Cooking Together With Friends
  • Home
    • The "Best Ever" Dinner Party!
    • Structuring the Evening
    • Rafting Food
    • Diane & Jerry's Socially Distanced Thanksgiving
    • A Gregory Virtual Food Event
    • GAND Virtual Event
    • The Joy of Meals with Friends
    • Expeimenting with new recipes
    • Fat Tuscan - Cooking Class
    • A New Style Church Dinner
    • Camp Cooking
    • Sushi Feast
    • The Young Cook >
      • Willow
      • Ryan - A Talented Cook >
        • Ryan's Menu
        • Sausage and Potatoes, Onions, and Peppers
        • Lemon Bars
      • Veronica
  • Menus
    • Menu #1 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 1
      • Warm Spinach Salad
      • Pasta alla Puttanesca
      • Peach and Blueberry Crisp
    • Menu #2 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 2
      • Risotto with Peas
      • Chicken Saltimbocca
      • Tiramisu
    • Menu #3 >
      • Shopping list - Menu 3
      • Broccoli & Squash Soup
      • Salmon en Papillote
      • Creamy Brandied Cherries
    • Menu #4 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 4
      • Salad with Greens and Stawberries
      • Paella
      • Pineapple Coconut Crumble
    • Menu #5 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 5
      • Citrus Avocado Lettuce Salad
      • Shrimp with Feta and Orzo
      • Pears with Raspberry Sauce
    • Menu #6 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 6
      • Fennel and Orange Salad
      • Moroccan Turkey Stew
      • Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
    • Menu #7 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 7
      • Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
      • Chicken with Goat Cheese
      • DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
    • Menu # 8 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 9
      • Green Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese
      • Orange-Raisin Chicken with Toasted Cashews
      • Nutty Brownies
    • Menu # 9 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 9
      • Green Waldorf Salad
      • Baked Fish with Ripe Olives and Feta
      • Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
    • Menu #10 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 10
      • Squash Mushroom Soup
      • Quinoa Salad
      • Banana Strawberry Frozen Dessert
  • Recipes
    • Salads >
      • Fennel and Orange Salad
      • Caramelized Shallot Salad
      • Green Waldorf Salad
      • Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
      • Green Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese
      • Salad with Greens and Stawberries
      • Warm Spinach Salad
      • Hurricane Salade Niçoise
      • Saautéed Spinach with Almonds & Raisins
      • Tossed Salad with Marinated Apple Slices
      • Citrus Avocado Lettuce Salad
    • Vegetables & Legumes >
      • Roasted Potatoes, Beans, and Mustard Dressing
      • Cauliflower, Chickpeas, Curry, and Quinoa
      • Curried Lentil Stew & Sweet Potatoes
      • Black beans and Corn
      • Pasta Primavera
      • Brandied Winter Squash
      • Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese
      • Cuban Black Beans
      • Asian Broccoli Salad with Peanut sauce
      • Balsamic Root Vegetables
      • Chickpea and Potato Stew
      • Brussels Sprouts
      • Spinach, Mushrooms, and Red Peppers
      • Sautéed Rainbow Chard
    • Grains & Potatoes >
      • The Best Sweet Potaoto Wedges
      • Sweet Potato Salad
      • Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito
      • Roasted Turnips
      • Quinoa Primavera
      • Quinoa Salad
      • Pesto Bruschetta
      • Les Trois Pommes
      • Fruit and Nut Tabouli
      • Risotto with Peas
      • Fruit and Nut Tabouli
    • Tofu & Eggs >
      • Sautéed Tofu with Broccoli in Chili-Orange Sauce
      • Impossible Quiche
      • Savory custard
      • Tofu and Bacon Vegetable Bake
      • Tofu & Pepper Stir-fry
    • Soup >
      • Chicken Soup
      • Potato and White Bean Puttanesca Soup
      • Squash & Mushroom Soup
      • Parsnip Soup with Walnut Pesto
      • Corn Chowder
      • Miso Soup
      • Blue Zones Longevity Soup
      • Lemony Shrimp & Bean Soup
      • Turnip Soup
      • Turkey Mushroom Rice Soup
      • Pear & Carrot Soup
      • Broccoli & Squash Soup
      • Lentil Soup
      • Hearty Vegetable Soup
