Is a Calorie Just a Calorie?

Is a calorie a calorie no matter what form it comes in?  I used to believe to lose weight, one just had to eat less calories. It's a simple formula, right? 

 Calories in < Calories out = Weight loss

Calories in > Calories out = Weight gain

Calories in = Calories out = Weight stable

This is what I was taught in medical school, as well as in undergrad for my nutritional science major.  Maybe differeing views were taught too, but this is what I had made up my mind to be already.  But is this the truth?  The answer is, well, kind of.  I was reminded today of an experiment/study that Coca-Cola did. They compared two calorie-equivalent diets, one with Coca-Cola products and one without.  At the end of the study, the groups had equivalent weight changes.  So, in a strictly experimental environment, where all calories one eats are controlled, yes equal calories equals the same results in weight change or stability.  But what about in the real world?  

 Coca-Cola's experiment is just simply muddying the waters when it comes to how people eat and drink in real life.  People don’t live in experimental cages.  We eat when we are hungry and stop when we are full.  It is the way we were designed!  And I don’t think we should be listening to Coca-Cola for weight loss advice!  Even those who drink diet soda have been found to consume more sweets than those who drink regular soda or water.  By the way, if you have fibromyalgia and use aspartame sweeteners (the same found in Coca-Cola and Equal) or drink it in diet soda, at least try cutting out the aspartame all the way for a period of time.  For some people it completely resolves their fibromyalgia.

 

I decided to put an example that I have heard Dr. Michael Gregor mention a few times on nutritionfacts.org and in one of his books.  The test is to drink 240 calories of Coca-Cola and then to compare that to eating 240 calories of carrots.  240 calories of Coke is 20 oz (591 mL), and based on the nutrition label on the carrots, 1 carrot is 78 grams and this equals 30 calories.  

So 624 grams of carrots (8 average carrots) equals 240 calories.  I knew the carrots would be more filling, but I just wanted to see the true difference for myself.

I later add an additional 54 grams of carrots to make up for the missing amount.  (I did the math of the 624 grams = 240 calories about halfway through the experiment).

The kids wanted to try out the experiment too, except they had 1 ¾ cup pineapple juice (also 240 calories) instead of Coke.  Only 1 of the 3 children who tried it, finished the carrots. 

While picking up the carrots & coke at the store, I saw this little sign on the soda fridge by the self-checkout.   Nice to see that the soda industry is so concerned about us making healthy choices! 

I made a few videos of the experience.  I need to edit them.  I will learn, but wanted to get this up today!   

 

It took 4 minutes and 33 seconds to drink the soda.  I let the soda empty out of my stomach for about an hour and a half.  I cut the carrots into small sticks.  It took me 1 hour and 28 minutes to eat the carrots.  It was 8 and half carrots to get the exact 624 grams.  I started feeling very full a little over halfway through the carrots.  I honestly didn't really want to finish them, but I did.  My stomach felt like it would burst (you should not try this if you have had bariatric surgery or a stomach ulcer), but in the name of science I did this for you and for the experience.  Somehow my daughter ate 8 carrots in 42 minutes!  I also would like to say there are tons of  retina-protecting pigments that only come from diet (orange and yellow vegetables, gogi berries, spinach and corn, just to name a few).  Your body uses these pigments (in the retinal pigment epithelium) to protect the back of your eye (the part that helps you see, the retina!) from the sun.  Without these pigments, your retina is exposed to the sun and can lead to blindness from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults.