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.
This post was so well-written and kind and wonderful. Oh Katie, you continue to amaze me every day.
Also, I voted for you here: http://thekitchn.com/best-recipe-blog-nominations-the-homies-2012-166621
If anyone else sees this, go vote for Katie! It’d be awesome to get a healthy blog up there as a winner! 🙂
Ah.. story of my life since I got into college. When I was in high school, I was a wee bit plump at about 135-140 pounds at 5’4″. When I got into college, I did a study abroad to Japan, during which I dropped about 15 pounds, and when I got back I got much more seriously into exercise. The end result was that I was about 105-110 pounds. Then a bunch of endocrine nonsense that had me fluctuating up and down 15 pounds between 105 and 120, plus I haven’t had my period in like… lord, probably at least a year and a half now.
How many calories I eat/should eat consumes a regrettable amount of my brain power. I run, not quite as much as you, Katie, but more than I have before. 7ish miles, 5 days a week, plus some strength training. I’ve been dropping weight as of late, too. It’s so very complicated and my endo just says, “Eat more.” Gee thanks, so helpful. Sigh. Eating breakfast is an issue. I used to eat it at my desk at work. I don’t have time to eat it at home after my run (I’m a slow runner). Then my boss was like, “You don’t see other people eating breakfast at their desks do you?” So I had to stop. That doesn’t help.
I remember you posting once about what your general diet ends up being calorie-wise, somewhere between 2500-3000 calories a day. I will fully admit that I am scared of trying to eat that much, even though my body tells me that I need more energy (see missing period). I’m wary of gaining a lot of weight as much as the next girl. I suppose I should suck it up and just do it though. Thanks for the tips though, Katie! I need to get around to making that chocolate mousse pie.
I’ve always been one of those people who can eat a lot of chocolate, cookies etc and still remain petite. I’ve also had to endure rude comments (or what people consider jokes) about it , such as, “where do you put all that food?”
I get annoyed by this from time to time but I continue to listen to my own body and it’s needs and continue to supplement my vegetable stirfries with cake. This is my body and my life and I won’t change it for anyone.
Ps, I am going to Japan in April and would love any suggestions you have about interesting eats to try.
Lucky!
I haven’t been in awhile (6 years? 7?) so I don’t know any specific restaurants… but Inari sushi is always good. And soba and miso soup… but watch out for the broth if you’re vegetarian, because Japanese broths almost always have bonito (fish). I’ve heard that they have some really good vegetarian restaurants there now, though. Look at happycow.com! 🙂
Inarizushi is possibly my favorite! Udon noodles are excellent too. But Katie is right about the “dashi”, or fish broth. Actually, it’s usually in inarizushi too, as it goes into the soaking liquid for the fried tofu skins, and traditionally also into the boiling water for the sushi rice. It is AMAZINGLY hard to be strictly vegan in Japan!
I was born and raised as a vegetarian (not vegan) in Japan so it’s home for me, and the food is the BEST!! April’s a great time of year to go; hopefully you’ll catch the cherry blossom season! Don’t know where in Japan you’re going but definitely try to see (or even take part in) a traditional tea ceremony–both the tea and the sweets they give with it are usually vegan! Also, try “okonomiyaki”–it’s a Japanese omelet/pizza hybrid but in many places they can make it without the egg. And agreed, inarizushi, udon, soba, all are awesome but be careful of the broth. Funny, it’s not so bad being vegetarian over there but I never realized that being vegan could be really difficult! Have an amazing time, I’m very jealous you get to go!
I can’t wait to see the cherry blossoms – minus the throngs of tourists in April. And I will certainly look out for okonomiyaki.
Sakura! Oh now I am jealous too. You’re in for such a treat :).
thanks, I look forward to slurping soba noodles on the streets
I usually don’t comment on this blog (simply because I don’t have time) but I tweeted with Katie once, which was a very pleasurable cyber conversation, thanks 🙂
Anyhow, I’m going to share my impressions due to the ongoing controversial about Katie’s skinny self and I feel part of this internet community, so I give it a go…
When I first stumbled across Katie’s blog I was very confused. I had just finally come to a point where I “dared” to become fully vegan despite the social insecurities I was facing by making this decision. I was looking for recipes I could handle and ideally convince some of my skeptical family members and some friends that vegan food could be delicious (what else can be better than desserts??!!). Seeing a vegan food blog not tightly intertwined with animal rights/ animal suffering but mentioning CALORIES was a huge gigantic puzzle to me and something I hadn’t seen before… plus, the current post was about a savory dish and Katie raved over how much she passionately loved vegetables and then I saw the chop sticks (!!) beside her plate and her extremely skinny figure in the next post. I immediately got a gut feeling and thought that this might be a meeting point for anorexics. I was interested to know if this was the case, simply because I wanted to know if the web-side was trustworthy. After all, I was looking for recipes that would later end up on my plate and my loved ones’ plates, too! So, I could easily see how one could get concerned about this issue but when I looked at the ingredients lists I was actually HAPPY to have found someone who shared the same philosophy on health-giving foods and I loved the recipe ideas Katie has created – simply to make and affordable, yet totally satisfying! Yay 🙂
I could never have the self-discipline that Katie has (e.g. lifting weights because it’s good for one’s posture – may I suggest ballet instead?! It’s a lot fun and it’s awakening every dormant muscle in your entire body, big or small!) nor do I ever endorse portion size control. I have the feeling that Katie does this only to please her readers, as she often forgets to add a calorie counter or says that it’s useless in this case… maybe she’s merely to blame for giving in to her weird readers’ demands too much, ha ha! 😉
As a personal anecdote, I have always been “boringly” normal weight and continue to this date even though I’ve been through major dietary changes (childhood and school-eating, long-term travel-eating, only eating out- eating, processed-food eating, healthy eating, etc.) and almost always eat more than others at any given meal… but I also have my problems such as sluggishness and a mild form of acne that lasts for well over 13 years. Beside my despair of animal cruelty and the havoc that animal products cause to our system, I have secretly hoped that the complete vegan diet could make these personal worries of mine go away – but it wasn’t until my recent caffeine and sugar lent that I started to experience tangible results. I am so relieved to am finally overcoming my issues! Yes, you can call me a mostly sugar-free, mostly caffeine-free vegan but if you saw me you wouldn’t guess, I betcha!!
