Number Eating Syndrome - Eating Calories Instead Of Food
I recently spoke at the Crescent City Classic Health Expo in New Orleans, and I was amazed at how many people I talked to who still count calories instead of counting on their actual food choices.
Apparently, there is a considerable population who still suffer from N.E.S. also known as Number Eating Syndrome. I thoughtfully cover it in this new short video:
So which is it? Are calories important or not? Well, that depends on which century you were born.
Counting Calories In a Nutshell
I remember taking a Chemistry Lab in college where they taught us how to measure the caloric value of food. This is how:
1. Position the food (a peanut in our experiment) under a tube of water.
2. Light the food on fire and allow it to burn completely.
3. The calorie measurement is related to how many degrees the water temperature rises.
That’s it. There’s the calorie that you’re so worried about. After all, it’s clearly just like the little Bunsen burner in all of our stomachs (insert hint of sarcasm).
But in all fairness, it was the best way we could measure food energy in the 1800’s. But this was also prior to the advent of processed foods. Let’s fast forward a few centuries.
Calorie Abuse
One of the biggest challenges of processed foods is that the nutrients are stripped out. This is why you see processed flour (cereal and bread) and milk “fortified” with (synthetic) vitamins.
But the processed food manufacturers don’t want you to pay attention to their essentially “nutrient-dead” foods. Yeah, focus on the calories because they are easy to manipulate in the lab. Food labels don’t lie. Just drink Coke Zero and don’t worry about it.
Can’t See the (Nutrient) Forest for the (Calorie) Trees
The problem with calories is that they are entirely too 1-Dimensional and don’t tell the whole story beyond the food label. What else is in that nutrient rich forest of food?
What about that Calcium? Or Potassium? Or how about that Protein?
You see, this is where the magic really happens in your body: at the nutrient level. Your body is more than a Bunsen burner. It’s an incredibly complicated multidimensional lab experiment in which your body is always responding to the nutrients that you are feeding your body.
Your body needs those vitamin and nutrient resources to do more than create Bunsen burner energy in your body. You need them to make balanced hormones and neurotransmitters, for example, because erectile dysfunction and depression aren’t a good way to spend a Saturday night.
How To Measure Your Food Without Counting Calories
“So if I can’t count calories anymore, how do I measure how much and what to eat?” – Anonymous
This is how: Pay attention to your body’s reactions 1-2 hours after you eat. There are 4 specific diet-related symptoms that you experience if you eat the wrong snack or meal.
I teach what these 4 primary warning signs are and provide you with a downloadable tool below.
Fill out this form for special Members-Only access. It will completely change the way you see your food in a very common-sense approach.
Access it for free here:
To Good Health!
Posted by Brent Martin on |
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