Is it good to count calories?

For many years counting calories was the starting point for anyone trying to control their weight, and I know that when I was growing up looking at calories it was something of an obsession.

What I find incredible today is that the conversation has barely moved on. New government legislation to tackle obesity is focused on reducing calorie counts on menus, whilst more brands showcase their calories front of pack to fuel the myth that they are healthy.

Recently I received feedback from a very experienced health and wellness buyer, who commented that our packaging was great, but that we’d benefit from putting calories front of pack. When I pushed back on this suggesting that I did not support calorie counting or dieting as a route to health and wellness the line went dead. So much for being bold and brave!

I appreciate that calories may be a useful yardstick and a starting point for a healthier living conversation, but can’t we educate people to think beyond calories and look deeper into food and nutritional benefits.

Food, low in calories is not necessarily ‘healthy’ if it is loaded with sweeteners and other artificial extras.

Calories are calculated based on averages. Is there such a thing as the average person? Do we know the calories we should consume based on our age, height, and genetic make-up? Are we able to properly estimate the impact of exercise/activity during the day? These are all difficult and complex questions to address.

Wouldn’t we be better to select our food according to its nutritional benefits and look to reduce foods high in sugar and saturated fats which we know ultimately leads to weight gain and health complications.

Living our life by counting calories is not going to be the solution to the obesity pandemic and may instead lead to an acceleration in unhealthy obsessive eating behaviours and yo-yo dieting. Also adding sweeteners, even if natural, does not reduce our addition to sugar, the root cause of obesity for so many.

Let’s be bolder, think deeper, and move the conversation on. In a world of rapid technological advances, we can do so much better!!