Why I don’t believe in Counting Calories
To me, calorie counting seems like a pretty empty concept, if we’re doing nothing but count calories. I think it’s a pretty clear that not all calories are created equal, so counting calories without the proper knowledge of the food, may not help you become any healthier.
Let’s do a great comparison:
1 Avocado
Calories: 322
Total fat: 29g
Saturated fat: 4.3g
Polyunsaturated fat: 3.6g
Monounsaturated fat: 20g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium 14mg
Sugar: 1.3g
Total Carbohydrate 17g
Dietary fiber: 14g
Protein: 4g
Vitamins and Minerals: Potassium 975 mg, Vitamin A 5%, Vitamin C 33%, Calcium 2%, Iron 6%, Vitamin B-6 25%, Magnesium 14% .
1 Doughnut
Calories: 195
Total fat: 11g
Saturated fat: 6g
Polyunsaturated fat 0.8g
Monounsaturated fat 3.7g
Cholesterol 8mg
Sodium 140mg
Potassium 86mg
Total Carbohydrate 22g
Dietary fiber 0.8g
Sugar 11g
Protein 2.1g
Caffeine 1mg
Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamin C 1%, Calcium 1%, Iron 9%, Magnesium 3%
Let’s compare the two: Doughnuts have less calories than an avocado, but has more saturated fat in total, which studies have shown to increase risk of heart disease. Doughnuts have 8mg of choleric, while an avocado has none. Doughnuts have about 10 times more the sodium and over 8 times more the sugar, and if we look at the total fibre avocado has compared to doughnuts, that’s about 142 times more. If we look at the vitamins and minerals in avocado, there are so much more than what’s in a doughnut.
The good thing is, I believe we’re all educated enough to realise that doughnuts are much more unhealthy than avocados, but there are some things we may not know, such as our bodies need fat, good fats at least. Just because avocados are high in fats, they shouldn’t be shunned, because avocados have mostly the good fats that can actually help LOWER cholesterol!
Instead of counting calories, count for health
This is what I believe in: Instead of counting how much calories you’re eating, count the amount of vitamins and minerals you’re having in foods, does it have a lot of nutrients you need? If so, then it’s worth eating. If a food has little or no nutritional value, then it’s not going to do anything for your body.
