The old saying “energy in, energy out” is about as dated as those gluten-free cardboard crackers you tried from Sprouts once, you know the ones, sitting there getting chalkier as we speak. Time for a new mindset. Biology and physics are not the same. So why do we equate calories with heat? We don’t eat heat and the term “burning calories” applies more to the feeling you get during exercise. Beyond that, they’ve lost me. On top of that, attempting to accurately count calories coming in, or better yet trying to accurately measure calories “burning” off is ridiculous. How is this possible when eating a piece of celery literally negates its caloric amount by simply chewing it?! The point I’m driving at here is that not all calories are created equal. 100 calories from an apple and 100 calories from a Diet Coke are not the same. The two will impact your body completely different. Nutrient density matters far more than calorie count.
By definition, nutrient density is the amount of nutrients a food provides relative to the number of calories it has. Calories are not created equally. So if we’re counting carbohydrates and protein are equated to 4 cal per gram and fat is 9 cal per gram. If you consume alcohol, it measures at 7 cal per gram. All of this is arguable because on a molecular level, none of these break down in our body the same way. Some of these macros are more usable than others. In the above example, when you consume a Diet Coke containing high fructose corn syrup, it’s broken down by the liver, not your stomach. I would explain other “nutrients” in Coke but there were any. In comparison the apple is broken down quite easily. Apples will provide fiber and pectin which will be welcomed by your gut microbiome with open arms. Pectin has also been shown to maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels. If you eat the entire apple (peel included) vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, potassium and magnesium are present. Now apples do contain around 12g of fructose but Coke will give you closer to 55g. Case in point is Diet Coke is giving you minimal fuel, probably excess pounds AND you’ll need to eat more to give your body what it actually needs. Wah-wah.
So when making food (or drink) choices look for the most nutrient dense foods containing vitamins, minerals and usable resources to build the optimal you from the inside out. Here are a few examples of very nutrient dense foods: greens, beet and chard. Low mercury fish such as red snapper and halibut. Believe it or not, pork fat is highly nutritious, just make sure it is well-sourced, preferably organic. Other dense foods are pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and almonds.
One caveat- not all foods are nutrient dense AND good for you. I’m skimming the surface here, what lies deeper are other considerations such as lectins, oxalates, and phytates-oh my! Once you’ve cleaned up your food sources to a hautter level, I encourage you to go a little deeper down the rabbit hole.