Some thoughts and discussions from me.
All Calories Are Not Created Equal
Hey, guys 
I hope your week is off to a great start.
Mine’s been good. I start teaching my cycling classes this week, so in between training, teaching, and KIND stuff, I’ve been reading and researching everything cycling – both indoor and outdoor. There’s nothing wrong with finding sources of information out there, and since I’m not an outdoor cyclists, I’ve been browsing around websites like bicycling.com and cyclingforums.
I’m already building up some favorite links and master trainers that I like to draw information from. One thing I really really hate is when fitness people give out information and always fail to tell their readers where they learned this information. Especially if they don’t do any continuing education or take any workshops. If I learn something new, I try to always mention where I learned it, and also reference from time to time where I do a lot of my reading and/or continuing education. That’s why I love ACE – continuing education out the wazoo.
Ahem. Moving on…
Are All Calories Created Equal(ly*)?
*grammatically speaking, it’s equally; it describes the verb “create” making it an adverb. Thusly, “All Men are Created Equal” has always bothered me as a quote 
Speaking of ACE, I was reading this article (see? reference) the other day on “The New Science of Counting Calories.” I mean, a title like that is bound to grab the attention of any fitness professional/enthusiast, right?
Currently, calories are based on the Atwater system. A set number of calories per each gram of macronutrient in a food: protein=4, carbohydrate=4 fat=9 calories. However, recently, scientists have been requesting another method, saying that this system doesn’t take into account protein or raw food and their relation to thermogenesis and metabolism.
One example the article gives is nuts. A study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that the calorie content of nuts may be faulty, indicating that a 1-ounce serving of nuts might actually be 40 calories less than originally thought (167 to 129.) This is because the nuts’ cell membranes are so strong that they actually hold in some of the macronutrients, so that the digestive system doesn’t fully absorb all of the macronutrients in the nut. Weird…and cool, right?!
The article then goes on to say that because of this finding, whole foods with cell membranes (fruits vs. juice, whole grains vs. cereal and spaghetti, quinoa and quinoa flour/products, etc.) are not as easily absorbable, therefore we might not actually ingest all of the calories the food contains.
It also talks about raw foods, and the energy it takes our body to digest them versus cooked foods, as well as the thermic effect (digestion – from chewing to, well, disposing)of eating protein vs. other macronutrients on our metabolism. You can read more about the studies’ findings, as well as some suggested recipes here in the article itself.
My thoughts are that this definitely interesting to read, and makes sense, but I don’t see the industry overhauling the Atwater system anytime in the near future.
Thoughts?
i heard about this at FNCE last year. It’s an interesting concept!
Lindsay (@LeanGrnBeanBlog) recently posted…20 Recipes for Fall
This is so fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves recently posted…Girls’ Nights {MIMM #9}
i’m with you and linz. Interesting concept, and i agree with the raw versus cooked but i don’t think the system is gonna catch on anytime soon either
lindsay recently posted…A lesson in Dreaming Big –> Live them OUT LOUD
That is definitely cool to read, thanks for sharing Paige!
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles recently posted…Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp in a White Wine and Garlic Sauce.
I think it’s really interesting. I was wondering the same, if they were off on almonds what else are they off on?
Taylor @ LiftingRevolution recently posted…5 Rules To Ensure A Flat, 6-Pack Stomach
hey, if it means i can eat more nuts then i am all for it 😉
this IS super interesting! food facts never cease to intrigue me. thanks for posting!
janetha recently posted…small batch banana protein muffins.
I TRULY believe that no calorie is equal! NONE! And I am THRILLED to see more articles coming out like this, however we definitely need more research and articles written so people don’t totally jump down my throat when I say calories are not created equal. LOL – So many people want to KILL ME when I say those things!
GiGi Eats Celebrities recently posted…Lana Del Rey Misses Summertime Salads
very interesting, we love reading articles like this – that make us think!!
purelytwins recently posted…My PCOS supplement superfoods and 5 foods to avoid
I don’t know what to think about it – makes sense I guess, with your example of the nuts. But can we start now recalculating EVERYTHING’s caloric content? I guess, if it’s considered wrong now. Interesting topic!
-Sammy
Sammy @ Peace Love and Ice Cream recently posted…WOD – October 29, 2013 & Pumpkin seeds
I really hope they do some more study on this. It’s definitely an intriguing concept. Not to mention, I love what it means for my obsession with nuts 😉
Natalie @ Free Range Human recently posted…5 Things: A Tale Of A New Cross Fitter
Most mortgage brokers have arrangements with the major banks and a few non bank
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for starters it depends on a few calculations.
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