Should Calories Count?

Welcome back to our podcast, in this episode we discuss if counting calories is helpful in achieving our health goals. We talk through both the benefits of counting calories but also the potential pitfalls of this popular ‘diet’. There is a lot to discuss and we are aware that we cannot cover everything in this episode, also, please see our references below for any further reading. If you would like to go to a particular section, please click on the time stamp below: 00:03 - Introduction 01:19 - What is a calorie? 02:01 - Food is more than just calories 02:42 - Why did Jess count calories? 04:05 - Where there more benefits for Jess counting calories? 06:08- Has calorie counting created a negative relationship with Jess’s food habits? 08:30 - What are the benefits to calorie counting? 10:16 - What are the negatives to calorie counting? 11:48 - Are calculated calories accurate? 15:15 - Do we count calories for health or aesthetics? 17:15 - Does calorie counting have longevity? 18:25 - Social media’s ‘healthy meal alternative’ trend 20:15 - What should you do if you currently count calories? 23:25 - Do you now look at food differently? 24:50 - How do you deal with not focussing on calories? 26:01 - What is our overall opinion on calorie counting? 30:25 - Can you bank calories? 32:05 - Summary Here is our podcast link: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kJoyk0uY8u1H8CmgNDWzo?si=JF4_mY8oSES520KcOaHwhA Sign up to our newsletter and stay up to date with how we personally apply the science to enhance our lifestyle: https://mailchi.mp/c15c44eee6a0/thechemistcouplepodcast You can also watch this podcast episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAf1zFQF4_dyVG4z8DD0_3Q  As always, this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used in substitute to seeing a healthcare professional. Any questions, please reach out to us and thanks for listening! Here is a list of the sources that we used to make this podcast: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3396444/#bib2 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7946062/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3405064/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calorie-labelling-in-the-out-of-home-sector/calorie-labelling-in-the-out-of-home-sector-implementation-guidance Guyton & Hall Medical Physiology 14th edition- general physiology overview Rang & Dale’s Pharmacology 10th edition - general pharmacological overview