Reply #170: so many people think it's just about calories [View All]

[renate]

As many people on this thread have mentioned, it's about the types of food they eat.

I'm fortunate enough, genetically and behaviorally, to have never had a problem with my weight (I'm neither skinny nor heavy, just in between). My parents were aware of nutrition (as compared with calories) from the time I was an infant, and only gave me healthy food, without regard to calories. That I'm not heavy purely means I'm lucky in that my parents were well informed. (Well, that and my degree in nutrition.)

100 calories of sugar is not equivalent to 100 calories of protein, due to the effect of sugar on insulin levels (and therefore hunger). Very few people know that. It's not necessarily a failing on their part--they've been misinformed by quick-fix diet gurus and out-of-date nutritionists. For years dieticians told clients that all calories were created equal in terms of weight gain.