Not All Calories Are Created Equal

I cannot be the only one who feels like I was not paying attention during the nutritional portion of health back in school. Either that or it has been that long! Ha! Over the years, my relationship with food has always fluctuated because I did not understand how what I ate, affected my body - whether good or bad.

Macronutrients will help you understand your caloric intake and where the calories are coming from. Not all calories are created equal! Macronutrients are the main nutrients that make up the foods we eat.

The calories we eat come from either a carbohydrate, fat, protein, or alcohol, and can be broken down as follows: 

• There are 4 calories in every gram of carbohydrate.

• There are 4 calories in every gram of protein.

• There are 7 calories in every gram of alcohol

• And there are 9 calories in every gram of fat.

Aside from alcohol, the body needs all of these (carbs, protein, and fat) to function.

🍗 Protein is needed in the body to build and repair tissues, carry oxygen in the blood, and for a healthy immune system. It provides the building blocks for important hormones and digestive enzymes. Protein is also important for blood sugar control and keeping you feeling fuller for longer periods. That is why it is recommended that every meal (and snack) should contain some form of protein. 

🥑 Fat is needed in our diets to provide us with energy, make and balance hormones, form cell membranes, form our brains and nervous system, transport vitamins, and give us omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that we can’t make on our own.

🍞 🍎 Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for our bodies. Carbs are organic molecules typically classified according to their structure: simple and complex. 

Most of what we eat are complex carbs. Some examples include beans, starchy vegetables, whole grains, oatmeal, quinoa, barley, and many other plant-based foods.

Raw table sugar would be a simple carb.

However, all carbohydrates we consume are broken down into simple sugars before they’re absorbed by the body, regardless of whether the food source is a simple sugar cube or a high-fiber bowl of oatmeal. 

The “healthier carbs” are digested and absorbed much slower while the “non-healthy” carbs are digested very quickly.

So there! As you can see, there is a lot more to understanding what we are eating and how it counts on the calorie ticker.