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.
After recovering from my eating disorder, it took me a long time to figure out my own diet. It’s something that I still need to evaluate regularly to make sure I’m staying healthy but not worrying too much about it, either!
I have my tips to a healthy yet REALISTIC diet on my blog at http://lifewithcheeseburgers.com/2011/11/14/your-bodys-best-diet/
I’ve learned that by keeping a few of these things in mind, I can stay in amazing shape without depriving myself of anything!
Thank you so much for this post! I’m currently gaining weight so I can be healthier (doctor’s orders) and your blog was one of the first I’ve come across when searching for new recipes. You’ve shown me that I can add higher-calorie ingredients to everyday meals (nut butters to oatmeal and cereals) without eating junk! I’m very grateful for your recipe blog because you know how difficult it can be to get in extra calories without feeling gross. I look forward to emails of your new recipes everyday 🙂
I LOVE this post! I am underweight (but don’t want to gain too much weight) and I like that you’re addressing one of the issues I tend to struggle with. Sometimes I feel like I’m eating too many fats/calories and that I need to cut back (thanks ED 🙁 ) so this post really hits home for me.
THANK YOU!
As a mom of a 5 year old on a high calorie diet, I have been hard pressed to find blogs with food options. Getting 1500 calories a day down a busy 5 year old future circus clown is a challenge to say the least.
;-D
This is a great post, but it sucks that you had to write it because of those rude comments. I started a food blog recently and haven’t shared any recipes that I consider “healthy” because I realized first I need to outline what my approach to healthy eating is. After living on my own for so long (and therefore eating a lot of meals alone) I didn’t realize how much information is out there about what’s healthy or not–and now that I’m living with folks again, I know my mom looks at what I eat and deems it unhealthy while I think lots of what she eats is unhealthy!
I am currently maintaining my weight after loosing 100lbs over a 2.5 year span. I wish I had found your blog earlier because I would have taken advantage of all the low calorie (and Healthy) options. Now that I don’t need to lose any more weight I count calories in order to maintain and get used to it. I love that you have such healthy recipes. I am very interested in eating as healthy as I possibly can, without sacrificing yummy treats/snacks/desserts.
I do look for lower calorie options though because if I want a snack or a dessert I want to be able to eat it as well as my regular meals and still be within my calories for the day. But That doesn’t mean I eat ONLY low calorie meals. Plus I am not very active/athletic. So I don’t need as many calories as someone who goes to the gym or goes running. In the summer I’ll be eating more because I go for long walks almost every day.
Thanks for the post Katie. I must admit, I’d been a little skeptical of your blog/recipes/lifestyle in general, skepticism that was fuelled by random comments from other people (such as in the post that you had linked). But this post Really cleared things up for me, and I’m glad you wrote it (:
Since I’m trying to maintain a 100 lb weight loss I definitely appreciate seeing lower calorie options. But I realize that not everyone’s goals are the same! It’s insane that people can never just let others be. Keep just being you Katie 🙂
You sound just like me., I am also maintaining a 100lb weight loss, and I was so happy to find this blog with all the healthy low-calorie recipes.
you have NO idea how perfect this post is right now-i need to gain weight (i could healthily gain 10lbs) especially for my running and overall health but i’m scared to…this is great! thank you katie 🙂
It seems sad that people think that food blog=food diary. I think what you do here on CCK is great, it encourages a healthy/vegan diet and I absolutely love that you post options for all of your recipes. (I almost always take the stevia road when presented) I have poly cystic ovarian syndrome, and have to watch my calorie intake carefully, because I gain weight easily, which causes all sorts of pain, hormone fluctuations, lethargy, mood swings- you get the picture. Its not pretty, and unfortunately I have an undeniable love of baking and chocolate. Your low calorie options have really helped me avoid some of the worse PCOS symptoms while still enjoying the foods I love best (I can bake my chocolate chip cookies and eat it too!)
In short- Katie your wonderful, and your blog has helped me and my family in so many ways, thank you for thinking of those of us who have needs so unlike yours.
One complaint though…. could you try making your recipes a little less addictive? My fiance hasn’t stopped asking for your flourless chocolate chips cookies since I first found the recipe 2 months ago! 😀
LOL!