Ep. 54 | Why a Calorie is NOT a Calorie for Weight Loss - Especially on a Plant-Based Diet

Are you worried that if you start plant-based eating, you’ll be packing on more calories and pounds, since plant-based foods like beans, fruits and whole grains all seem to have more calories? After all, a calorie is just a calorie, and it doesn’t matter where it’s from…right?

Not quite. If you’re looking for weight loss, it’s important to know this – losing weight is not simply about cutting calories. That’s because a Calorie is NOT a Calorie. That may be true in the laboratory under strict controlled conditions, but not in the REAL world. Here is a key reason why. In real life, our bodies digest and process foods differently. Listen to Episode 54 to understand more about why.

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A good example would be comparing a food like oil to a food like broccoli. Imagine you are sitting down to a meal and you consume 2.5 teaspoons of oil, which is about 100 calories. Next, imagine you are sitting down to a different plate – this time containing 1 ¼ cups of raw chopped broccoli to consume. This is also equivalent to 100 calories. Now your body’s response to 100 calories’ worth of oil and to 100 calories’ worth of raw broccoli will be completely different! That’s because it will perceive and digest or process them differently. So what you’re eating on your plate is truly important, and you can’t just look at the number of calories in a food. There’s MUCH more to consider if you want to lose weight.

Here's another truth that may surprise you. On a whole food plant-based diet, calories are even less of a factor in the weight loss equation! That’s because whole plant-based foods work in a MYRIAD of ways to help you lose weight. Here are just some benefits of eating nutrient-rich whole plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and lentils. A whole food plant-based diet is:

• Low in caloric density (more volume, less calories)
• Helps you feel full and satisfied on less
• High in fiber
• Increases your post-meal metabolism
• Builds your gut microbiome to aid in weight loss

Ready to learn more? If so, Listen Here. In this episode, I’ll share 3 key reasons why we can’t treat calories from different foods all the same, and why all calories are not created equal. We’ll also look more at why this is especially important to understand when we are talking about plant-based diets. Join me there!

Episode Highlights & Key Timestamps:

• [1:51] Struggling in your diet transition? How to get support
• [3:11] Worried about weight gain and worsening blood sugars with eating more carbs? Listen here
• [4:47] Reason #1: Calories can differ by volume
• [5:49] Reason #2: Calories can differ by nutrient density
• [6:59] Reason #3: Calories can differ by absorption and digestion
• [9:15] Summary key takeaways
• [9:50] How to move from discouragement to success in your diet transition

 Listen Here

 

Related Episodes to Learn More:

Ep.43: Are Plant-Based Diets Too High Carb for Those with Diabetes? 

Ep. 40: 3 Key Ways Plant-Based Diets Can Help You Lose Weight 
 


Next Steps:

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Have a question about plant-based diets you would like answered on the Plant Based Eating Made Easy Podcast?
Send it by email (healthnow@plantnourished.com) or submit it by a voice message here: www.speakpipe.com/plantnourished 

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