“Low calorie” foods are all the rage these days.
Here’s how to tell when the lower-calorie option is the right decision.
First, realize that foodmarketers don’t always have your best interest in mind.
Creating a “lower calorie” alternative is more about sales than the consumer’s health.
In fact, eat one of those packs and tell me that you’re not actually hungrier afterwards.
You should go with the lower calorie option only if it maximizes your satiety or “fullness.”
Satiety isn’t just physical, however; there is a mental component as well.
Mental Satiety vs.
Physical Satiety
Even if you’re not physically hungry,you may still have certain cravings.
For example, you may be craving something sweet to eat, even if you’re already full.
This is a case where the lower calorie option is a good choice.
This may also be a case where the 100-calorie option might actually be helpful.
If a 100-calorie pack of Oreos creates this mental satiety, then it too can be a smart decision.
Everything depends on context.
Sometimes a decision like this can actually decrease overall satiety.
It’simportant to be mindfuland understand the contexts where eating a lower-calorie option seems beneficial.
There’s research to suggest that raising protein and lowering carbohydrates will make you more satiated on a diet.
Always keep this adage in mind when making decisions based on food labels.
People who create lower-calorie versions aremarketers, not nutritionists.
Their primary goal is for you to buy their productnot help you lose weight.
The only way that you might know for sure is by learning about yourself and practicing mindfulness.
That last point is especially important.
But this is a recipe for diet failure.
Instead, keep your decision making and food choices flexible through “flexible dieting.”
Focusing only on the short-term.
Images byAniwhite,Geoff LMV,Ben Sutherland, andBruce Stockwell.
