You think that you must lose weight. What is your first reaction? You probably start counting calories when you think that losing weight is possible.
This counting trap is easy to fall for. The idea of eating less calories than you burn makes it difficult to avoid falling into.
What you may not know, however, is that the calories listed on the package, the menu, the food-tracking app, or anywhere online aren’t always as accurate as they seem.
When you feel the need to lose weight, what’s your first instinct? The chances are that you begin to track the calories in your food (File Image)
Megan Rossi, a Dr. Megan Rossi (pictured), says it’s clear that getting a higher weight is more complicated than just eating more and exercising less.
Because a food’s calories are determined by burning its whole foods and extracting as much as possible from them, this is called the “laboratory method”. This method was developed in late 19th-century. However, it is quite different than what happens in our bodies to nutrients.
Let’s take, for instance, almonds. According to a study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, they contain 20% less calories than the labeled pack.
The researchers did this by giving healthy adults breakfast and lunch, then measuring how much of the nuts they absorbed (and the calories).
Because humans do not extract all the calories from whole-plant foods, such as almonds, like in laboratory experiments. It is mostly due to the “food matrix”.
This is essentially like the scaffolding for whole foods. It encapsulates most of the fats and calories making it harder to digest by our enzymes. It doesn’t get fully digested and ends up being excreted.
High-processed foods have a large food matrix that has been processed for us, so the calories are easier to find.
A second reason to not focus on calories is the fact that calories do not equal calories due to food’s thermogenic effects. When you consume and digest calories, this is called the thermogenic effect. In other words, your body’s processing will counter some of the calories — and here’s the important bit — depending on the specific food.
Ultra-processed food has a lower thermogenic index than whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
High-quality processed foods have more calories. For example, a KitKat and a banana might contain similar calories and your food-tracking app won’t treat them any differently — but your body will.
Particularly, a study by Pomona College Claremont (USA) in 2010 showed that your body consumes almost 50% less calories after eating processed foods, even though both have the same amount of carbs and fats.
Although it may not seem like much, over the course of a month or a year it can make a big difference.
Further research in the journal Cell Metabolism in 2019 found that people told to eat as much as they liked gained more weight when given ultra-processed foods than when having unprocessed options — again, even when the meals were matched for carbs, fat and protein.
Try to grow 30 or more plants each week. This may seem like a lot, but if you take a look at the six groups of plants you can easily get on your way (File photo)
High-processed foods have more calories. For example, a KitKat and a banana might contain similar calories and your food-tracking app won’t treat them any differently — but your body will
This is consistent with what I’ve observed in clinic: Reducing intake of processed foods can be a more effective weight management strategy than counting calories.
This is why many people don’t feel full after eating processed food. You might find yourself feeling stuffed from a quick-food meal but then feel strangely hungry for more.
It’s easier for your body to process food when it has already been prepared. Apples take longer to chew and are more filling than apple sauce. This is because apple sauce is also more satisfying than apple juice. This is because whole fruits are rich in fibre and water, which can be incorporated into the food matrix.
So the more manufacturers break a food down, often the more fibre it loses — along with that all-important food matrix.
Therefore, if you want to feel fuller for longer after a meal, opt for a piece of fruit rather than juice, or choose jumbo oats not refined quick oats — think whole plants that have been minimally ‘tampered’ with.
What if the calories listed on labels are incorrect?
The research confirms what I have seen in my clinic. Eating more whole-plant food can reduce weight without having to restrict portions.
In 2015, a meta-analysis was done in which researchers combine the results from individual studies (15 in this instance). It showed that switching to plant-based diets can lead to a substantial reduction in bodyweight (nearly 5kg) with no restrictions on calories.
The secret weapon of your gut microbes is another. They can also affect your appetite through the chemical reactions they produce when they digest plant fiber.
The body’s response to these chemicals is called short-chain, or fatty acid. These chemicals stop the production hunger hormones like Ghrelin. They also increase the “I’m full”, hormones such Leptin.
Our gut microbiota may also produce other chemicals that target the reward system in our brains, which can influence our relationships with food and encourage emotional eating.
Also, microbes as well as their byproducts are linked to ‘turning up’ genes that affect fat distribution. It’s clear that higher body weight can be caused by microbes. This is in addition to eating more and exercising less. Your gut microbes will keep your body in control.
What all this means is switching to mostly whole, diverse, plant foods — what I call the diversity diet. You can forget about the calorie counting calculator and restrictive diets such as low-fat or low-carb. Instead, follow these simple guidelines:
- Plants are the best: Eat more plants.
- Diversity is key: You should aim for 30 or more plants each week. Although it may sound daunting, this is what you should be doing. You can start by eating vegetables first, then wholegrains and fruits, legumes (beans and pulses), and finally nuts, seeds and herbs.
- Whole, not refined: Choose whole plants over highly processed vegan burgers.