This shows once again that what you put into your mouth (and a decent mental disposition) is all that matters and some people might seem extreme in the eyes of the general population. After all, the opinion of the majority determines what is “normal” (hence, a mean value), not what is actually right or best.
When the concept of calories was created it was never meant for being applicable for an individual but for populations only. The whole concept does not work for YOU, no matter who you are!! Please read this and throw your calorie counter out the window, would you?! Forget about the calories and start caring about our planet and how to eat real foods from nature! It’ll pay off, promised!!
Dear Katie, you got it! I enjoy the recipes in this blog and how it is so nicely written. Go Katie, go!! 🙂
Best, Sam xx
OMG, I really should comment more to practice how to write a comment, duh!
What I meant is:
1) Having a first impression is just human nature but we need to follow through each case before forming an opinion! I had similar doubts to others at the very beginning but I am genuinely fond of our Katie, now that I’ve read more!! Keep shining and smiling, lady 🙂
2) Dear readers, please don’t waste your time counting calories! Get in tune with your own body and try to dissolve thinking patterns that keep you locked in. Have a little faith in yourself!
P.S.: Yesterday, I have tried to eat my Indian curry with chop sticks and even though my mouth expected “Asian” foods at first it was quite fun!! Will continue doing that, thanks for the suggestion, Katie 🙂
Much much love, Sam xx
Thank you for your honesty, Sam! I really do appreciate it when people are brave enough to leave such honest comments!
And lol about the weight-lifting thing… I don’t even know if you can call what I do a “routine.” It’s more like lifting a few weights 2-3 times a week. If anyone’d been teased as much as I have for my skinny arms, they’d find the motivation to lift weights :-?.
Good luck with the chopstick challenge ;).
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Thank you so much, Katie!! You got exactly what I was trying to say, which shows you are truly open-minded! Next time I’m gonna come to the States I invite you for a big vegan milk shake and a piece of fruit-sweetened cake – standing up for what we believe in is so sexy, we’re gonna be a big hit, ha ha!! 😉
Yes, I can easily see where your motivation is coming from: It’s a nuisance to be pointed out the same ol’ thing over and over again…
with me, (un)fortunately, laziness successfully prevents me from doing things I don’t enjoy, argh!
Had my salad with chopsticks, too! It’s so much fun and I can think of worse side-effects than getting inspired to make more great Asian dishes… 🙂
Have a wonderful week-end, hon xxx
Coming from someone who has had multiple eating disorders (me), I know that there’s no way you have one. You enjoy food in a very healthy way and I can definitely tell by your posts! From what I see, you know what’s best for you and how to take care of your body. Posts like that just seem ignorant to me because they don’t have the slightest idea of what you eat or do.
Love your blog so much. 🙂
I have a single lady cookie almost every day…with white chocolate chips and coconut. 😀
I’ve never had a problem eating too little, I have the exact opposite problem, so I really dig lower calorie options as I strive to reduce my intake and still enjoy my eats. Soneti es I eat high cal, sometimes lower or I do IF. I like to change things up, so I naturally calorie cycle. It works well for me. I lost 80 lbs so far doing it this way. 🙂
I eat low calorie but I try not to count calories… if that makes sense. I just try to eat low calorie density, fibrous, low-sugar foods. I have polycystic ovary syndrome, which means that I gain weight really easily and have to keep my sugars low. I also eat gluten free because there is a decent amount of evidence of a correlation between PCOS and celiac, even though I’ve never been formally tested. I love your blog, for the fact that most of your recipes address all of these and for the fact you help show people any substitutions that can be made. I’m a huge believer that confidence in the kitchen goes a long way!
I never thought there was anything wrong with how/what you ate…till I read that you are eating 100% baking chips. Like you mean the unsweetened ones? If so ewwwwww! If not then put this an anon 🙂
lol yeah… they’re good! They really are!!
Ok, I know. I’m weird.
You rock. My caloric needs are extremely low, and it is frustrating because I can’t enjoy eating the foods I like, or as much as I like, often enough. It is hard to imagine the opposite situation! Good for you for understanding ALL needs!
xx
Katie,
I honestly believe that you are one of the most genuine, sweetest, amazing girls. It breaks my heart to read the disrespectful comments of individuals who don’t even follow your blog…how would they know you at all just by reading that one post? And to take the time to leave a disrespectful comment like that… It’s truly sad to know that there are people in this world like that. Of course, life is not all about rainbows and butterflies, but when I read your blog posts I really feel like that. I think your blog is incredibly innovative and empowering. I look forward to reading it every morning that I check my email. I guess I just want you to know that your blog is fantastic, you are awesome, and don’t let the bumps in the road prevent you from moving ahead.