It might seem like if you want to lose weight, counting calories comes with the territory. While keeping a food journal of everything you put into your system is a good thing, obsessively adding up the number of calories might not be such a good idea. The claim that counting calorie can lead to weight loss is a myth that has been spewed out so frequently, that people took it as a fact.
Here are 6 reasons why counting calories should NOT be your weight loss solution:
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Ingredient's list is more important. Swapping potato chips with low calorie crackers does not mean those are healthy for you. Those crackers might be filled with a plethora of artificial ingredients used to enhance its taste. To lose weight, it is important to shift your focus to the quality of food you consume. It's essential to monitor the ingredient label and the nutritional value the food contains.
Fewer calories is not always healthy. Calorie counting oversimplifies the complex world of nutrition and health. Opting for low calorie foods rather than eating a well-balanced meal, despite its high caloric content, can lead to severe nutrient deficiencies, serious diseases and disorders. It is important to look at vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutrients the food element has.
It makes eating mechanical. By limiting yourself to a certain number, you disregard the fact that you might still be hungry even though you reached your target calorie for the meal. Instead, it is imperative to adopt a healthy eating attitude. By eating slowly and mindfully the food kept in front of us, we build a harmonious relationship with food, allowing it to nourish the cells of our body, rather than fidgeting and stressing about going over a meager number.
Increases stress. As mentioned above, stressing about calories while having your meal is not good for your body, especially the digestive health. It messes up our metabolic response and induces depression and anxiety, which then affects our major organs like stomach, liver and pancreas. It also prevents our digestive system from properly absorbing the required nutrients present in the food we just ate.
All calories are not the same. It is important to know that calories from fat, protein and carbohydrates are not the same. They don't affect the metabolic rate, our hormones, or our appetite the same way. For example, eating 100 calorie worth of coconut oil provides our body with quick energy. It is readily burned by us because of its short fatty acid chains. It also satisfies our appetite. But a 100-calorie worth commercial protein shake is not absorbed the same way, and it takes longer to digest and might not be readily available to be used as a fuel. In fact, the additives and lower quality ingredients might hinder our systems' functioning.
The best foods don't come with a calorie sticker. Whole foods found in the produce aisle….the ones that are nature's gift to us….don't come with a calorie sticker. Yet, they constitute the most nutritious food elements in the entire planet.
It is important to stay away from processed and refined foods found in boxes. Fill your diet with un-pasteurized, raw items and whole fruits and vegetables even if they are high in calories, and trust me you will still lose weight!
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