The lowdown on low-calorie diets

Have you heard the phrase, “Not all calories are equal”?

This oft-repeated expression is deceptively complicated. On the face of it, 100 calories from a slice of bread or 100 calories from an apple should be exactly the same thing – right?

A calorie is basically a certain amount of energy. To understand it simplistically, the fact of calories being unequal lies in the way that the energy is used, or its output and effect on the body.

By that understanding, low-calorie diets work for weight management, but can have different effects on different people. 

What does low-calorie mean?

Your body needs a certain number of calories every day to sustain itself. Depending on weight, age and other factors, this could be anything from two thousand to five thousand calories.

Getting onto a low-calorie diet means restricting the total number of calories that you consume in a day. By the way, it’s important to remember that calories come from food and drinks as well. Coffee, juice and alcohol all contain calories.

Do low-calorie diets work?

The basis of weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you take in. So, yes: low-calorie diets do work – but with plenty of caveats.

One of the upsides of a low-calorie diet is that it simplifies your daily menu. You have a specific amount and type of food that you can consume, so it takes the struggle out of meal preparation.

Calorie counting isn’t inherently harmful, but it becomes a problem with people not knowing how to read and interpret nutritional content. This is easily remedied by weighing your food to get the real count of what you are eating. For packaged foods, it’s easy to gauge how much is in a portion, and there is always a weight or volume associated. When you weigh your food, you can use that weight to determine how many calories you will be consuming.

Health first

Before starting a low-calorie diet, you have to know the downsides. Not everyone’s body can function on a restricted amount of energy each day. If you have a chronic condition, for example, you may need to eat specific full meals. Your medication may cause hunger pangs, and it could seriously affect your health if you can’t eat because you’ve gone over your calorie allocation for the day. 

Common side-effects include:

• Fatigue and/or insomnia
• Trouble having bowel movements 
• Nausea and diarrhoea
• Gallstones (usually from quick weight loss)
• Headaches, which can develop into migraines
• Dehydration

All this to say – always get your doctor’s approval before starting a low-calorie diet.

Healthy choices

If you are going low-calorie, focus on getting the healthiest calories from the best nutrition sources. The goal is to make sure your brain function, mental dexterity and concentration are optimum while your body is nourished. When your brain is balanced, you’re in a better position to make healthier food choices.

Try these foods:

• Bone broth 
• Kefir/yoghurt for probiotics
• Spinach, kale, cabbage
• Green tea or green smoothies
• Healthy sources of fat from fish oils, coconut oil or olive oil
• Seeds and nuts – walnuts, chia, flaxseed 
• In small amounts - quinoa or brown rice 
• Protein sources – chicken, turkey and fish
  

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only. Always check with your doctor or medical practitioner about any health concerns, before embarking on any fitness or nutrition programme, and usage of any medication.