Last Week’s Program (5.23.23 bulletin)
Ryan Henderson works at the High School as health and nutrition educator. Ryan talked to us about the Calorie Myth and the uselessness of counting calories.
Essentially every calorie is not equal, and every person’s body metabolizes these calories a bit differently. It could be related to the specific type of flora in your digestive tract or other biological mechanisms. And calories are different remember, a calorie is a measurement of energy not nutrition.
Myth Busted 1 – all calories are equal NOPE!
If you examine 140 calories in almonds, and 140 calories in soda, the soda’s calories are from sugar which contain no nutrients and are useless calories, the sugar affects blood sugar levers which stimulate insulin and fat formation. Insulin then causes fat to form. The almonds have fiber, will not spike blood sugar, plus 30% of the calories will be digested in your gut by the body’s digestive flora.
Myth Busted 2 – Eating fat makes you fat. NOPE!
Fat may be metabolized differently and not necessarily affect the blood sugar so quickly.
The main reason for the obesity problem, according to Ryan, is the over consumption of sugars, carbs and processed flour. Fructose is particularly bad for the blood sugars and insulin production. Ryan calls for a new food paradigm and avoiding these problem foods.
