If you pay attention to what you eat no doubt you’re trying to watch your diet and her benefit your health and aesthetics, because then when you choose what to eat, it is important to look at more than the calories.
Beyond calories
When we try to lose weight, get fit or just look better taking care of our diet, the first thing we usually look at each food or preparation that enters our mouth is your caloric intake, i.e. how many calories offers.
However, not only calories matter, because although they are key to maintaining weight, lose weight or gain muscle mass, it is essential to have more data on the quality and effect on our body that we enter the body.
Then, beyond calories, we should consider other factors that may be valuable to take care of our diet and achieve the objective we have and which we try to improve our food.
Other data to take into account
In addition to the calories are certainly important, it is crucial to consider other data when choosing what to eat. For example:
Satiating power, that is, there are some foods which by their nature soothe hunger or reduce appetite more than others and it is important to keep in mind. For example, foods that have fiber, protein or tryptophan that can soothe our anxiety be more desirable than those rich in sugars and / or fats.
Nutrients, it is not the same as eating a cereal bar than an apple even though both have the same calories as the former provides mostly sugars and carbohydrates, while the latest addition to carbohydrates and natural sugars, provides potassium, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber to our body.
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Presence of Nutricosmetics, that is, if what we are eating has more nutrients with cosmetic effects that other foods with equal calorie intake, we are certainly taking a wise decision, as this product will help us look better besides offering energy.
Volume or water content, since the higher water content of food preparation or lower your caloric intake is we can decide what to eat based on this or what is the same, its volume. For a couple of oranges may have the same amount of calories as a candy, but the former have much more volume and water, so that more sated our appetite. In addition, they have good and cosmetic effects for our body nutrients.
Tastes and preferences, as if we have two alternatives with equal calories, certainly we must choose one that we like. It has been proven that eating what we like is closely linked to satiety we feel.
Texture and consistency, as solids or foods that require more chewing harder to be more satiated and help you eat less as has been demonstrated in a recent study.
As we can see, it is crucial to consider other factors besides how many calories when choosing what to eat for health care, our aesthetic or both at the same time.
Examples of not only calories matter
To show that not only calories matter, you have some examples of foods and / or preparations containing the same calories but many other differences that are worth considering:
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Honey and sugar: Both provide about 60 Kcal per tablespoon, but the first is rich in potassium, antioxidants and vitamins, while the latter only provides calories derived from simple carbohydrates.
Three tangerines and a slice of pizza: Both alternatives have the same amount of calories, but clearly have the second worst nutritional quality and quenches less than three tangerines also offer vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants to the body.
An egg and four candies: Recent provide sugars while the first energy input is equally source of protein, vitamin A, biotin and other cosmetic nutrients. Therefore, when choosing, the egg would be the most appropriate option.
A glass of wine and 8-9 chips: Both options have the same amount of calories and are very tasty, but the wine would be the healthier alternative if we think of its polyphenols, potassium content and its benefits when consumed in moderation, while the chips, only incite us to keep eating because they have fat, sodium and carbohydrates only.
Clearly, if you want to choose what to eat in the most appropriate way, besides calories it is important to note other factors that tell us of their nutrients and the effect of the intake of food in our body.
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