HEALTH & WELLNESS

Not all calories are created equal: Breaking them down, one by one
Youre between meals, and suddenly you have an urge for a snack. As youre looking through the kitchen you think, A 100-calorie pack of chocolate chip cookies would be great and it has the same calories as a serving of yogurt. So Im good, right? To most of us, this makes perfect sense and satisfies the desire we have for the quick, and often less nutritious, junk food snack. And for years, health organizations such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have reinforced this by saying its okay to vary the sources of our calories so we can get a balanced nutrient mix. However, getting your calories from junk food is never a good idea. In fact, a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) confirms that the sources and makeup of the calories you consume can have a larger effect on your weight than your total calorie count. Conventional wisdom says that if you raise your caloric intake then youll gain weight and if you lower it that youll lose it. But consider this: if you fill your daily caloric quota with junk food, the effects on your body will be completely different than a diet comprised of the same number of calories from foods featuring a variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Figuring out your ideal daily intake involves a number of factors, says Physician Assistant Drew Bonsky. First, you have to look at your activity level, age and metabolism before determining how many calories your body needs, but thats not all you should consider. The reason is that calories from carbohydrate-laden foods boost your bodys production of insulina h o rm o n e th a t c a n lead to weight gain. Whereas calories coming from protein rich foods such as nuts and lean meats, including Sure, you can count your calories. But you also have to consider where they come from, and chicken and turkey, how they affect your body. can help your body in a variety of ways, not the least of which is reducing those pesky between-meal cravings.

Burning it off
One way to get the most benefit (and the least weight gain) from your daily calories is to look at the nutrient density of your foods. Nutrient-dense foods like spinach, broccoli, fruit and brown rice will give your body more bang for your caloric buck. Drew says, Packing your daily intake with vitamin-rich, nutrientdense foods is obviously going to keep you healthier than a diet filled with sodas and junk foods. While you cant live your life on spinach and broccoli alone, you do have to make sure that youre not including too many calories from junk foods. So before you jump on the latest anti-carb diet fad, realize that you dont have to avoid carbohydrates completely. As Drew says, there are good carbs and not-so-good carbs. The best sources of carbs include beans, vegetables and whole grains, and the ones that lead to weight gain and health issues come from sugary snacks and refined grains like white bread and white rice. And contrary to popular belief, foods like whole wheat bread and brown rice dont taste much different from their lessnutritious counterparts. It comes down to taking in adequate calories to energize and nourish your body, but making sure they come from the best sources, says Drew. Just as its hard to say that one diet works for everyone, its just as hard to say everyones body reacts to different types of calories the same way. Sources: Diet Study: Protein May Help Tame Appetite, WebMD; Carbohydrates: Good Carbs Guide the Way, Harvard School of Public Health; Fewer calories, healthy food best weight-loss plan, Mayo Clinic.

Balancing the scales

Once you figure out your optimal daily calorie count by working with your doctor or a dietician, you need to find the right balance. Calories affect each of us differently, so while calories from carbohydrates may tip the scales for you, your co-workers may find carbohydrates help them lose weight. When you consider the sources of your calories, its important to look at the effects each can have on your body. As you work to burn calories, the sources of the calories youre burning have a major influence on how many you must burn to lose weight. For example, youll have to burn nine calories to lose the weight gained from one gram of fat, but only four calories to lose the same amount from one gram of protein. According to the JAMA study, participants who were on a low-carb diet burned about 300 more calories a day and lost more weight than their counterparts who ate low-fat foods.