Does healthy eating = low-calorie eating?
It can… but it depends a great deal on the individual person. In many cases, I’d argue that a low-calorie diet is not ideal for optimum health (such as the case of an athlete, a growing child or teen, an underweight or healthy-weight adult, etc.).
Today’s post is going to be a little different.
It’s a topic about which I’ve been meaning to write for quite a while; ever since there was a bit of drama and confusion over it in the comment section of this post.
You see, I don’t want to send out the wrong message or give people the impression that I only eat low-calorie foods… or that anyone else should only eat low-calorie foods if he/she doesn’t medically need to do so. My website is not a “this is what I ate today” food blog, and the photos you see on this site are usually just of the recipes (as opposed to the entire meal I might’ve eaten along with the recipe. I can tell you I hardly ever eat just a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast!).
Due to the fact that healthier foods are often lower in calories, and because I know a large number of my blog’s readers are watching their weights, many of the recipes on this blog are—or can be—quite low in calories.
In the photo above: Low-Calorie Peanut Butter Ice Cream
To help the large percentage of my readership that doesn’t want the extra calories, I try to always point out when lower-calorie options exist in my recipes (such as when one can sub applesauce, how to make a recipe lower in fat, etc.).
However, the cool thing is that many of my recipes are easily adaptable to almost any diet. Perhaps I need to pay better attention to the other portion of my readers; those who do not have weight to lose?
It’s a common (and dangerous) misconception that a person who needs to gain weight or eat a high-calorie diet must consume exorbitant amounts of junk food in order to meet this goal. You can meet your nutritional needs without downing milkshakes at every meal, and you’ll probably feel much less sluggish.
Today, I thought I’d highlight a few of the tricks I use to calorically bulk up my food while still being healthy.
In the above picture: Chocolate-Strawberry Truffle Pie.
1. Focus on calorie-dense foods.
Eat these first at a meal, so you don’t feel too full before you’ve gotten in enough calories. Here are some calorie-dense, yet healthy, foods:
- all nuts and nut butters
- oils (such as olive, sesame, or coconut) in their pure form (not the hydrogenated stuff they put in packaged goods!)
- avocados
- Thai coconut meat (really good in smoothies, pies, or puddings)
- dried fruit
- canned coconut milk
- giant bowls of pasta (my favorite!)
- dark chocolate (oh wait, that’s my favorite!)
Raw recipes are often calorie-dense. Here are my favorites.
2. Don’t skip the veggies
…because you’re afraid they’re too low-cal. But do be sure to not just eat them plain and steamed. Try sautéing or roasting with a generous drizzle of olive or coconut oil (so so good).
3. Bigger portions.
For example, I post oatmeal recipes that are for one serving. But when I make them for myself, I always times the recipe by 1.5. Try it sometime… you probably won’t even notice you’re taking in more calories!
4. And eating more often.
Instead of three huge meals per day, space it out with 5-6 smaller meals and snacks throughout the day, giving your stomach a chance to digest. Personally, my job as a recipe developer means I never stop snacking! Chocolate is always close to my heart greedy fingers.
5. Non-healthy treats… sometimes.
I’d say I probably eat healthy foods 80% of the time. But does that mean I’ll turn down a friend’s cookies that she veganized just for me? Or Hangawi’s incredible cheesecake in NYC? No, it does not. (I probably should get a post up about this topic, too… but not today. I think I’ve already talked your ears off enough for one day!)
Do you eat a high-calorie diet? A low-calorie diet?
Or maybe you have absolutely no idea how many calories you consume! Please take an introspective look at your life and make responsible food decisions for you. If that means eating a low-calorie diet, my recipes are here to help. But if that means not eating a low-calorie diet, please take advantage of some of the higher-calorie options listed both in this post and in my recipe posts!
For more, see the following: High Calorie Recipes.
Katie – Ignore the people that are overreacting all of the time. Your blog is popular for a reason, and people need to be smart enough to make their own decisions based on how many calories they need.
