Do calorie counts tell you how healthy a food is?

When trying to lose weight, you may be tempted to try calorie counting. After all, weight loss is as simple as calories in vs calories out, right? Well, it is true that you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, but it’s not that simple.

Foods are more than just calories. Food contains nutrients that your body needs. And different nutrients can affect how hungry or full you feel after eating. Calorie counting doesn’t take this into account.

Example day of eating within a calorie budget:

I thought I’d provide some examples of how calorie counting isn’t the be all and end all. It could be more helpful to focus on nutrient rich foods and how satisfied you feel after eating.

Let’s say you’re aiming for a calorie goal of 1800 calories a day. Here’s what your day could look like:

Breakfast: Costa British ham and cheese toastie and a large cappuccino – 481 calories

Lunch: McDonalds McChicken sandwich meal with large fries, ketchup, and coke zero – 841 calories

Dinner: Tesco chicken and tomato pasta bake ready meal - 406 calories

Total: 1728 calories

As you can see, you can be in your calorie goal even when eating food that would be classed as ‘junk’. If you’re purely looking at the numbers, then this day of eating would be fine. You can have fast food and ready meals everyday and still be in your calorie goal. I know this is an extreme example, but it does highlight the fact that calorie counting isn’t the only thing to consider.

And while you could eat like this and lose weight, I think it would be more helpful to consider a balance of nutrients and aim for meals that are satisfying and balanced. Aiming to have fruit and/or veg at each meal is a good way to add nutrients and balance for example. And the fibre in fruit and veg can help you stay fuller for longer.

Foods can be high calorie and nutrient dense: 

Calorie counting also disregards the fact that some high calorie foods are rich in nutrients. For example, you may already know that fat is the most calorific nutrient, with 9 calories per gram. So, if you’re purely counting numbers, you may assume that fat is bad as its higher in calories. But this isn’t the case. There are plenty of healthy high fat, and so high calorie, foods. Think nuts, seeds, oily fish, and avocados for example.

Let’s say you’re reaching for a crunchy snack. You have limited calories left in your daily budget. It’s a tossup between a handful of salted almonds or a bag of ready salted crisps. 25g of almonds has 144 calories while 25g of crisps has 130 calories. They’re both pretty similar in terms of calories but widely different in the nutrient content.

Nuts are a good source of fibre, vitamins, and healthy fats. While crisps aren’t quite a nutrient powerhouse. But if you’re looking just at the numbers, then the crisps win.

It’s important to consider the whole picture when making food choices and not just the calorie count.

Low calorie doesn’t mean healthy: 

Also, something that’s marketed as low calorie doesn’t automatically mean healthy. The number of calories tells you nothing about the health of the food. For example, take Halo Top low calorie ice creams. They have a wide range of low calorie ice creams with the calories proudly displayed on the front. For instance, a whole tub of their chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is 360 calories.

The fact that it’s low calorie could encourage you to eat more of it. You may think it’s healthy or that you’re ‘being good’ by choosing this option. Research has shown that people tend to eat more of something if they think it’s low calorie. So, it being low calorie doesn’t really matter if you’re going to have a larger portion size.

And Halo Top being low calorie doesn’t hide the fact that it’s ice cream – an ultra-processed food that’s better eaten in moderation. And while 360 calories can easily fit into your daily calorie goal, is eating a whole tub of ice cream really the healthiest choice?

There’s a lot to consider when eating and it’s not as simple as totting up the calories each day.

What to try instead of calorie counting: 

If you’re thinking of ditching calorie counting but don’t know where else to turn, there are a few other things you could check for instead. And of course, every meal won't be balanced and healthy, but if majority of your meals are then you’re on the right track.

• Consider balance of meals – you could ask yourself if your meal has a source of protein, at least 1 portion of fruit or veg, or if you have a wholegrain carbohydrate option.
• Consider individual nutrients – you may have a specific dietary goal and want to focus on a particular nutrient. Let’s use fibre for example. You can think about how to add fibre to your meals which can include: swapping to wholegrain carbs, adding nuts and seeds to cereal, or leaving the skin on vegetables.
• Consider how you feel: listening to your hunger and fullness cues is a great way to manage what you’re eating. Your body is able to regulate its appetite very well and will let you know if needs more food! It can take some time to get back in tune with your cues and it’s not always possible to listen to them but it’s worth having a go.
• Eat mindfully: mindful eating can help you take in the experience of eating and enjoy your food more. By eating slowly and using all your senses you can really engage with your meal. And again, your body is really good at regulating your hunger and telling you what you want. So, by being more mindful and aware of your meal, you could have a better eating experience.

Hopefully this post has given you some food for thought. It’s important to look at more than just the calorie number when eating as it doesn’t tell you everything.

I've got some other blog posts on calorie counting here:

Why you shouldn't count calories: Part 1 and Part 2

Key points: 

• Calorie counting doesn’t give you all the information about what you're eating. You could be within your calorie goal but still be eating unhealthily.
• A food being high in calories doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy just like a food being low in calories doesn’t make it healthy.
• Instead of calorie counting you could try looking at the balance of your meals and the nutrients it contains, listen to your hunger cues, and consider mindful eating.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Bye for now! 👋

References:

https://www.costa.co.uk/docs/store-allergen-guide.pdf

https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/good-to-know/nutrition-calculator.html

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/285635665

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254926800

https://quadram.ac.uk/UKfoodcomposition/foods/almonds-toasted/

Perceiving food as low calorie leads to increased consumption https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8656885/