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.
You know, Julie from PBFingers went through a similar thing on her blog: http://www.pbfingers.com/2011/09/07/i-dont-post-everything-i-eat/
It makes me so sad that people won’t leave others be.
Thank you for this post! I’m kind of in an akward position, though. I am fourteen years old, but have inherited an AWFUL metabolism. I am active, but put weight on very easily. But when I eat a low calorie diet, some of my bodily functions almost shut down. Any advice? Thank you so much! You are amazing!
Perhaps you could focus more on what nutrients you are taking in rather then your caloric intake. That will help you stay fit, but you’ll also probably be taking in more calories at the same time. Hope this helps 🙂
If possible, talk to a nutritionist who works with teens :).
Thank you so much! 😉
I purposefully don’t count calories but aim to eat healthy foods. I try not to eat low- or no-fat versions of things because they often contain more sugar or additives to make up for lost flavor, and I think the full-fat varieties are actually healthier – I just try not to have them all the time! I’ll often play around with recipes, substituting things here and there to try to incorporate a healthier ingredient, but the main thing I try to eliminate is sugar and refined foods. I lost the weight I gained from two pregnancies just by doing things like this.
Hi, Katie! I love how you emphasize that everyone needs to eat what’s right for them. None of your posts are ever preachy; they’re so welcoming and make me feel good about myself! My mom always says the best way to eat is to go by how the jeans feel; I’ve found it to be really helpful because then I’m not worrying about numbers, which can be really stressful. Thanks for the post! Your blog is so reassuring!
~Megan 🙂
I just want to say I LOVE your blog. I am Gluten-Free, but that doesn’t mean I’m a “foodie”–I love junk food and have been developing ways to still be able to eat things like mac-n-cheese. I run and I take care of my two boys, so I fit into the healthy category. But I do want to say how sad I think it is that you had to post this–it’s an awesome post and very true! However, why would anyone read your blog and think there was a problem simply because you posted a low calorie breakfast option?? It doesn’t add up. Anyway–I love your blog, it’s one of the few blogs I actually follow because so much of it is GF or easily converted to GF–you are doing an awesome job! Keep up the good work!
I try to follow a low-calorie diet (1500), because my body needs a little slimming down. I have a friend who loses weight when she eats less healthy, and I would gain weight. It’s all a balance of eating enough (and not too much) of HEALTHY foods. That’s what our body needs!
I am desperately trying to get my GFDF three year old to gain weight. He had to have a feeding tube for eight months because we could not get him to eat more than four hundred calories a day. Thanks for the delicious recipes.
thanks for this meaningful post. its hard to deal with judgments of any kind, but you handle them well!
This is a great post, Katie!I’ve been a long time reader, but this is my first comment:). Personally, I rotate between high and low calorie days, but I don’t plan it that way! I just eat whenever I’m hungry and keep an estimate in my head. Some days I’m hungrier than others and some days I have barely any appetite, but I think it all evens out! I’m one of those people though that just eats a ton of small things ALL day!! But it’s mostly healthy and only when I’m actually hungry. I just don’t like big meals. I’m a grazer:) I think that it’s important that people don’t compare their habits to others because everyone IS different. While my best friend may do perfectly fine with three big hearty meals a day, I prefer to have a bunch of light snacks throughout the day so it seems like I eat more, but if we were to compare torso calorie consumption, we would be around the same. And some people require a lot of calories to keep going, another person may not need so much. There’s just so many factors that go into it, it’s not practical to expect to eat the exact same way as someone else! As long as you listen to your body, you’ll be fine!:)
I have a question for you, regarding diets. Apparently becoming vegan recently has drastically cut my calorie intake, and I’m seriously having issues being able to increase my calorie intake without feeling stuffed and disgusting afterward. Suggestions?
Also do you think it would make me adjust to a higher calorie diet if I increase my daily intake gradually, vy like 200 more calories per day per week or something?
This happened to me as well, especially when I made the conscious choice to switch to a completely whole-foods, non-processed diet. So…I just had to eat more, and more fat, and spread what i eat out throughout the day-I probably eat every two hours or so, nutrient dense and easily digestible things, and then save my larger, more fibrous meals for when I have time to sit down and eat and digest a bit after. I really don’t count calories ever but I just estimated in my head what I eat normally during a day and I’d bet I eat somewhere btwn 2500-3000 calories a day, easily.