Why Calorie Counting is Problematic. A quick run down.
**TRIGGER WARNING**
The following blog post contains references to Kcal (calories) and calorie counting. If this is a sensitive or triggering subject for you, please do not read on.
It is as simple as energy in and energy out, right? Hmmm maybe not.
This blog post discusses why calorie counting is problematic for the general public.
1. It just isn’t a science. The calorie counts on food labels and in databases are based on averages. What does this mean? It means they aren’t accurate. There will always be an element of variance or error. For example, a yogurt may say it contains 150 Kcals on the label, however, it may be closer to 180 Kcals. Legislation in the UK means that food manufacturers can use different methods of calculation to calculate nutrient values. They don't necessarily have to put it through laboratory analysis and depending on the food, the food manufacturer or the food business operator can calculate those values themselves. Hmmm.
2. We don’t absorb all the energy - we don't absorb all the calories in food. For example, almonds; research has shown that we absorb roughly 68% of the calories from almonds. This is influenced by the fibre content in foods. For proteins, that variance is even more distinct. Hmmm again.
3. Preparation changes everything. How you prepare your food changes its calorie load and how available those calories are for absorption. This fact is not always reflected in food labeling in the UK.
4. We are all individuals. Our gut health can increase or decrease the number of calories we absorb. We are human beings, with different microbiomes. Hence, why blanket calorie counting programs and diet approaches just don’t work.
Ok, what about calories burnt? Surely that is an exact science?
1. Firstly ‘calories burnt’ estimations for all physical activities, come with a margin of error. Even the more accurate methods of measurement, such as monitoring gas exchange during physical activity, comes with an error margin of around 10%. Fitness trackers can have an error margin of around 30%! You might want to delete that My Fitness Pal.
2. How we burn calories varies from individual to individual. This is influenced by variances in our gene epigenetics. Sleep deprivation and our hormone cycle as women can affect our metabolic rate, all of these things impact how many calories we burn.
3. Metabolisms don’t exist in a vacuum. How adaptive our metabolism varies from person to person. The number of calories that it takes to digest different nutrients varies. Your weight history also impacts your metabolism. Chronic dieters or those who have restricted for a long time may experience a slowing down of their metabolism that a calorie counter cannot make an allowance for.
4. Finally, we are all a bit rubbish at estimating and recalling what we’ve eaten accurately, it is very subjective. My idea of a heaped tablespoon and your idea of a heaped tablespoon could differ up to two thirds.
In conclusion, you don’t need to count calories to be healthy. If you learn to rely on your internal cues for hunger and fullness and begin to trust your body, you will be able to meet its energy needs.
No fitness tracker can make an allowance for the fact you are sleep deprived because your baby was awake all night. It doesn’t know that you had a particularly active day yesterday, so you are hungrier today. It doesn’t know you have PMT and need carbs and chocolate.
If you would like to learn how to have a healthy relationship with food and your body. Learn how to eat food that nourishes your body and leaves you feeling satisfied, comfortably full and going about your day with energy, all without needing your phone to tell you what and when to eat. I am always here to talk.
