Fat versus Carbs: Which Has More Calories?
The diet media barrages you with conflicting claims: Low fat diets are healthier; low carbohydrate diets promise quicker weight loss. How can you tell what to believe? Let’s take a look at each of these calorie-yielding nutrients a bit more closely.
Carbohydrates are found in foods that contain sugars or starches. When you eat sugars (like candy or fruit) and starches (like bread, pasta, cereal, rice, or potatoes) your body digests these into carbohydrates, which are a source of energy. No matter what you eat to get your carbs, each gram ends up giving your body 4 calories. Check a random food label to see how this relates to something you’re eating today: A can of soda has about 30 grams of carbohydrates and about 120 calories (4 calories from each gram); a slice of bread has about 15 grams of carbohydrates (plus a small amount of protein) to yield 60 calories from the carbs; a medium-sized baked potato has about 25 grams of carbohydrate which will provide you with 100 calories. To give you a better idea of what a gram actually is, look at a teaspoon of sugar; this weighs about 5 grams and provides just under 20 calories–technically, 16 calories (because the teaspoon is not packed with solid sugar, but there is a slight amount of water present as well).
How, then, do people consume so many calories from carbs? Take a look at a plate of pasta you would receive in a restaurant. There might be 4 cups of pasta heaped in a pile, served with a side of a basket of bread. A quick calculation shows that 3 slices of bread are providing you with 180 calories from carbs, while the eight servings of pasta you’re getting (if you don’t plan on taking home any leftovers) adds a quick 480 calories to your meal. This doesn’t count anything else in the pasta (oil, tomato sauce, or a protein like chicken), nor does it count a beverage or dessert or an appetizer or soup. Simply put, carbohydrates are easy to consume in large amounts and the calories add up quickly.
One reason low carbohydrate diets work so quickly is that they take away half of the food anyone normally eats, including sugars, starches, fruits, and milk!
What about a low fat diet? Would this cut out more calories? Well, a teaspoon of fat (like solid butter, margarine, or cooking oil) contains the same 5 grams in weight as a teaspoon of sugar, only fat provides 9 calories per gram–more than double what carbohydrates provide! So a teaspoon (or a pat) of butter has 45 calories. Check your food labels again and look for fats you add to your foods: sour cream adds 50 calories per tablespoon; cream cheese adds 50 calories per tablespoon; ranch dressing adds 75 calories per tablespoon. Now stop for a moment to think about what you add to your 100 calorie baked potato (sour cream and butter?); your 60 calorie bread (45 calories of butter?); your salad (who uses one tablespoon of dressing?).
Most foods are not fattening in themselves: They become fattening when fat is added; They become fattening w hen unreasonable portion sizes are consumed. You might not need to go on a special low-fat diet or a special low-carb diet. You might just need to become aware of the calories you are eating and decide to eat smaller portions, skimp on the spreads, and get the weight off by eating a little bit less of both carbohydrates and fats!
Written by Laurie Beebe
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About The Author: Laurie Beebe has been a registered dietitian for 25 years and is certified in adult weight management. Laurie currently serves as a Related posts:
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