Nutrition That Counts – Counting Calories The Right Way

By Team eLifestyle Fitness and Lifestyle Expert Robb Armstrong

In last week’s Fit Tip we discussed how to differentiate between good and bad muscle soreness post-exercise.

In this week’s Fit Tip we offer some simple rules to follow to help determine if the make-up of total calories in the food you eat is comprised of the right kinds of calories that will provide optimal nutrition.

It really doesn’t take a lot of effort to read the labels of what we eat. Where the real challenge lies is in understanding what makes up the total calories we consume from any given food choice.

Even for savvy health-conscious consumers it’s a common mistake to look at food labels and make a purchase based on the lowest total calories for that product type alone, and not what nutritional value is contained within.

4 Simple Rules to Counting Calories The Right Way

1. Look at the content of protein, carbs and fat

2. Look at sugar and sodium sources

3. Look at additives and preservatives

4. Do not go by the government’s Daily Recommended Value (DRV) as it is based on the average sedentary adult, and therefore won't end up being much help.

We Are What We Eat

The power of T.V commercial marketing can be very persuasive, so it’s extremely important to understand that 100 calories from a piece of chocolate, for example, is not the same as 100 calories from a piece lean protein, such as chicken.

Remember, the key to healthy living is that you MUST base your nutritional intake on what actual nutrition your food can provide for you!

UP NEXT… How much protein is enough? Find out next week!

Note: Check back every week for more helpful health and fitness tips from eLifestyle's Fit Tips by Robb!