Page 50 - SFM sept 2019 copy 6.indd

Quantity or Quality?
By Hannah Boyl

What do you think is most important when it comes to what you’re eating and
trying to become healthier or lose weight? Is it the amount (quantity) of food
you’re eating? Or is it the type (quality) of food you consume?
In my opinion, it’s quality. When I work with clients, I tend to focus on quality of
diet changes before I adjust calories. When look at food quality I think, fruits
and vegetables, less processed, and higher nutrient density (basically more
bang for your buck when it comes to vitamins, minerals, and calories). Fruits and
vegetables have nutrients that support your metabolism. They also tend to have
more fiber, making you feel satisfied for a longer period of time. If I start a client
out by cutting calories and they’re still eating junk, they will most likely com-
plain to me that they’re still hungry. If I suggest adding one cup of vegetables to
each meal, they’ll get the nutrients, gain a good habit, and they may start eating
less on their own because they feel less hungry. By introducing changes to qual-
ity of food first, I tend to take care of both nutrient density and caloric intake
issues at the same time.

Now, does calorie counting and cutting calories work for weight loss? It defi-
nitely can! I’m not going to lie, you can most definitely overeat fruits and veg-
etables causing an excess in calories, though I find that is far more difficult than
overeating sweet or salty snacks. If you cut back your calories, you’re bound to
lose weight to a certain point. This can lead to the issue of undereating which is
a completely different problem and something I will cover in an article in the fu-
ture. Quantity of food can affect your body weight, which does have some effect
on health. However, there are more health benefits from eating a nutritious diet
(quality) along with weight loss versus just weight loss alone. This is another
reason why I encourage quality of food changes; most of us are looking for not
only weight loss, but healthier lifestyles as well.

I did want to add a note based on a study that I read recently. One way your
body burns calories is by breaking down/digesting the food you eat. This calo-
rie burn is small compared to what you use on a daily basis just to sustain life,
but it is calorie burn, nonetheless. In this study, processed foods burned FEWER
calories than whole foods giving greater net calories with processed foods. This
science is fairly new, but I will be interested to see where it goes!

What are you focusing on in your health journey quantity or quality?

50 • Sports Finest Magazine SEPT 2019 sportsfinestMagzine.com 989 545 0735 kelly@sportsfinestmagazine.com