A few weeks ago, I was watching the morning news and there was a segment on candy. I don’t even remember what specifically they were talking about with candy, but there was candy. One of the anchors commented on the fact that she wasn’t sure if she should eat it because she “didn’t need the extra calories”. I realized that I hear people say that all day long. It’s such a common phrase that most of us can think of a time when it’s come out of our own mouths.
There are a couple of reasons why that’s problematic. First, that whole idea of balance. If you want a piece of candy, eat a piece of candy. One piece of candy isn’t going to derail your healthy eating habits. Sometimes you just need a Starburst. It happens. Second, the idea of trying to avoid going over a certain calorie count number each day is problematic. That shouldn’t be the goal.
But you might be thinking, isn’t that how you maintain your weight?
Yes, technically. Fewer calories in than out equals weight loss, if you’re looking at it from a very basic perspective. From a big picture standpoint, your body uses food as fuel. It uses food to maintain all of the very cool processes it does on a regular basis to keep you alive and happy. The better the fuel, the better your body functions. So what does that have to do with the idea of calorie counting?
An avocado, hailed as a super food for nutrition and its amazing taste, has 250 calories. A bowl of fruit loops, with milk, has 118 calories. A bowl of fruit loops should never be called a super food, unless you’re trying to relive your childhood. See what I’m getting at? Calories only tell part of the story.
A higher calorie food that’s full of nutritional benefits should be the choice over a food with fewer, but empty, calories.
The way we talk about our nutrition and health is important. Talking about refusing to eat something because you’re avoiding calories is restrictive. It’s taking something away from yourself, and it’s very appearance and weight focused. We all care about our appearance. We all have a preferred weight, or a way we’d rather our body look. Making that the focus of your food intake, though, makes it all about that. By focusing on nutrition rather than calories, you’ll still be healthier. You’ll still lose weight, if you need to. But you’ll be doing it with more self love.
What if we stopped focusing on what we need to deny ourselves, and started focusing on what we should be providing ourselves?
What if instead of saying “I can’t eat that because it’s too many calories” we said “I want to eat this instead because it’s full of nutrients”. An apple over a donut, not because of the calorie count, but because of all the amazing health benefits that an apple has. Shifting the focus from denying a donut because of the calories to saying YES! to an apple because of everything it provides your body.
In order to have a healthy lifestyle, there are going to be times you say no to the splurges. No to the dessert. No to the order of fries. Yes to the side salad. Yes to the roasted veggies. It gets a lot easier to say no when you’re focusing less on what you can’t have, and more on what you can.
Author: Rachel
Rachel is a licensed therapist and co-founder of Viva Wellness. She gets most of her inspiration for the blog while on the run, and if you ever need to find her, she’s probably in Central Park. If she’s not running, you’ll find her planning the next time she’s going to eat, exploring all things wellness in NYC, or raising her stress level by watching her sports teams.
