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.
Well said Katie! Your blog is perfect the way it is and you are perfect the way you are. Sure everyone has room for improvement and to each their own. I love what you do and even though I am not vegan, I often go to your blog for healthier versions of the foods I love, not because they are lower in calories. Thanks for all that you do and keep on doing it!
One last thing and then I’ll stop- I don’t mean this as a bash against CCK but whoever reads this- think about it: IF you saw a registered dietician, would she/he tell you to eat Low- Calorie Peanut Butter Ice Cream? Maybe but I doubt it. I’m all for TRYING “healthy” dessert recipes but not relying on them instead of the real foods. This hasn’t been a problem for me, but I know quite a few people who lived off of “low calorie” and “low fat” recipes and ended up bingeing because their bodies wanted the real thing. Obviously- this is just an example but still, no one should feel confined to agave syrup instead of sugar (unless you are truly a vegan for the right reasons)
If you’re so against the message of this blog, (which judging by all the comments you’ve left on this post, you are) then why are you here? Why don’t you just not read? Many people enjoy this blog and its content. Please don’t ruin it for those of us who enjoy eating this way and living a healthy and ethical lifestyle. Also, I’d have to disagree with you that “cookies with butter taste better.” That’s a very closeminded statement, and the very best cookies I’ve ever eaten in my life contained not a drop of butter.
You’ve got me on the “taste better.” I’ve had vegan cookies that were delicious,too. I read this blog because it interests me and I do think that Katie posts quite creative recipes. I rarely comment, but this post just bothered me for some reason. Like I said, I’m not going to keep posting comments that are negative.
I agree!!! Way to go, Observer!
Wow! It’s true! The blogging world can be so supportive and helpful one moment, and so hurtful and inconsiderate the next! I happen to love your blog, and visit almost daily. I admire your dedication to posting delicious recipes that everyone can enjoy. I’ve had my share of food/calorie obsession but you have recently been inspired by your recipes and the paleo community to focus on the nutrition of food, rather than their calories! YOU GO GIRL!
Katie,
What do you use one top of so many of your drinks and desserts that looks like whipped cream?
It looks so good!
Depends on the recipe. Sometimes it’s my coconut whipped cream recipe, sometimes it’s Soyatoo, and sometimes it’s homemade vegan ice cream!
if you’re interested in the discussion about food science/nutrition science, you may want to read the link below my comment. thanks for all you do, katie, i appreciate it.
i love your site and what you stand for. i’m very much a fan of your recipes. i couldn’t help but comment on this post because i tend to take issue when people try to dogmatize what things are healthy and not, and what the value of a calorie is, when the reality of it is that people claim to know a lot more than they know. (yes, even scientists)! i just wanted to share some friendly perspective to talk about the other side of the coin.
basically, i am a little concerned that we talk so much about what is healthy and what is less healthy when the truth of it is, the field of nutrition is quite on shaky grounds aside from the obvious junk food is bad, real foods are good. you might want to read this, since you do tend to discuss calories a lot. while we tend to use whole foods in our daily cooking/baking, i believe that some are better for us than others- namely, protein-containing items are ‘better’ than grains, even if they are whole, because grains/carbohydrates break down to become sugars, and to our body, it is essentially sugar. take, for instance, the single fact that many people in this country are essentially allergic to gluten-containing grains. it might be a clue as to how humans were never meant to be consuming such high amounts of grains/sugars in the first place. probably as many people have gone paleo or primal as have gone vegan- two vast extremes, and they won’t eat grains either. now, i know your views on meat for instance would differ from mine, but saying that grains and alternative sugars are a healthy foods (though, yes, they are healthIER than their alternatives, they still remain grains that lead to weight gain and obesity at extreme) has its risks, and maybe it’d be better to take the daily conversation away from just why something is healthy, or measurably healthier than something else, when we don’t really know. i’m advocating for just doing what we do, in our case, experimental baking- vegan/gluten free/paleo, what have you, point blank without having to give rhyme and reason for it. if you’re going to cook with grains, it might be better to just do it without attempting to justify it or their healthful properties, not that you exactly do this, rather than say it’s healthy when it’s actually thought not to be by many people. the purpose of my post is just to bring awareness to thinking about why we even talk about these issues in the first place, and how ridiculous it is that we put so much stress on ourselves when we know so little, really. thanks again.
http://waroninsulin.com/nutrition/do-calories-matter?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=do-calories-matter
Thanks, Gina. I’ll have to read the link. I agree with you that so much of science–and nutrition–is subjective. For instance, I always laugh about the coffee debate. One day, it’s bad for you. The next, it wards off Alzheimer’s. Then it’s bad for pregnant women… in ten years, who knows what they’ll say!
I think the BIGGEST thing we can do is eat what our bodies truly crave and not stress out so much. Unlike specific foods, stress HAS been proven over and over again as a huge detriment to physical health.
Gina, your comment about grains/sugars and the way our body processes them is interesting to me. The genetically modified wheat we have today is in no way beneficial to our bodies, especially when raped of the bran/germ/endosperm and produced with quick-rising yeasts. Buying organic grains, and using sprouted/soaked grains partially “digests” it, so it hits a lot lower on the GI scale than a white-flour product. Also, using natural sourdough breaks down the proteins in the grain in the same way. If this stuff interests you, you might want to pick up some of Dr. Weil’s books (he’s the dude that looks like Kris Kringle). His viewpoint is much like yours, in the sense that foods are neither “healthy” or “not healthy”, but some are definitely more beneficial to us than others, provided they are in their most natural state possible, properly prepared, and in the right balance. Cheers!
Great post..all about being healthy!! 🙂
It’s so true that everyone is so different. You’re amazing Katie! Don’t let anyone bring you down 😉
And please never change your blog to satisfy the nay-sayers! My boyfriend, family, & I have all happily devoured many of your recipes, including:
Deep Dish Cookie Pie (at least 6 times)
Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Cookie Dough Dip
Fudge Daddies
Peanut Butter & Jam Blondies
Buttery Berry Crumble Bars
Blueberry Pancakes
…shall I go on? lol. Everything has been amazing! *hug* xoxo
Well, I’m one of those that doesn’t believe in a “low calorie” diet. That being said, I’ve been about 10 pounds overweight for a LOOOoong time. I clearly haven’t adjusted the amount my body needs from the high school days. I’m trying to learn to stick even to what I need to maintain (and exercise the rest off) and it’s really hard! I will maintain, though, that I still don’t like “low calorie” foods and what I mean by that is food that has been messed with to make it low calorie. I much rather eat less of the real version.
….At least that’s what we’re working on. 😉
I’m 5’1 and I try eat between 1000 and 1200 calories a day. Note I say try because there are days where I go up to 1500 calories and even 2000 calories on my really bad days. I’m trying to lose weight because I’m currently 62.4kg and I want to get down to 53kg.
I use an Excel spreadsheet to montior my daily weigh ins and calorie intake.
I’m 5’1 and I try eat between 1000 and 1200 calories a day. I say try because there are days where I go up to 1500 calories and even 2000 calories on my really bad days. I’m trying to lose weight because I’m currently 62.4kg and I want to get down to 53kg.
I use an Excel spreadsheet to montior my daily weigh ins and calorie intake.