Are all calories equal?
Discussion
I was just making myself a cup of green tea and was thinking about whether to have a Blueriband biscuit 99calories or a small banana 100 calories.
To me calories are calories, ie units of energy and I know that the banana is better for you but if you were calorie counting for weight control which is better?
P.S. I had the banana!
To me calories are calories, ie units of energy and I know that the banana is better for you but if you were calorie counting for weight control which is better?
P.S. I had the banana!
Calories are equal in that they are a measure of the energy content of the item. That doesn't mean that if you eat 2500 calories of X each day you will maintain the same weight as someone eating 2500 calories of Y. The calorie is a unit of measurement - it does not take into account the ability for your body to absorb the energy, the time and energy it takes to do so and the storage mechanism your body will use for the energy that it has absorbed.
It's a very basic goalpost and has its uses but don't think for a second that eating 300 calories of mars bar is equal to 300 calories consisting of a 100g steaksteak and salad...
It's a very basic goalpost and has its uses but don't think for a second that eating 300 calories of mars bar is equal to 300 calories consisting of a 100g steaksteak and salad...
Granfondo said:
feef said:
refined sugars and carbs are absorbed faster than naturally occurring ones, so no, they aren't all equal in that sense.
But as an energy source are they the same?The calorific value of food is often determined using the Atwater system which counts calories of the constituent ingredients using the average values of 4 Kcal/g for protein, 4 Kcal/g for carbohydrate, and 9 Kcal/g for fat. Alcohol is calculated at 7 Kcal/g. (These numbers were originally determined by burning and then averaging.)
What this doesn't take into account is how the 'energy' is used by the body.
A high intake of refined sugars will likely cause a spike in insulin production which then converts that into fat.
A more fibrous, fatty and naturally occurring food will be absorbed at a lower rate and so not cause the same insulin spike nor the same increase in fat.
I can recommend the film Cereal Killers which looks at the difference between fat and carbohydrates and their effects on the body. Also the Big Fat Fix, which looks at what we now consider the 'Mediterranean diet' and how what we eat now is based on a lot of flawed thinking. It's discussed here: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/869636
Edited by feef on Friday 14th April 15:53
I don't think all calories are equal when it comes to absorption.
If you have Amazon Prime, this film is well worth a watch to see what happens when a guy swaps a healthy diet for a not so healthy diet containing more or less the same daily calories:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010TVUC3Y/ref=dv_web_...
If you have Amazon Prime, this film is well worth a watch to see what happens when a guy swaps a healthy diet for a not so healthy diet containing more or less the same daily calories:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010TVUC3Y/ref=dv_web_...
feef said:
A high intake of refined sugars will likely cause a spike in insulin production which then converts that into fat.
This is dependant on a number of other factors as well. Oh and it doesn't necessarily have to be a high intake.ETA protein and carbs mixed can also cause an insulin spike.
Edited by popeyewhite on Friday 14th April 19:49
chris watton said:
I don't think all calories are equal when it comes to absorption.
If you have Amazon Prime, this film is well worth a watch to see what happens when a guy swaps a healthy diet for a not so healthy diet containing more or less the same daily calories:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010TVUC3Y/ref=dv_web_...
Watched that this evening after seeing your comment. If you have Amazon Prime, this film is well worth a watch to see what happens when a guy swaps a healthy diet for a not so healthy diet containing more or less the same daily calories:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010TVUC3Y/ref=dv_web_...
Interesting stuff. Strong viewing too.
The way calorie content is determined involved burning it and measuring how much heat it generates, humans dont do that to food, it is broken down via chewing, enzymes and muscles pushing it through, a 300 calorie Mars bar is processed much more quickly and easily than 300 calories worth of steak, so the actual calorie intake would be the energy present in the food minus what energy was expended to process it. Also, One is predominantly Carbohydrates and fat and the other mainly protein, that has a bearing on how it is processed and stored, it is quite complex.
Then there is what it does to blood sugar, Mars Bar, almost instant energy boost and sugar rush, then an hour later you crash, that Mars bar has been grabbed as energy, the Steak is still there, keeping you feeling full, so that is a whole other area, that 300 cals in a Mars Bar will have you reaching for more carbs very soon to get your blood sugar back up, with the Steak, you dont think about food for a good while longer, the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster.
Then there is what it does to blood sugar, Mars Bar, almost instant energy boost and sugar rush, then an hour later you crash, that Mars bar has been grabbed as energy, the Steak is still there, keeping you feeling full, so that is a whole other area, that 300 cals in a Mars Bar will have you reaching for more carbs very soon to get your blood sugar back up, with the Steak, you dont think about food for a good while longer, the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster.
menguin said:
Calories are equal in that they are a measure of the energy content of the item. That doesn't mean that if you eat 2500 calories of X each day you will maintain the same weight as someone eating 2500 calories of Y. The calorie is a unit of measurement - it does not take into account the ability for your body to absorb the energy, the time and energy it takes to do so and the storage mechanism your body will use for the energy that it has absorbed.
It's a very basic goalpost and has its uses but don't think for a second that eating 300 calories of mars bar is equal to 300 calories consisting of a 100g steaksteak and salad...
It's a very basic goalpost and has its uses but don't think for a second that eating 300 calories of mars bar is equal to 300 calories consisting of a 100g steaksteak and salad...
popeyewhite said:
PoleDriver said:
Lot of carbs in beer,
Funnily enough there's only about the same carbs in a pint of beer as there is in a glass of orange juice. I suppose it depends on how many pints you were drinking 
(And are you comparing pint for pint?)
ETA
Who said OJ was good for you? (Not when you're on a diet it isn't!)
Edited by PoleDriver on Sunday 16th April 10:38
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