4 Preconceived myths about calories
updated the 14 July 2015 à 18:32Without really understanding them, we systematically associate calories with weight gain. “If I eat too many calories I am going to get fat”, is an idea widely believed today. But is it really that simple?
OLIVE OIL IS LESS CALORIFIC THAN OTHER OILS
This is false. We very often hear about the numerous nutritional virtues of olive oil. But all oils contain 100% fats; that is, 100g of fats for 100g of oil. And 1g of lipids “weigh” 9 Kcal, regardless of its origin! The quality of the fat is what differentiates them. Olive oil is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids, sometimes called omega 9, which are good fats that are essential to our bodies. In particular, they are able to decrease the rate of bad cholesterol circulating in the blood.
MARGARINE CONTAINS FEWER CALORIES THAN BUTTER
No. Butter and margarine contain the same amount of fat; thus, they are equally calorific. The difference is found in their composition. Margarine contains a much more important quantity of good vegetable fats, which are essential to the good cardiovascular health. Margarine is made from polyunsaturated oil, which is rich in essential fatty acids such as omega 3. The “best” margarines are those containing mono and polyunsaturated fatty acid. They are generally made from oil of colza, safflower, sunflower, olive or corn.
PRODUCTS CONTAINING 0 % FAT HAVE ZERO CALORIES
Certainly not. While they have no fats, they bring proteins, carbohydrates, and so on. Otherwise, there would be nothing to eat! The problem with this kind of product is that we tend to eat more because we think it is healthy. But in the end, by increasing the quantities, we risk consuming more calories than if we opt for an ordinary product.
IF I EAT TOO MANY CALORIES, I WILL GET FAT
It depends. The essential factor is to consider the balance between the consumed calories and those burnt. We burn calories constantly so that our body works. Even more are burned when we take part in sport: one hour of aqua gym burns as many calories as one hour of housework; approximately 250 calories. One hour of swimming equates to approximately 300 burnt calories and we burn 450 calories for one hour of bike exercise. As a hamburger (Big Mac) contains 509 calories, we would need to swim many lengths of the pool to eliminate a whole menu! To avoid getting fat, the food intake must equate to the outcome and to slim, it is necessary to eliminate more than we consume. The quality of food is also essential: a balanced snack, such as apples, is much more interesting from a nutrition point of view and satisfying than a chip bag, even if they contain the same number of calories.
Maïa Baudelaire
