Education Lesson - A Calorie is NOT a Calorie

I am titling this one, "A Calorie is NOT a Calorie".
You know the old adage.
The problem is, it's NOT the truth.
If you choose to eat a 467-calorie Big Mac versus 467 calories of fruit (about 4 1/2 apples), do you really think your body sees those calories the exact same way?
You have to look at the profiles of the food, not just the calories.
For example: 4 1/2 apples contains 19.8 grams of dietary fiber, 112.5 grams of carbohydrates (primarily from fructose -- a simple carbohydrate that digests in your stomach in one quick step!), and only 1.35 grams of fat; whereas a Big Mac contains only 3.4 grams of dietary fiber (from the small amount of vegetables and the wheat from the bun), has 23 grams of fat and 42 carbohydrates (not simple). They are NOT apples to apples (no pun intended)!!!

Now, let's look at the nutrient profile of a Big Mac vs. apples. A Big Mac contains 30% carbs, a whopping 52% fat, and 18% protein. It has a completeness score of 32 on nutrient balance, and ZERO on the protein quality amino acid score.(http://nutritiondata.self.com/fac…/fast-foods-generic/8053/2); whereas, apples contain 95% simple carbohydrates, 3% fat, and 2% protein. They have a 32 completeness score and a 31 amino acid score for protein quality.

Food that is full of concentrated, processed fats is not going to do your body good. In fact, your body has to work harder to digest food that is low in nutrient value. High-nutrient whole plant foods are used by the body effortlessly, thus giving your body time to burn fat and perform other necessary functions.

This is the reason I never lost weight on Weight Watchers. I was allowed a certain amount of points, and even when I stayed within the points, my CHOICE of foods wrecked my chances of losing weight and keeping it off.

If you want to be healthy, you've got to put healthy food in your body. Don't concern yourself with calories. Concern yourself more with staying away from processed foods as much as possible and eating WAY less fat. Remember my lesson on determining the fat percentage in packaged foods?
Here's a reminder if you forgot or missed it!
https://www.facebook.com/mrsplantintexas/photos/a.182641408556118.1073741826.182634061890186/476399919180264/?type=1&theater