Betina Thygesen

They scare many of the people around you. Maybe you too are trying to avoid them, it is not easy, but necessary, you’re convinced. Some days you face the devil and sneak a venti double latte & a blueberry bran muffin, it is quickly gone and forgotten – and the bran made it not too much of a sin, right? 

Nobody ever saw one, not even the most accomplished scientist – most of us wouldn’t know that the definition: “the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1.0 g of water from 14.5 to 15.5 C” is that of a 

CALORIE! 

Calories are necessary for the body to produce energy. Energy to think, sleep, love, laugh, and well … eat! We provide our bodies, the most amazing bio-individual computer ever created, with energy through proteins, carbohydrates and fats. 1 gram of protein or carbohydrate each provide 4 calories and 1 gram of fats a horrifying 9! 

Do they count? According to an article in the Dining section of the New York Times of yesterday, they do. It is highlighted that an average human needs around 2000 calories per day. This is a statement that always makes me ask what does “average” mean? Where do the traditional Alaskan Eskimos fit in with their excellent immunity and cardiovascular health thriving on large quantities of fat and several pounds of meat a day or the slender Italians with all the pasta, olive oil, red wine and cheese? 

I have no idea how many calories I ate yesterday, but my diet looked something like this: 

Breakfast:

• Steel-cut oats with small handful of soaked walnuts, little butter and a drizzle of maple syrup
• Slice of dense rye bread with butter and honey (high calorie thanks to high content of flax seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds) 

Snack:

• 1 peanut butter cookie 
• Cup of regular, organic coffee 
• 1 apple 

Lunch:

• 2 slices of rye bread 
• 1 avocado 
• Hummus 
• 1 carrot 
• Cup of green tea 

Snack:

• Another cookie and ½ banana 

Dinner:

• Chicken soup with an assortment of vegetables, including potatoes 
• Dried dates and almonds with cinnamon 

My children, aged 8 and 10 ate the same foods yesterday except I let them have a whole banana and 3 cookies in the afternoon. This list of foods is by no standard low in calories – but it is a list of real foods that provide the body with energy. The peanut butter cookies were homemade and sweetened with raisins and a little maple syrup. I used whole-wheat barley flour instead of white wheat and organic raw unsweetened peanut butter and coconut oil instead of butter. Does this make them low in calories? No, but they will probably mess less with the blood sugar balance and offer some protein, minerals and vitamins.

In our family, we all love eating; the preparation, the togetherness, and of course the taste. I do not consider any of us overweight. 

It is impossible to say how many calories the average person needs without defining average. In fact, from a holistic point of view, this is not possible. Our caloric needs depend on each individual’s very unique metabolism, energy expenditure, etc. 

What I would like to see is that the makers of Coca Cola and M&M’s, restaurants such as Starbucks and Cosi instead of printing amount of calories on the front of packages and on their menus, that they print nutritional value; vitamins, minerals, fiber, proteins etc. as this would, if we took the time to investigate, underline how little nutritional value there is in these kinds of food substances. 

Think about it, 2000 calories could be consumed eating 1 pizza, 1 large milky, sweetened coffee drink and 1 blueberry muffin. Who however would feel satisfied with just these 3 items for 24 hours? Satisfied mentally and physically! 

With calories printed on all kinds of restaurant and fast foods, I wonder if people will actually eat differently or if the calorie counts will just make us feel bad (or even worse) about food. 

When eating only whole foods, not too much and mostly vegetables we eat not only delicious, energy and health-promoting foods, we also eat with a good conscience and we give our bodies a natural chance of finding a weight that feels comfortable. 

I believe that weight gain is not so much about calories but more about the combination of sugar, flour, and dairy. Delicious when combined, I know!