I am sure you’ve heard it before “ A calorie, is a calorie!”. People who say this, believe that it doesn’t matter what kind of food you are eating. The only thing that matters is to eat less calories, then you spend, and you will be fit and happy! I used to believe that was true, and no wonder I never got satisfying results!
Through a lot of experimenting on myself, I’ve come to the conclusion that in reality a calorie IS NOT a calorie. It matters if the food you are eating is real, nutritious food or some kind of junk! In today’s article I will sum up some of the reasons behind my statement!
Before I continue I want to start with some food for thought. Keep in mind that the food we eat elicits hormonal responses that determine how energy is stored in the body! Knowing that everything, which happens with our bodies, is a result of the chemical processes taking place, which on the other hand are a result of the hormones that have been released!
What kind of hormones will be released depends on a bunch of things, but mainly on the food we eat, the amount of sleep we get and the amount of stress. Let’s move on and see what happens depending on the food we eat!
Insulin
Eating a diet rich in high GI(cookies,ice-cream,bread…) drives an enormous insulin response. Insulin is a “storage” hormone, causing the body to stop using fat as energy, and store it instead. That means that junk food and carb rich foods will rise your blood sugar, which will lead to an enormous insulin response and thus you will store fat!
Glucagon
Low GI foods produce higher levels of glucagon. Glucagon promotes the use of fat for energy. What does that mean? Forget about bagels, oats, biscuits and stick to eating meat, nuts, veggies, fruits and seeds and you will have the perfect conditions for fat burning!
Hormones as a whole
The food we eat, determines the hormonal balances in our body, which affects all aspects of our being. Saying that it doesn’t matter if the carbs you are eating come from a twinkie or broccoli, is like saying that it doesn’t matter if the fuel you put in your car is diesel or gas, because it is still fuel!
Each food component, i.e. proteins, carbs or fat, leads to a different hormonal response. As you know the body is a complicated “machine” driven by chemical reactions. If you do not provide the body with the right fuel, the chemical processes could take the wrong turn, and that could result in a breakdown.
Enzymes
The human body can do nothing without enzymes. All metabolic functions require enzymes. If the body is deficient in even one kind of enzyme, your metabolism won’t work properly. In order to provide the body with enough nutrients and enzymes, you need to consume real food. Junk food only makes your body starve and robs it out of key nutrients. And as I already said that, damages your metabolism! Conclusion? Junk food, even in moderation, doesn’t give nutrients to your body and it is only harming you! So stay away from it!
Stress
As I mentioned junk food, robs your body from key nutrients. It makes you starve. Your body feels like it is always in a survivor mode. That makes things worse, because that activates your stress hormones, as cortisol, and chronically elevated cortisol doesn’t match good your goals of weight loss! When the body is in a survivor mode, it will do anything to keep the fat, in case it needs it!
Still think that “a calorie is a calorie”? Stop deceiving yourself with this pick up phrases! Truth is that you are trying to find some kind of justification to your lack of will! Stay away from junk food! Give your body what it needs! Eat nutritious,real food!
I have one really great article for you. It is written by Nick Horton and I reccomend you read it. Calories In,Calories Out:Fact Or Fiction
I was recommended this website by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post
is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my trouble.
You’re amazing! Thanks!