A calorie is a calorie?

There is quite a lot of argument between those in the industry about calories. Some people believe calories are the be all and end all of your weight loss/muscle gaining mission when it comes to food. Others believe that not all calories are created equal because of differences between calories from protein, carbs and fats.

Here is a study that showed two groups of people eating a wholemeal cheese sandwich (bread containing sunflower seeds and whole grain kernels and cheddar cheese) or a processed cheese sandwich (white bread and processed cheese).

Despite the calories being the same and the macronutrient breakdown (carbs, proteins and fats) being the same the group eating the processed meal had a significant drop in their metabolism. This would be proposed that this drop in metabolism from regular consumption of processed meals could be a significant contributor to weight gain.

Although this is only one type of meal being compared (cheese sandwich) the results are enough to make you think maybe all calories are not created equal. If you want to lose fat and look good make sure you are eating healthy foods, not processed versions.



Reference:

Postprandial Energy Expenditure in Whole-Food and Processed-Food Meals: Implications for Daily Energy Expenditure.

Sadie B. Barr and Jonathan C. Wright

Received March 15, 2010; Revised May 1, 2010; Accepted June 16, 2010.