At Dr John’s Nutrition Health, we do not count Calories. Why?
The Calorie Defined:
The Calorie concept was developed as a research tool to measure the amount of energy in various dietary products like eggs, wheat flower, or raisins. A Calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water (1 milliliter) by 1 degree Celsius C0. The nutritional disciplines grasped the Calorie as a way to track the appropriateness of a person’s dietary intake. If you put more or less calories into your body, your weight would simply go up, down, or stay the same. The calorie concept was then extended to calculate energy in various foods. The ADA Diabetic Diet- of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics- for example, emphasizes compulsive calorie consciousness.
Analysis:
The Calorie idea was flawed at its inception. This model of nutrition presumes that all calories are equivalent. A calorie of white flower is the same as a calorie in Whole Wheat Flower. This is simply a misunderstanding of the complex nature of nutrition, and its potential role in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.
When the dark Bran and Germ outer surface of Wheat or Rice is removed in refining to white flower and white rice, they remove most of the vitamins, minerals, and phytochemistry. The calories remained the same, but much of the nutrition was lost including: Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Zink, Niacin, Boron, Selenium, Iron, Manganese, Folic Acid, Potassium, and Magnesium. Beriberi, Pellagra and other Nutritional Deficiencies began to develop; and manufacturers were forced to “add back” some of these last nutrients – as in Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Folic Acid. How generous!
The Micronutrients in whole plant are the life sustaining. We need them to thrive and heal. So, where we get our calories is of paramount importance.
The Plant Chemistry (aka Phytochemistry) in Leafy Greens, Whole Grains, Beans, and Cruciferous vegetables are not part of the Caloric make-up of foods we eat. However, without the thousands of phytonutrients- like Lycopene in Tomatoes, and Sulforaphane in Broccoli- we are without the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents necessary to prevent and reverse chronic diseases.
Plant Fiber is a missing link in calorie counting.
Plant Fiber cradles all of the plant-chemistry necessary for our health. Plant Fiber plays a pivotal role in ameliorating Type 2 Diabetes-by decreasing glycemic index, and altering our gut bacteria. Living plant fiber prevent inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer; and it facilitates the production of antioxidants which decrease the inflammation responsible for heart disease and many cancers! Fiber is completely ignored in the Calorie model because it has none!
Calorie Counting, to which serial dieters will attest, is cumbersome, exhausting, and demoralizing. Diabetics and Weight Watcher “Point Counters” burn out trying to count their caloric intake. They find it pointless and give up.
What is the alternative to Calorie Counting?
Dr Neal Barnard of the Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C., has performed research demonstrating that a low-fat Plant-Based diet-with no portion control or calorie counting- is more beneficial in controlling blood sugar and cholesterol than the calorie conscious ADA diet (** see below).
Dean Ornish, MD and Coldwell Esselstyn, MD have demonstrated reversal of coronary (heart) disease; and Neal Bernard, MD has done the same with Type 2 Diabetes- all with Whole Food Plant- Based interventions which do not utilize calorie counting.
Plant- Based food is naturally lower in calories than animal sourced diets (meat, poultry, fish, and cheese). That is to say that Plant Foods have a much higher Nutrition to Calorie ratio (N/C). Calculating calories becomes superfluous for most people!
Poor nutritional food value and fat accumulation are directly related to most chronic illnesses in the United States. These chronic diseases include: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia (cholesterol), heart disease, sleep apnea, gastric reflux (GERD), degenerative arthritis and Alzheimer’s Dimentia. These conditions may be prevented or even reversable on a Plant Based diet! The calorie concept never spoke to these issues.
At Dr John’s Nutrition Health, we do not count calories. We simplify the process. Dr John advocates a lower fat wholistic plant-based nutritional program of Veggies, Legumes (Beans), Fruits, and Whole Intact Grains that give your body the opportunity to achieve a new healthy you. We help you understand what is best to eat. You and your body decide how much you need.
**Barnard, N., Cohen, J. & Ferdowsian, H. A low-fat vegan diet and a conventional diabetes diet in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled, 74-wk clinical trial. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 89, 1588S-1596S (2009)