      • Onion Soup
      • Squash Mushroom Soup
      • Avocado Cucumber Soup
    • Seafood >
      • Shrimp with Feta and Orzo
      • Sesame Stir-Fry Shrimp and Spinach
      • Shrimp, tomatoes, and feta
      • Flavorful Shrimp
      • Scallop, Shrimp Risotto
      • Paella
      • Fish with Pesto
      • Salmon en Papillote
      • Fish with Lemon Garlic Sauce
      • Pecan Crunch Salmon
      • Pasta alla Puttanesca
      • Willow's Tuna Cakes
      • Baked Fish with Ripe Olives and Feta
      • A Great Lobster Roll
      • Fish with a Nut & Mustard Crust
    • Meat & Poultry >
      • Nach Waxman's Brisket
      • Shepherd's Pie >
        • Shopping List - Shepherds Pie
      • Texas Chili
      • Oven Baked Mini Meatballs
      • Pork Tenderloin with Mustard & Maple Syrup
      • Herb & Garlic Pork Tenderloin
      • Mustard Maple Pork Tenderloin
      • Crispy Chicken Parmesan
      • Chicken Veronique
      • Chicken, Apricots, Sweet Potatoes, & Prunes
      • Orange-Raisin Chicken with Toasted Cashews
      • Hurricane Chicken Salad
      • Chicken with Goat Cheese
      • Chicken Saltimbocca
      • Penney's Chicken
      • Chicken Stir-fry
      • Moroccan Turkey Stew
      • Sweet Potato, Turkey, & Peanut Stew
    • Sweets & Breads >
      • Baked Alaska
      • Banana Strawberry Frozen Dessert
      • Tiramisu
      • Sally's Strawberry Pie
      • Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Bread
      • Ryan's Cranberry Sauce
      • Chocolate Prune Cake
      • Pear & Custard Dessert
      • Chocolate Yogurt Pavlova
      • Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
      • Peach and Blueberry Crisp
      • Banana-Walnut Souffle >
        • Shopping list - Banana Souffle
      • Powerful Bran Muffins
      • Easy Graham Crust Cheesecake
      • Pineapple Coconut Crumble
      • Orange Walnut Torte
      • Nuts - 2 Ways
      • Stollen
      • Creamy Brandied Cherries
      • Upside Down Apple Bacon Pancake
      • Peanut Butter, Chocolate, & Cherries Protein Bars
      • Roasted Chickpeas
      • Pears with Raspberry Sauce
      • Cherry Pistachio Topping
      • Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
      • Flan - Traditional Cuban Custard
      • DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
      • Nutty Brownies
      • Boozy Strawberries
      • Snack Bars with Almonds, Oats, & Pretzels
  • Your Ideas
    • Kosher Foods
    • Ashima's Tasty Cuisine
    • Jessica's Garden >
      • Jessica's Recipes
    • Debra's Salmon "En Papilote"
    • Renee's Plant-Based Cooking
    • Maureen & the Air Fryer
    • Becky's Creative Dishes
    • Ohan's Perfect Steak
    • Jennifer's Dishes
    • Myra's Recipes >
      • Lentil Soup - Egyptian
    • Ron's Sweet Potato
    • Sallie's Quinoa Salad
    • Ezra, the cook
    • Ezra Shrimp Bahn Mi
    • Ron & Brenda's Puttanesca on Coucous >
      • Roasted Asparagus with Mustard Sauce
      • Ron's Terrific Rhubarb Cake
    • Julie's Crunchy Cheese Snack
    • Turkish Eggplant and Beef
  • Blog
  • Chickpea Blondies
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Isn't a calorie a calorie?

4/11/2019

0 Comments

 
I've been a dietitian for many years and counseled numerous clients successfully  about weight loss.  The diets I have recommended to my clients include the nutrient dense foods consistent with optimal health.  But I have also emphasized how important the calorie content of the food is. Peter Wilson’s article in the April/May 2019 journal, The Economist, entitled "Is the Calorie Dead?”,  has made me rethink this emphasis.  The author claims that "Counting calories has disrupted our ability to eat the right amount of food … and has steered us towards poor choices."  He also praises Weight Watchers for switching to a point system that is biased toward healthier choices.
     As I looked further into the calorie question, I found an article by Cynthia Graber, an award-winning science journalist.  She was reporting on the work done at the FDA’s Human Nutrition Center.  In very carefully monitored human experiments researchers have found that the calories humans get from various foods are not what is normally reported; for example, the calories the human body can extract from nuts, particularly raw nuts, are much lower than normally stated and the calories from many highly processed food are often higher. 
