“Just because it is healthy does not mean that it does not gain weight,” explains endocrinologist and nutritionist Nerea Gil, owner of the clinic that bears her name. «We have many examples of foods that are perfectly healthy due to their contribution of beneficial fats for the body, such as fruits … dried foods or salmon, which contain omega 3, monounsaturated fats, but are highly caloric,” details the specialist. Whatever you are looking for, your consumption must be controlled.
What follows are the expert’s advice to avoid surprises. Follow them if she wants to avoid being upset the next time you step on the scale in her bathroom (not tomorrow, please; let time pass…!)
Don’t get carried away by illusions
1. Be careful with terms like ‘light’. Foods with this name (in Spanish ‘low in calories’) have approximately 30% fewer calories than their equivalents. Possibly the trickiest expression on the market. ‘Light’ does not mean that it does not make you fat, but simply that it provides fewer calories.
2. Think about the meaning of eco-friendly. Another term that leads to deception (of the mind and the wallet). The organic label only describes the way a food is grown or raised. It has nothing to do with its caloric intake, no matter how much we tend to get ‘ecological equals healthy’ into our heads. «Another issue is that it may be less treated with fertilizers, that it retains its vitamins or properties better or that it is of a different variety. “It’s another question.”
3. Integral, another magic word. The only thing that wholemeal means is that the cereal contains the whole grain, with its shell. The product will therefore provide a greater amount of fiber, more vitamins and will improve intestinal transit (Fantastic!), but its calories will continue to be very similar to those of the same non-whole food. (Be careful, you can be a complete fool. Food industry marketing often treats us as such.)
4. Composition matters. Nerea Gil explains it perfectly: «Eating a donut is not the same as eating a plate of vegetables, even if you eat portions so that it is the same amount of calories for both products. The donut – he details – provides a lot of saturated fat and nothing else. Vegetables will give you vitamins and minerals useful for our body. “They provide fiber and are much more satiating.”
5. Cooking, too. The way the food has been prepared also counts a lot. Be especially careful with frozen products, which contain high levels of sugars, unhealthy fats and salt. Keep this in mind whether you cook at home, buy prepared food or order it delivered.
6. Food makes all people equally fat. Don’t fool yourself. One hundred grams of bread – this is just an example, since good bread is also very healthy – will provide you with 277 kilocalories and me with the same number. There is no more secret. Another thing is how this will affect you and me depending on our age, metabolism, the exercise we do…
The intake of 2,500 calories a day for men and 2,000 for women is usually discussed. But don’t go crazy about this either, it also depends on each person. Eat healthy and exercise.
As! Are you still thinking about the joke from earlier? Ha ha, how are we!
#Argentina
