Not All Calories Are Created Equal!

I hear it all the time. A calorie is a calorie. As long as you burn more calories than you take in then you will lose weight. Well that is true in theory. But what if you are eating way below what your burning what happens then? Also not every food you eat is the same is it?

A 500-calorie donut and a 500-calorie balanced meal of chicken, brown rice, and broccoli are equal in calories outside the body, but as soon as they are eaten and swallowed your metabolism will metabolize or digest each food much differently. The donut will digest very quickly because of its high sugar and fat content. The sugar in the donut will create a high blood sugar spike and the sugar not used immediately will be stored as fat in your body. The fat and preservatives in the donut as well will be easily digested and have a great chance of being stored as fat. The chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli meal is much more complex with the high protein and fiber content, and this meal will digest in your body at a much slower rate. The slower digestion will give your body time to distribute the calories more effectively to be used for energy and rebuild tissue. This meal will virtually have no chance of being stored as fat.

A calorie is only a calorie before you eat it! Focus on getting balanced meals and the most natural foods possible and your body composition will thank you!

~David Modderman