     The science of nutrition continues to evolve, but the way calories are counted is very outdated, producing many numbers that are merely gross estimates.   So what can be done?  Graber found that many of the scientists were coming up with intricate ways of calculating how individuals uniquely metabolize their food, but, of course, few people have access to this kind of careful monitoring.     But what if each individual could learn to recognize when his or her body feels full so that the amount of nuts they eat will not depend on the calorie number? That number, we now know, is not wholly accurate anyway.  It appears that what we can learn from the high-tech examination of calories is that we need to pay attention to what our body is telling us, rather than relying on external information.  We need to realize that each one of us can learn to recognize how much we need to eat by mindful observation.
​     
Unfortunately, our scientific examination of this issue prevents us from seeing  food as the pleasure it should be and as the wonderful lubricant of social interaction.  Cooking and eating good food with friends can help us reclaim our balance.  Check out a menu on this website, invite some friends, enjoy the food and the company.  By cooking food together, you'll appreciate the food thoroughly with less need to overeat.  You'll be avoiding the expense and also the extra sodium, fat, and calories that are often part of restaurant fare.  Learning to enjoy good food will help you avoid overeating without the need to concentrate on calories.     
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#stonesoupblog, #souffles, #soupuniversity
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Leave a Reply.

       Tricia Gregory,               MA,RD/N

     A dietitian who is a foodie and loves a great dinner party with wonderful food and terrific friends.

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  • Home
    • The "Best Ever" Dinner Party!
    • Structuring the Evening
    • Rafting Food
    • Diane & Jerry's Socially Distanced Thanksgiving
    • A Gregory Virtual Food Event
    • GAND Virtual Event
    • The Joy of Meals with Friends
    • Expeimenting with new recipes
    • Fat Tuscan - Cooking Class
    • A New Style Church Dinner
    • Camp Cooking
    • Sushi Feast
    • The Young Cook >
      • Willow
      • Ryan - A Talented Cook >
        • Ryan's Menu
        • Sausage and Potatoes, Onions, and Peppers
        • Lemon Bars
      • Veronica
  • Menus
    • Menu #1 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 1
      • Warm Spinach Salad
      • Pasta alla Puttanesca
      • Peach and Blueberry Crisp
    • Menu #2 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 2
      • Risotto with Peas
      • Chicken Saltimbocca
      • Tiramisu
    • Menu #3 >
      • Shopping list - Menu 3
      • Broccoli & Squash Soup
      • Salmon en Papillote
      • Creamy Brandied Cherries
    • Menu #4 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 4
      • Salad with Greens and Stawberries
      • Paella
      • Pineapple Coconut Crumble
    • Menu #5 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 5
      • Citrus Avocado Lettuce Salad
      • Shrimp with Feta and Orzo
      • Pears with Raspberry Sauce
    • Menu #6 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 6
      • Fennel and Orange Salad
      • Moroccan Turkey Stew
      • Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
    • Menu #7 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 7
      • Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
      • Chicken with Goat Cheese
      • DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
    • Menu # 8 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 9
      • Green Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese
      • Orange-Raisin Chicken with Toasted Cashews
      • Nutty Brownies
    • Menu # 9 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 9
      • Green Waldorf Salad
      • Baked Fish with Ripe Olives and Feta
      • Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
    • Menu #10 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 10
      • Squash Mushroom Soup
      • Quinoa Salad
      • Banana Strawberry Frozen Dessert
  • Recipes
    • Salads >
      • Fennel and Orange Salad
      • Caramelized Shallot Salad
      • Green Waldorf Salad
      • Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
      • Green Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese
      • Salad with Greens and Stawberries
      • Warm Spinach Salad
      • Hurricane Salade Niçoise
      • Saautéed Spinach with Almonds & Raisins
