healthy body
ARE ALL CALORIES EQUAL? By: Anja Springthorpe
Calories are often perceived as a food-currency many of us count, save, spend and worry about. In reality, a calorie is nothing more than a unit of energy a particular food provides. All foods have calories as all foods provide some form of energy.
H
ow many calories do we need each day? That answer depends on our age, gender, height, weight, level of activity and other circumstances such as metabolic functioning, stress levels, sleep routine and po-
tential medical conditions to name just a few. Determining calorie consumption is complex indeed. Rather than worry about how many calories we should consume each day, we ought to shift our focus to the nutritional value of the calories we
FOODS AROUND
2 ½ apples vs 20 gummy bears
1 large head of broccoli vs ½ blueberry muffin
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INSPIRE HEALTH
July § August 2017
50 baby carrots vs 16 cheese puffs
1 avocado vs 2 slices of bacon
consume. This simple step can tip our diets into a more wholesome and balanced direction, which by default improves health, wellbeing and supports realistic, achievable weight goals. Just imagine 200 calories found in sugary or fatty foods, compared to 200
calories worth of fruit and vegetables. It is not hard to see which calories provide better and varied nutrition. A calorie is a steady unit for all foods, and the nutritional quality of the foods we choose decides whether we provide our body with well-balanced nourishment.
200 CALORIES 33 stalks of celery vs 1 kids McDonald fries with ketchup
3 eggs vs 1 small handful of M&M’s
2 large filets of trout vs ¾ of sausage link
24 mini peppers vs 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
