What is more important: The quality of food or the amount of calories?

If you have ever found yourself in the grocery store, you scan the eating label and wonder if calories or ingredients are more important – you are not alone. You may have chosen a bar with lower calories granola over the one with more fiber and nuts, assuming that this will better support your goals. Or you may have heard that « calorie is a calorie » and you were wondering if it means you should eat a candy bar with the same number of calories as the omelette you are considering.

The truth is that the amount of calories and food quality play an important role in your health-and understanding how they work together can help you make a smarter, more satisfying choice that maintains your weight and well-being.

Calories are counted – but they are not the whole story

Let’s start with the basics: if you consistently eat more calories than your body uses, you will probably gain weight. If you eat less, you will most likely lose weight (1). This is the basis of weight management and therefore tracking with tools such as MyFitnesspal can be so effective.

But focusing only on calories misses something important: how your food makes you feel and how it affects your overall health.

« If you only focus on calories, you can eat foods that meet your calorie goals, but still feel hungry because what you eat is easily absorbed or does not provide adequate satisfaction, » says Daisy Mercer, a nutritionist at Myfitnesspal (2). « This can lead to more desires that could make us overeating. »

Research supports this. Studies show that people who have eaten more processed foods – such as chips, sugary drinks and refined grains – have given more weight with time, even when they do not eat more common calories. On the other hand, those who have eaten more whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, yogurt and whole grains are more likely to lose weight and hold it 3S

This is because the quality of food can affect your appetite, metabolism and even hormones – all of which affect how many calories your body naturally craves and uses.

« High quality foods can help us feel more complete and satisfied by slowing down our digestion and providing energy for longer, » Mercer explains. “This may prevent us from overeating or helping to reduce the desire 4S « 

---

For the expert

Daisy Mercer, rdis the curator of food data in MyFitnesspal. She holds a degree in Bachelor’s Science and Food Dietetics from State University in Colorado and has completed her diet with the health system VA San Diego.

---

What makes food « high quality »?

There is no official definition of food quality, but overall researchers agree with several guidelines. High quality foods are usually:

• Minimally processed, with little added sugars or artificial ingredients
• Rich in nutrients such as fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals
• No more of the glycemic index, which means that they cause lower blood sugar jumps
• Saturation, helping you to stay longer long

« High quality foods provide us with value, except just filling us, » Mercer says. “It may mean that it provides fiber that helps slow digestion 5or that it is a slender meat that provides satisfaction 6S « 

Examples include leafy greenery, fruits, beans, eggs, fish, nuts, olive oil and whole grains such as oats or quinoa.

Foods of lower quality-think about soda, candy, fried foods and white bread-often devoid of fiber and nutrients. They absorb quickly, jump blood sugar and let you feel hungry shortly after 7S

This does not mean that you can never enjoy them. But if they make up the greater part of your calories, it is more difficult to remain under your appetite and energy control.

Why Quality Focusing can facilitate calorie tracking

Interestingly, when you target higher quality foods, calorie control often becomes simpler-without requires perfection or restriction.

« When people focus on the quality of food, they tend to be able to listen better to hunger and the signals of fullness, » Mercer says. « This reduces the need to prioritize calories, because you are naturally more in tune with your body. »

Whole foods tend to fill more, so you naturally eat less. They are also more difficult to overeat. It is much easier to eat a cookie sleeve than a dozen boiled eggs or three cups of lentil soup.

« Balance is always important, » Mercer adds. « It may be helpful to pair something you long with something with fiber to help increase the feeling of completeness. This way you worship the longing without overdoing it. »

This helps to explain why some weight loss plans work better for certain people. For example, eating models with a higher protein content or high fiber content can maintain control and loss of appetite only if they also focus on whole foods with thick nutrients 8., 9S

So … Who should give priority?

Here is the nuance: if weight loss is your goal, you will still have to be in calories deficiency. But the best way to get there may be to focus more on the quality of the food -because it can help you feel better while eating less.

« Focusing the quality of food and the amount of calories will help both long -term health and weight management, » Mercer says. « Having high quality food often makes us feel more complete and satisfied and can help us stay within our calorie goals. »

At the same time, even the most healthy diet will not support weight loss if you regularly overeat. The size and tracking of the portion still matter, even if you choose all the right foods.

« It’s not calories or quality – they are both, » she adds. « You can manage the size of the portions and balance with quality foods so that you can enjoy the same things in moderation. »

How to find your balance

If you are not sure where to start, here are some practical ways to prioritize both quality and quantity:

• Follow what you eat in a week. Use MyFitnesspal to register dishes and snacks – not only calories, but also the types of foods you eat. Look for models.
• Add before removing. Try adding more whole foods – such as vegetables, beans or whole grains – before cutting the foods you love.
• Be realistic and flexible. Leave room for accidental indulgence. The approach to all or nothing can cause a return reaction.
• Focus on progress, not perfection. Even small changes to better food quality can lead to major changes in the way you feel over time.
• Master one by one. « If your calorie tracking is difficult, focus your energy on this, and then slowly integrate quality food into your routine, » Mercer offers.

Bottom line

As for health nutrition and sustainable weight management, you do not need to choose between the amount of calories and the quality of food – they work best together.

By tracking intake, highlighting nutrient -rich foods and tuning how eating makes you feel, you can create a diet that keeps your goals without leaving you hungry, overworked or stuck in burning a diet.

« Calorie tracking and prioritizing the quality of food does not mean that you have to cut everything, » Mercer says. « Understand that weight management is related to balance. »

Do you want help balancing your nutrition goals? Download the MyFitnesspal app to track both calorie intake and food quality in an easy -to -use tool.

What is more important: The quality of the food or the amount of calories? appeared first on the Myfitnesspal blog.

Featured Blogs,Nutrition Basics

#important #quality #food #amount #calories