      • Tossed Salad with Marinated Apple Slices
      • Citrus Avocado Lettuce Salad
    • Vegetables & Legumes >
      • Roasted Potatoes, Beans, and Mustard Dressing
      • Cauliflower, Chickpeas, Curry, and Quinoa
      • Curried Lentil Stew & Sweet Potatoes
      • Black beans and Corn
      • Pasta Primavera
      • Brandied Winter Squash
      • Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese
      • Cuban Black Beans
      • Asian Broccoli Salad with Peanut sauce
      • Balsamic Root Vegetables
      • Chickpea and Potato Stew
      • Brussels Sprouts
      • Spinach, Mushrooms, and Red Peppers
      • Sautéed Rainbow Chard
    • Grains & Potatoes >
      • The Best Sweet Potaoto Wedges
      • Sweet Potato Salad
      • Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito
      • Roasted Turnips
      • Quinoa Primavera
      • Quinoa Salad
      • Pesto Bruschetta
      • Les Trois Pommes
      • Fruit and Nut Tabouli
      • Risotto with Peas
      • Fruit and Nut Tabouli
    • Tofu & Eggs >
      • Sautéed Tofu with Broccoli in Chili-Orange Sauce
      • Impossible Quiche
      • Savory custard
      • Tofu and Bacon Vegetable Bake
      • Tofu & Pepper Stir-fry
    • Soup >
      • Chicken Soup
      • Potato and White Bean Puttanesca Soup
      • Squash & Mushroom Soup
      • Parsnip Soup with Walnut Pesto
      • Corn Chowder
      • Miso Soup
      • Blue Zones Longevity Soup
      • Lemony Shrimp & Bean Soup
      • Turnip Soup
      • Turkey Mushroom Rice Soup
      • Pear & Carrot Soup
      • Broccoli & Squash Soup
      • Lentil Soup
      • Hearty Vegetable Soup
      • Onion Soup
      • Squash Mushroom Soup
      • Avocado Cucumber Soup
    • Seafood >
      • Shrimp with Feta and Orzo
      • Sesame Stir-Fry Shrimp and Spinach
      • Shrimp, tomatoes, and feta
      • Flavorful Shrimp
      • Scallop, Shrimp Risotto
      • Paella
      • Fish with Pesto
      • Salmon en Papillote
      • Fish with Lemon Garlic Sauce
      • Pecan Crunch Salmon
      • Pasta alla Puttanesca
      • Willow's Tuna Cakes
      • Baked Fish with Ripe Olives and Feta
      • A Great Lobster Roll
      • Fish with a Nut & Mustard Crust
    • Meat & Poultry >
      • Nach Waxman's Brisket
      • Shepherd's Pie >
        • Shopping List - Shepherds Pie
      • Texas Chili
      • Oven Baked Mini Meatballs
      • Pork Tenderloin with Mustard & Maple Syrup
      • Herb & Garlic Pork Tenderloin
      • Mustard Maple Pork Tenderloin
      • Crispy Chicken Parmesan
      • Chicken Veronique
      • Chicken, Apricots, Sweet Potatoes, & Prunes
      • Orange-Raisin Chicken with Toasted Cashews
      • Hurricane Chicken Salad
      • Chicken with Goat Cheese
      • Chicken Saltimbocca
      • Penney's Chicken
      • Chicken Stir-fry
      • Moroccan Turkey Stew
      • Sweet Potato, Turkey, & Peanut Stew
    • Sweets & Breads >
      • Baked Alaska
      • Banana Strawberry Frozen Dessert
      • Tiramisu
      • Sally's Strawberry Pie
      • Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Bread
      • Ryan's Cranberry Sauce
      • Chocolate Prune Cake
      • Pear & Custard Dessert
      • Chocolate Yogurt Pavlova
      • Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
      • Peach and Blueberry Crisp
      • Banana-Walnut Souffle >
        • Shopping list - Banana Souffle
      • Powerful Bran Muffins
      • Easy Graham Crust Cheesecake
      • Pineapple Coconut Crumble
      • Orange Walnut Torte
      • Nuts - 2 Ways
      • Stollen
      • Creamy Brandied Cherries
      • Upside Down Apple Bacon Pancake
      • Peanut Butter, Chocolate, & Cherries Protein Bars
      • Roasted Chickpeas
      • Pears with Raspberry Sauce
      • Cherry Pistachio Topping
      • Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
      • Flan - Traditional Cuban Custard
      • DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
      • Nutty Brownies
      • Boozy Strawberries
      • Snack Bars with Almonds, Oats, & Pretzels
  • Your Ideas
    • Kosher Foods
    • Ashima's Tasty Cuisine
    • Jessica's Garden >
      • Jessica's Recipes
    • Debra's Salmon "En Papilote"
    • Renee's Plant-Based Cooking
    • Maureen & the Air Fryer
    • Becky's Creative Dishes
    • Ohan's Perfect Steak
    • Jennifer's Dishes
    • Myra's Recipes >
      • Lentil Soup - Egyptian
    • Ron's Sweet Potato
    • Sallie's Quinoa Salad
    • Ezra, the cook
    • Ezra Shrimp Bahn Mi
    • Ron & Brenda's Puttanesca on Coucous >
      • Roasted Asparagus with Mustard Sauce
      • Ron's Terrific Rhubarb Cake
    • Julie's Crunchy Cheese Snack
    • Turkish Eggplant and Beef
  • Blog
  • Chickpea Blondies