Are All Calories Equal?
•Weight loss
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When it comes down to it, if you eat more food than you need you will gain weight, and if you eat less than you need you will lose weight. So does it matter what foods we put in our body as long as it's a certain amount of calories?
Technically, you could eat nothing but junk food and still lose weight - but you will feel absolutely awful doing so.
Here are the benefits of eating 1000 calories of healthy food compared to eating 1000 calories of unhealthy food.
You Will Build More Muscle
Building muscle isn't just about wanting to look like a bodybuilder. The more muscle you have on your body often equates to a lesser chance of being injured or becoming sick.
If your diet contains a high amount of fibre, protein and nutrients you have a greater chance of building muscle and burning calories. Whereas if your diet is high in sugar, unhealthy fats and processed foods you are less likely to retain that muscle mass, leading you to not look or feel as good.
You Can Eat More
Foods like potato chips and sugar-filled drinks are more calorie-dense, meaning you can't eat as much as healthy foods for the same bodily impact.
You could fill several plates with 1000 calories of healthy food, whilst 1000 calories of unhealthy food would pale in size in comparison.
Healthy foods often contain protein, wholegrains and healthy fats meaning you will feel more full and not hungry soon after eating as you would with unhealthy foods.
Preserve More Energy
1000 Calories of healthy and 1000 calories of unhealthy foods contain the same amount of potential energy. However, our bodies process the energy from these foods differently to one another.
If you were to eat nothing but processed foods you will feel fatigued and hungry for most of the day as your body processes unhealthy foods slower.
These highly processed and fatty foods are usually low in fibre and essential nutrients which on top of a lack of energy can lead to stomach pain.
Better Body Composition
When we improve the quality of our diet we ultimately improve the way we look, regardless of the number shown on the scales.
Eating fewer calories will help us to lose weight, but by ensuring that the calories we eat are healthy our bodies can build and retain muscle simultaneously.
Not only this but by choosing 1000 calories of healthy food over unhealthy products, our moods will benefit and the risk of developing chronic diseases will lower.
Technically, you could eat nothing but junk food and still lose weight - but you will feel absolutely awful doing so.
Here are the benefits of eating 1000 calories of healthy food compared to eating 1000 calories of unhealthy food.
You Will Build More Muscle
Building muscle isn't just about wanting to look like a bodybuilder. The more muscle you have on your body often equates to a lesser chance of being injured or becoming sick.
If your diet contains a high amount of fibre, protein and nutrients you have a greater chance of building muscle and burning calories. Whereas if your diet is high in sugar, unhealthy fats and processed foods you are less likely to retain that muscle mass, leading you to not look or feel as good.
You Can Eat More
Foods like potato chips and sugar-filled drinks are more calorie-dense, meaning you can't eat as much as healthy foods for the same bodily impact.
You could fill several plates with 1000 calories of healthy food, whilst 1000 calories of unhealthy food would pale in size in comparison.
Healthy foods often contain protein, wholegrains and healthy fats meaning you will feel more full and not hungry soon after eating as you would with unhealthy foods.
Preserve More Energy
1000 Calories of healthy and 1000 calories of unhealthy foods contain the same amount of potential energy. However, our bodies process the energy from these foods differently to one another.
If you were to eat nothing but processed foods you will feel fatigued and hungry for most of the day as your body processes unhealthy foods slower.
These highly processed and fatty foods are usually low in fibre and essential nutrients which on top of a lack of energy can lead to stomach pain.
Better Body Composition
When we improve the quality of our diet we ultimately improve the way we look, regardless of the number shown on the scales.
Eating fewer calories will help us to lose weight, but by ensuring that the calories we eat are healthy our bodies can build and retain muscle simultaneously.
Not only this but by choosing 1000 calories of healthy food over unhealthy products, our moods will benefit and the risk of developing chronic diseases will lower.
