We used to believe that calories were all created equal. It sounded like common sense, seeing as one dietary calorie contains 4,284 Joules of energy. This naturally led us to believe that if you consume 2,000 calories a day and burn 2,000 calories a day, homeostasis in your body will be the result.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case—100 calories of gummy bears act very differently when consumed than 100 calories of asparagus—and adopting the blind calorie-counting method of eating is at least part of the reason we got fatter and fatter as a society in recent decades. 

Here are a few examples that highlight HOW all calories aren’t created equal: 

Fructose versus Glucose

Fructose and glucose are two simple sugars in many foods, and one gram of each gives you the same number of calories; however, your body metabolizes them very differently. 

Fructose is predominantly metabolized in the liver, whereas glucose gets metabolized by all the tissues in the body. On top of this, fructose leads to higher levels of the hormone Ghrelin (known as the hunger hormone). So, consuming more fructose means you’ll probably feel more hunger than satiation.

In case that’s not enough reason to steer clear of fructose—and, of course, high-fructose corn syrup—it has also been shown to lead to insulin resistance and an increase in fat around your mid-section.

But wait, isn’t there fructose in fruit?

There is, but fruits are also rich in fiber and water, which prevents much of the negative damage. 

The long and the short of it is fructose calories do more hormonal and metabolic damage to your health than glucose.

Protein’s Metabolic Advantage

Different foods go through different metabolic pathways in your body, some of which are more effective than others.

For example, protein has four calories per gram, but much of these calories are lost as heat when your body metabolizes them (what is known as the thermic effect). In other words, it requires much more energy to metabolize protein than it does to metabolize fat and carbs.

Thermic Effect Percentages:

• Protein: 25-30%

• Carbs: 6-8 %

• Fat: 2-3 %

Based on the above percentages, if you consume 100 calories of protein, you end up with only 75 calories in your body, because of the 25% thermic effect (meaning 25% of protein’s calories get lost as heat). On the other hand, if you eat 100 grams of carbs, your body will still end up with 94 calories, because you only lose around 6 calories as heat due to the thermic effect.

It’s no surprise then that various studies have shown that a higher protein diet boosts your metabolism as compared to a lower protein diet. 

Protein and Portion Control

On top of its metabolic effect, protein also has a special appetite-killing power, so to speak.

Protein calories are the most effective at making you feel full. You have probably noticed this. You can eat waffle after waffle loaded with berries, but you’re likely not going to eat three steaks for dinner. 

This study showed that people who eat more protein (30 percent of their diet was protein) ate 441 fewer calories per day and lost 11 lbs on average in 12 weeks. 

This essentially comes down to the satiety index. I already pointed out how your body feels like a bottomless pit when you’re throwing back waffles, or ice cream, but you’ll have a hard time getting the same amount of calories of milk, eggs or meat into your system.

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index basically has to do with measuring how fast foods raise your blood sugar. As expected, highly refined carbohydrates spike your blood sugar faster than protein and healthy fats, for example. Blood sugar spikes lead to blood sugar crashes, which lead to cravings for more high-carb foods.

In short, eating more foods higher on the glycemic index means you’re putting yourself more at-risk of gaining weight and developing Type 2 diabetes. 

Where does that leave us?

It means the types of foods you choose, not just the daily calories you’re consuming, matters. A lot. 

THE BOTTOM LINE:

If you’re looking to lose weight, limit your carbohydrates to vegetables lower on the glycemic index. Taking it a step further, look for vegetables low in lectin. Check out the Plant Paradox diet for your best vegetable options, and stick to foods on the YES LIST.

This isn’t to say that nobody should ever eat carbs. Some people need more carbs than others, and this will depend on a bunch of factors, namely your body composition, your level of muscle mass, your metabolism, your age, and how much you’re training. But if you’re trying to lose weight and lean up, my best advice is to stick to Yes List vegetables and watch what happens to your body composition and energy levels.

If you want more diet advice, come talk to us.