Whether I’m serving my Naturally Healthy Desserts at a private function or teaching clients how to prepare them at home, convincing others that these desserts are healthy once they have tasted them is a challenge. Even after I explain that my Naturally Healthy Desserts will not sabotage your diet because my ingredients include whole foods with plenty of fiber and healthy fat, it still never fails. The same question always pops up:
“But, how many calories do they have?”
This is when I want to start crying. It is frustrating that people still have no idea that a food’s calorie count is not the ultimate factor in determining how that food will affect weight loss (or gain) and overall health. There are many foods such as avocados, walnuts, almonds, dates, and coconut that are high in calories and yet they are also rich in vital nutrients.
So why are we so focused on the idea that counting calories is the best dieting strategy? Calorie counting gained popularity in the 1920s when women desired the thin, boyish figure that was so in vogue. The diet guru of the time, Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters, wrote in her book Diet and Health: With Key to the Calories, “You may eat just what you like—candy, pie, cake, fat meat, butter, cream—but—count your calories!”
The standard goal was to eat no more than 1,200 calories a day, but there were no other stipulations. Today, strict calorie counting remains the standard method for reaching weight-loss goals. Unfortunately, this strategy does not account for basic nourishment, or for the extreme frustration and mental exhaustion experienced when having to scrutinize each bite of food crossing your lips. Who wants to live like that?
Now, we know that most people need more than 1,200 calories just to have enough energy for daily activities. And while many understand that getting all of your calories from junk food isn’t the healthiest way to go, there is still plenty of confusion about how to eat and enjoy a healthy diet. I think this is why calorie counting stays so popular—it provides a simple framework for daily food consumption. But, isn’t it about time for an update to mainstream weight-management techniques? We wouldn’t dream of only using a circa 1920 telephone because we live in a society where you can’t function without a smartphone, right? Why depend on such a limited and outdated diet plan?
Fortunately, recent research by Dr. Robert Lustig shows that not all calories are created equal. You can consume 150 calories in the form of either orange juice or fresh oranges, but these two forms of the same food differ in the way that they are metabolized. You need more information besides calories to determine how food will affect your waistline. Depending on a neat and tidy calorie-deficit equation to automatically ensure healthy weight maintenance will not work. (For more information, please read this article by Dr. Mark Hyman.)
I want everyone to know that the best plan for maintaining a healthy weight is choosing whole, nutrient-dense foods at every meal. A moderate portion of a dish or dessert made from natural, whole foods will nourish your body with the healthy fats, carbohydrates, and protein it needs, no calorie-count obsessing required. These foods, such as avocado, raw nuts and nut butters, coconut, dates, and whole, unsweetened berries, are also more filling, so you can eat less and still feel satisfied. Rest assured that when you replace traditional and highly processed desserts with a serving of my Naturally Healthy Desserts, you can forget about counting calories and you won’t sabotage your diet.
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