worth it. Yes, counting every 1 cal that passes through your body every day is not rewarding as you thought it was. Basically, everything is an approximation and estimation. So, putting yourself through all those extra stress and the possibility of developing an eating disorder is not worth it.
So what do you do instead of counting every 1 cal?
Develop a healthy eating habit. Yep, that’s it. Just have a basic understanding of which foods are good and which are bad for your body. For example, having a fruit bowl is much more beneficial to your body’s overall well-being than having a piece of cake. It will help you to understand what you are putting inside your body.
So instead of counting every 1 cal you consume, you can regulate the amount of each of the different types of food you intake. More importantly, strictly adhere to small portion sizes. Eating in moderation is always key for one’s overall well-being. And don’t try to starve yourself. If you feel hungry, snack on something. Just make sure you are snacking on something healthy like nuts rather than junk.
Last but not least, eat more foods which has fibre. Fibre helps you maintain your body weight by keeping you full for a long time. Want to know a much better way to ensure that you are taking enough fibre daily? Welcome to Nutriplus FibreFit.
Nutriplus FibreFit
Take a step towards worriless life with Nutriplus Fibrefit. It is a healthy step that will help in keeping your body fit. This product is made with the natural plant fibre extracted from Gum Acacia, one of the richest sources of soluble fibre. As a result, Nutriplus FibreFit, adds fibre content to your diet. This improves your digestive health and thereby keeps you feeling full for longer. In due time, this small change will reduce the risk of heart diseases, type-2 diabetes, stroke, Obesity etc.
To Conclude
Finally, I hope you understand that trying to count every 1 cal you put inside your body is extremely harmful. So chill, people. Don’t invite unnecessary tensions and anxieties into your life. You already have more than enough on your plate, right? So sit back and relax. Stay happy, stay healthy and eat responsibly!
