Why it’s impossible to accurately count calories.

Why is there no truly accurate way to count calories? In this video, we take a look at the realities within the food industry and nutritional makeup of our food. This is meant to add some additional context to the diet culture obsession of counting calories and maybe you'll ask yourself "Is this really worth the time or effort?"

NDS Labels

1. listed on all packaged foods

2. The net weight on the label can be up to 20% different than the actual weight of the product

Tracking Apps for fresh produce

1. Foods are living organisms and therefore are always slightly different

1. The size and weight will vary

2. The nutrient makeup is variable

   1. An overripe fruit will be sweeter/have more sugar than an underripe fruit

   2. Fresh produce will have a varying amount of water in it

   3. Fiber is another nutrient that changes based on ripeness and growing conditions

How our bodies absorb nutrients and calories

1. The methods behind figuring out these reported number don’t accurately reflect what goes on in our bodies

   1. Our bodies are not closed systems. We don’t utilize 100% of the nutrients in all of the foods we eat.

   2. It depends on

      1. nutrients in the other foods and medications you are consuming

      2. your body’s hormones, environment, genetics

      3. Our bodies naturally adjust our metabolism

      4. Our body’s muscle mass has a huge impact on our metabolism

2. Even if a label or tracking app states that your body will absorb X calories from this food, it might not - because all of our bodies are different and our digestive systems are not constant

In conclusion, calorie counting is inaccurate and even worse, it’s relying on external information to dictate our food decisions instead of utilizing the internal cues that our bodies are designed to communicate with us. Food is living. Living things have beautiful diversity. We should honor the diversity and variability in our food and reject the notion that it’s complexity can be perfectly measured and applied to all people.