ARE ALL CALORIES OF EQUAL VALUE?

One of the biggest flaws with the calorie-counting system of fat loss is that it places all foods of equal caloric value on an even footing. A slice of white bread is the same as a wedge of Edam. Common sense tells us this isn’t true. And so does science. Up to 30% of the calories derived from protein are burned during digestion, compared to just 5% to 10% for carbs. In a study from Food & Nutrition Research, participants were split into two groups and given sandwiches with identical calorie counts – one was higher in fibre and protein and made with whole foods, while the other was higher in total carbs and heavily processed. The former required 47% more energy to digest. Yet, were you to buy these two sandwiches in a shop, the calories on the packet would be the same. Protein isn’t the only macro complicating calorie maths, either. A review in The BMJ posited that low-fat diets might lead to ‘increased calorie absorption efficiency’, meaning you hold on to more of them.

Lesson learned

Here are a few guidelines that will ensure more of what you eat is burned. Spread your protein intake out throughout the day – aim for 0.75g of protein per kilo of body weight per day (around 45g for the average woman). With carbs, shoot for 10g of fibre and no more than 10g of sugar per meal to upgrade the digestive work.