Calorie Counting Vs Healthy Eating

There is a lot of difference of opinion when it comes to which method is more
effective. Both calorie counting and healthy eating are backed by research. A lot of
people now agree to the fact that Calorie counting is primitive and lacks the food
wisdom which is the core of healthy eating. Healthy eating is a recent and more
updated method.

But calorie counting is still used by many nutritionists and personal trainers. Many
apps use it too these days for helping people lose weight. Like any other method, it
also has certain pros and cons.

Pros of Calorie Counting:  

1. It gives a structure to your eating plan: It can be helpful to people who are
   no idea of what healthy eating is. As healthy eating is a broad concept,
   grasping it takes some time. So during this initial period, people might get
   frustrated because of their lack of understanding. In this case, some people
   find calorie counting to be a simple weight loss strategy.
   2. It works quickly to get weight loss results: Even if you do not have any
   understanding of healthy eating calorie counting can get you the desired number on
   the scale. without the knowledge of nutrition, the numbers of scale can be changed
   with it. But if your goal is to achieve optimum health as well then this won’t be
   enough.
   3. You can eat any food to lose weight: As achieving good health is not the primary
   focus. It doesn’t matter what you eat. You will still lose weight if you just focus on
   calorie intake. But in the long term, this might take a toll on your health.
   Cons of Calorie Counting: 
2. It’s a compromise on health: When we focus only on how much we eat and
   ignore what we eat, then this will help only in weight loss. Often the
   nutritional needs are ignored by mere calorie counting. So the nutritional
   needs are not met. You can not heal and reverse lifestyle disorders with an
   approach that should be the primary of healthy eating especially for people
   who are sick. 
3. It can make you a serial dieter: A serial dieter is a person who obsessively
   changes his food behavior. He is not very convinced about the diet he follows.
   So after a period of obsessive dieting, he switches back to his old eating
   pattern. This often makes things worst and he might end up gaining more than
   he lost. It’s a vicious cycle in which people are trapped for years. The multi-
   billion dollar weight loss industry works around this mental attitude of most
   people. 
4. It can lead to excessive weight loss in a short period: This might look very
   fancy especially to youngsters but it can create nutritional deficiencies and
   other health complications if neglected. According to the  Centers for Disease
   Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source , it’s 1 to 2 pounds per week.
   That means, on average, that aiming for 4 to 8 pounds of weight loss per
   month is a healthy goal. So we should carefully choose our diet. 

How to choose a diet program?
A diet program should have the following features. these will make a plan holistic and
will help in maintaining and improving our health along with weight loss. 

Sustainability: The diet should be practical. You should be able to follow the
concept all your life. On n off changes do not bring lasting changes. 

Balanced nutrition: The eating plan should cover the daily nutrient profile. It
should include all essential nutrients from complex carbs to vitamins. 

It shouldn’t be boring: The eating plan should include healthier versions of
local traditional foods as well as healing smoothies and soups. So it need not
be boring or comprising to our taste buds. Healthy and tasty food only
motivate us to eat for a lifetime. 

Intermittent Fasting: Giving break to the body is very important to tap its
natural detox potential. We do not need fancy drinks for detox. Our livers have
excellent capability to cleanse and detox our bodies from toxins if supported in
the right way. Giving the body a break from the continuous and digestion
process is important to switch to cleaning and detox mode. This is possible if
we include some intermittent fasting in the plans. 

Must be based on natural foods: The eating plan should help you create your
meals from the ingredients that are available in the kitchen. If it insists you
buy ready-made food or pharmaceutical products, then that’s not a good
option. Chemicals in these preparations will have side effects on our bodies.
So, it is always good to eat foods that are ground-based and of natural origin.

Low in Simple Carbohydrates: As insulin resistance is the major cause of
almost all lifestyle disorders, it is essential to choose a diet that is low in
simple carbs. Simple carbohydrates are the main culprits which cause insulin
resistance in our bodies.