Beyond Counting Calories
If you only count calories, you are limiting what your body and mind really needs. Calories are only a small portion of what we should be focusing on when thinking through our everyday choices.
Disclaimer - I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist. But I have years of experience in this area and in learning these things, as well as many conversations with professionals in that area. I speak from this angle. I only serve to inform and educate. It is always best to speak to your physician before making major changes in dietary needs.
Food is fuel for both the body and mind. We know this. But what gives us that fuel and energy? That can be broken down into 2 major sections - macronutrients and micronutrients. Simply put, your macro needs are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Your micro needs are your vitamins and minerals, which are a whole lot of things.
Let’s say we have a person who is on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. What if that individual decides to have 1,600 calories be in food, but 420 in sodas - they are still keeping that diet and actually eating less than what their diet calls for. Did you know that 3 cans of Coca Cola is equal to 420 calories? But the problem is, while that person has only had 1,600 calories in food, they just drank 3 times the daily limit of sugar (3 - 12oz cans). Would you consider that healthy? Did you know the basic daily limit of sugar is only 40g? Now let’s all be honest, we have more sugar than that almost every day.
Did you know that Alzheimer’s is starting to be called Diabetes type 3? Sugar and insulin are the reason the brain decays so horribly in other words.
The point of this article is not to berate you for counting calories, or if you drink 20oz of Coca Cola instead of 12oz. What I am here to try to help you understand is that if you only count calories alone, you will miss important lifestyle necessities to live your healthiest.
The idea of YOLO usually is followed by a very stupid decision, but in this instance I want you to take that statement and think to yourself what you want your 60s, 70s and beyond to look like. If you could make changes now to have the best quality of life then, would you do that?
I used to drink 32oz sodas from Sonic every single day. I was okay for years of eating fried foods daily because it was part of my job to work there and it was free food.
Did you know 2 Brazilian nuts per day is all you need for your daily selenium needs? Selenium is vital in a healthy thyroid function.
What are the others things you should focus on? I’ve already stated that at the top of the article - macro and micronutrients, and added sugar intake, fiber intake (something you will find in carbohydrates), water consumption), limiting caffeine, etc. It’s really not as complicated as it may seem. Counting things in general can feel overwhelming, and it often gets tiring to do so. I recommend instead of trying to start by counting everything, you choose 2 or 3 things to focus on and then build from there. Every person has different dietary needs so I will not give specifics. But here are a couple of suggestions I have:
1. Get half your body weight in Oz of water - if you’re 150lbs you need 75oz
2. Avoid more than about 50g of added sugar every day
3. Take a multivitamin. I use the One A Day brand. It took me trying several kinds to find one that seems to do what I need.
4. Make sure you get 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
5. Eat a variety of nuts, seeds, and legumes daily.
If you start with these things, your health will improve drastically within a short period of time. It may not seem like much, but it is such a great place to start to having a healthier mind and body.
Talking about nutrition and health is such a passion of mine. While I know there are many people who already write and speak on these things, I love to share my knowledge nonetheless, and hope it benefits you all. I’m excited to have a long series planned focused on basics of nutrition as in the macro and micronutrients, body systems, neurotransmitters, and hormones, and how they affect both the physical and mental health. I’ve been wanting to work on this for some time and am looking forward to writing on the subject.
Until next time!