I, for one, am a fairly active athlete. I play soccer in an all male-league, interval train, and weight train. Your blog is perfect for both when I need the extra calories (omg, I love adding nut butters and the coconut whipped cream to my morning oatmeal now!!).
And. It is also wonderful for when I do not need the extra calories (I tend to overeat – activity=ravenous appetite) but would love a healthy dessert to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Keep doing what you are doing – I’ve been stalking you for a while on here and I truly relate to you (you even love soccer too!!! <3). I love sharing your recipes with my fiance, and when he doesn't like them because they aren't sweet enough for him (my sweet tooth is a little more like yours), I gladly gobble the rest up, guilt free.
Thank you for what you do, I'm done rambling now.
Thank you so much for this Katie! I’ve been needing some advice on how to increase my caloric intake, hopefully this does the trick! Keep on blogging!
Love all the tips! I try to eat healthy but also with treats. I think I eat a mix of high and low calorie foods for a medium calorie lifestyle!
This is a great post, and I’m glad you wrote it. A lot of people seem to be confused about what eating healthy means. I eat a pretty low calorie diet because I am still afraid of food to an extent but I also allow myself treats.
Your recipes are awesome! The best thing about this is how adaptable they are. You have readers with all kinds of diets- and this is a great resource for them. I do not eat sugar or grains personally and don’t pay attention to calories, but for those who do- you are giving them the tools they need and being a great blog-host at the same time. I don’t understand why someone would ever take time out of their day to write an obnoxious comment on a blog- why even waste the time to do so? Keep it up Katie!
Great post! Everyone should do what he or she needs to do in order to be healthy. I enjoy the low cal versions because you can eat more dessert more frequently if they are lower calories and made with purer ingredients 🙂
I love how flexible your recipes are. I have successfully adapted a number of them depending on what I have on hand, because I usually start to make something before I realize I don’t have a particular ingredient! Like, I almost always use whole wheat pastry flour, sometimes I throw in hemp protein powder (my new fave addition to oatmeal), or different fruits. And I always check the calories on my packages, and divide by the number of whatever I make – I rarely get the same number of servings as posted.
Technically I should be eating a “high-calorie” diet, but I’m recovering from an eating disorder with basically zero help and it’s really difficult to convince myself to eat more. However, I have gone from a calorie deficit to maintenance level… so I’m proud of where I’ve gotten so far. And I love using your recipes on days I need to fit in more calories. I’m not sure I’m at the point where I could eat, say, a cookie from a package, but I have no problem whipping up a batch of “the world’s healthiest chocolate chip cookies” 😀
It’s a shame that you’re having to point out the obvious with this post; that while you might provide the tools for weight loss or gain, it’s how we utilize them that matters. I feel as though you’re having to defend yourself for, allegedly, promoting an ‘unhealthy’ message, and I don’t think that’s fair – people can read things however they like, and if they aren’t in the right place psychologically than virtually anything can be construed as a negative influence.
I gain weight very easily and thus need/rely on voluminous meals and calorie-cutting tricks – I always appreciate input on how to get the most out of my food for the fewest calories because that’s my particular body type/metabolism.
I don’t think overweight people should be the only ones ‘allowed’ to write about calorie-saving tips, nor do I think very slender individuals such as yourself should constatntly have to justify their intentions. I highly doubt that I would be accused of trying to make people fat for posting a cake recipe, for example, or for using full fat products. Why is it okay for a person at the higher end of BMI such as myself to post a fattening recipe, but not for a slim person to post a low-calorie recipe? It’s so messed up – if people are looking to lose weight who don’t need to, there are a million other blogs out there that they can obsess over other than yours.
xxx
Great post, Katie. Just so you know – I have never thought that your posts have been anything but ideas for a healthier lifestyle, whether it be lowering the calories in a typically high-calorie low nutrition food, or by adding nutritious ingredients that would normally be skipped. I love your recipes and you! 🙂