Calorific Value

Some people believe that calories mean everything, and controlling that number would be sufficient to control their weight and improve their health. But of course, thats only one part of the picture. Here's some food for thought:

As an example, lets consider two meal options A and B.

Option A: Cheeseburger with fries

Option B: Grilled chicken sandwich, grated blue cheese on a watercress salad drizzled with olive oil, and an apple

Lets say hypothetically, the total calories for each option is equal at 1000 kcal. Would that mean both options are the same? Of course not! Option B will beat A anyday as it has a well-rounded nutritional content and isn't deep-fried.

People need to realize that calories is just a number, and improving their health consists of more that controlling their calorie intake. Its a combination of a good exercise regimen and an appropriate diet that meets their daily nutritional requirements.

Health and wellbeing has to be looked from a holistic point of view, considering all various aspects and for the long term. Too many individuals are concentrating too much on the short term, with their main goal of just losing weight and minimizing calories.

For instance, yes, you may be losing tonnes of weight by cutting down on calories and running for miles everyday. In the long run here are the possible problems, cutting down on calories could result in less energy for other daily activities, and you could be missing out on key minerals and macronutrients from the controlled diet. Not to mention that running excessively could result in muscles being catabolized for energy, resulting in lower metabolism and eventually you'll gain weight faster than ever before!!

For any endeavour in life, invest in the long term solution rather than just settling for the quicker benefits of the short term solution. The same applies for health and nutrition. Think about it.