Today we are talking about why I completely ignore calories.
Why I never count them, consider them or use them as part of my Super Naturally Healthy life.

 

In fact, you will notice that none of my recipes on the site have the nutritional breakdown, no calories mentioned or other macronutrient information.

 

I rarely chat to my clients about them and will eat an entire avocado or spoonful of coconut oil without any consideration of the ‘excessive’ calories content.

 

Why? Well, that’s what we are looking at today.

 

However, this isn’t about calorie bashing as it is a scientific metric created for a reason. For some people, calorie counting can be really useful. For athletes, calorie counting can be useful for keeping everything balanced and measured. Or if you’re going through severe illness calories can also be a helpful measure and I recognise that it’s a helpful measure for hospitals to use.

 

But my home is not a hospital and I am not an athlete, so here are my 5 reasons for why I think most of us can ignore calories completely….
Click play to watch or scroll down if you prefer to read.

 

 

Everyone has a unique body

It is not quite as simple as 2000 calories in plus 2000 calories out/used equals health. Or creating that creating a 500 calorie deficit will instantly result in losing all your unwanted weight and everyone being slim and sorted. We are not robots or slot machines, every single person’s biochemistry and body is unique.

 

Calories do not reflect food quality

Back in the day when I was in a well know diet club, an avocado was given the same point/syn calorie value as say a Milky Way.

Now I can tell you an avocado is going to do your body so much more good that a Milky Way! Because calories do not reflect the nutritional quality of the food. For example, I eat almond butter – a calorie rich food – but I know it is doing me way more good that the calorie equivalent of some processed packages snack made 2 months ago in a factory… 

Calories can teach us to go with the lower calorie over the high-quality nutrient-dense option because somehow we have been brain washed that it is better for our bodies.

 

 

Calorie counting does not consider our unique biochemistry

You and I have so many differences within our bodies like; how we metabolise, how we digest all the different genetic precursors we have with all impact how we produce energy within our bodies. 

Sure the bigger picture is roughly the same, we all create ATP (body energy) via the kreb cycle etc, but there are so many different variations within this process for each individual. I see comments all the time like ‘I’ve started running and really cut down my calories but I’m still not losing weight.‘ There is a reason for that! and it is your unique biochemistry.

Adrenal dysfunction, thyroid issues, genetic predispositions and so much more can impact how your body deals with the food we put in our body.

 

 

Calories lead to restriction

I’ve seen many people (read: ALL women!) who focus their diet on calories ending up focused on restriction, worrying about what they can or can’t eat. Food suddenly becomes moralistic, meaning it becomes ‘good’ or bad’ food and we as people become ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depending own hat we eat and people end up feeling trapped and restricted.resulting people feeling really restricted. This generates an all or nothing mentality leading to binge eating and a really up and down relationship to food that doesn’t help anyone.

 This all or nothing mentality ultimately leads to binge eating and a really toxic relationship with food which can drive all sorts of un-healthful pursuits. 

 

Calories don’t help you connect and listen to your body

The main way I think we can transform and heal our bodies is through connection and calorie counting can stop us from connecting and listen to our bodies and get us fixated on numbers only.

It’s not an empowering experience and it stops us listening and get us only counting…. 

Plus studies that show within 3 years of people starting these restrictive diets of counting calories or syns or points or whatever it is, they often put the weight back on and more because it isn’t a sustainable way of eating. When we get fixated with calories/ points/syns we trap ourselves and feel restricted. We feel like we are following numbers and we are not connected with our unique bodies, and we are not learning to listen to what our bodies need.

 

So they are my 5 reasons why I ignore calories, this is why I don’t have the calorie content of my recipes on the blog and why I don’t stress about how many avocados I eat or about the calorie content of coconut oil.

 

If you feel you are trapped by calorie/syn/point counting break free! And know that when you eat real food that is high quality you are doing your body good.

 

If you want to know more about ‘supposedly healthy habits‘ that aren’t doing you or your body good, check out my free resource below where I go through them all and which ones to replace them with.