"Healthy foods" calorie content shock

[waistchallenge]

I'm doing 20/4 fasting and that's meant I've had to start calorie counting for the first time just to monitor what I'm having during my four hour eating window.

A couple of things have been a bit shocking to me even though I thought I was relatively aware of what to eat and what not to eat, etc.

All of these things that I had perceived to be "healthy" have come as a shock to me:

Olive oil 123 calories per tablespoon I had no idea it was so calorie dense. I thought it was healthier than other oils and I've never paid much attention to how much I was using. I could easily be adding several hundred calories to a dish by just up-ending the bottle and adding a big glug of oil to the pan.

Oatcakes 37 calories per oatcake, 8 oatcakes per individual pack. Almost 300 calories!

Houmous I couldn't believe there's close to 1000 calories in those standard 300g pots! 😯 I have often eaten half a pot as a snack/small meal and had no idea of this. So it turns out my "healthy snack" of oatcakes and houmous was actually extremely calorific, I might as well have been eating a chocolate bar.

If anyone has any others to share, please do. I need to be more aware from now on!

I think you're confusing healthy with low in calories. Eating the equivalent calories in chocolate should not be compared with real food. If you are counting calories you definitely need to measure/weigh everything.

I mean, I'm not counting calories strictly, it's just that I needed to make sure I was taking in enough calories in the (effective) one meal, because the first few days I accidentally starved myself a bit. But you're right, I definitely confused healthy and low calorie.

Don’t oatcakes generally have 4 per pack? Have you never looked at calories and other nutritional values until now even for healthier choices? I find that more surprising as quite hard to escape it these days.

Calories aren’t all equal. It’s worth being aware of what foods are high calorie so you can adjust your portion sizes but 150 calories of chocolate and 150 calories of oatcakes or cheese have different impacts on your body. The chocolate spikes your blood sugar and makes you feel hungry again after it crashes back down. The oatcakes are a slow release carb that contain soluble fibre and should help you feel fuller for longer. Cheese has protein and fat that is satisfying and filling.

Avocados, nuts (and nut butters) and seeds are calorific but they’re also full of good fats, protein (nuts) vitamins and minerals. Hummus has olive oil and tahini so can be more calories than you’d think. If you have it with carrot sticks instead it keeps the overall calories down.

But 1/3 tub of houmous at around 270 calories with some carrots is a decent amount of calories for a snack isn't it? Or even with 3 oatcakes as well as the carrot. It's good fats, protein, carbs, fibre and if you eat it with carrot batons too then you're getting a vegetable in too. It'll keep you nicely full. You can't live off air!

@BelandtheDragon

Don’t oatcakes generally have 4 per pack?

Nairn's have 8, if anyone knows of a brand with 4 that would be great as having a pack of 8 open tempts me to eat more.

Have you never looked at calories and other nutritional values until now even for healthier choices?

Not really, no. And definitely not for foods that I thought of as healthy like these.

Get a plastic tub - oatcakes keep fresh for a few days that way so you can just have one or two ?

Also, I like eating tahini (from the jar with a spoon), 672 calories per 100g 🙁

Is it just me that was so naive, then? 😬😅

If I could just eat a couple I would.
Packet = portion size.

My son loves the fruit and seed ones with mascarpone cheese on. He says it's like cheesecake.

Calories in themselves are not unhealthy. We can't live without them!

Equally low calories food is not necessarily healthy.

A teaspoon isn’t so bad calorie wise though. It’s worth knowing what’s high cal but don’t let it rule you. There are so many ‘diet’ foods that are low calorie but have an ingredient list a mile long. Real food, even if you have a little less of it, is nicer and better for you.

I agree OP it can be a shock! I never used to measure olive oil but I do now! On the other hand berries of all sorts and Kvarg yoghurt is a surprise in how low they are.

@mumda Packet = portion size.

Same here* *😬

I think I’ve actually had a shock from seeing calorie values on menus. Can’t believe how high they are and I assume probably higher as won’t be accurate. Definitely makes me think much more about what I pick. The brownie/ice cream combo was around 900 calories!

I went to a pub in London before a gig recently as we needed to eat. Straight away went to order a burger and chips as a treat and then saw the calories, 1,200 in that one meal. So I chose something different which was half the calories. I try and stick to 1,600 a day (I do a lot of exercise and I lift too) so that would have been almost all of my allowance. I wouldn't have blinked at the oatcakes though. I will have a pack of those at lunch, with a little low fat cheese and piled with tomato, cucumber, red onion. Perfectly fine and filling too.

The one that always surprises me is cake - yes, I do know that cake is full of sugar and fat and is not a health food. If you’re watching your calorie intake you start to make judgements about whether something is worth the calories. When you see the calorie count on the rather sad looking cakes at Costa (or any other coffee chain) they don’t seem worth it. You could have a Magnum and still save 100 calories!

Also I put olive oil in a spray bottle. You use far far less.

Like others have said. You're seeing healthy as meaning low calorie. It's not the same thing. Olive oil is high in calories but is one of the healthiest things you can eat. It's full of anti-oxidants and is anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is the root cause of many diseases such as cancer. My in-laws live in the mediterranean and not only do they cook their food in A LOT of olive oil they pour olive oil all over their food once it's cooked. I can tell you, people in their country are a lot slimmer than your average Brit.
I really think we need to focus on healthy, nutritious food. If you're eating good food full of nutrients you tend to feel full and don't overeat.
A diet biscuit (like Go Ahead) or yogurt (like Muller Light) may be low in calories and in your mind "healthy" but they're highly processed junk that won't leave you satisfied. The opposite of healthy. You'll simply be craving more food. Far better to eat full fat yogurt with fruit and (calorific) nuts. Your body will get the nutrients you need and you'll feel full for longer.

Olive oil was the one for me too, I love the stuff and was appalled at how many calories I was glugging all over everything by not measuring it properly.

Olive oil, like all other oils and fats, are 100% fat, which is 9 calories per gram. A gram is a tiny amount, so it's fairly obvious it's going add a significant amount of calories. However, normally only a small amount is eaten, especially by people who are trying to lose weight.

300 g is a large tub of hoummous, not a standard one, and is made from oil and tahini, both of which are very high fat so high calorie. Half a big tub of hoummous with multiple oatcakes aka biscuits should be thought of as a meal, not a snack. If it's not filling enough, you need to eat something else.

Maybe you could swap bought hoummous, which isn't always that healthy as it often contains rapeseed oil and preservative for a home made dip with pulses, roast aubergine or pepper, flavouring like spices, herbs, garlic or lemon juice, Greek yogurt and a smaller amount of oil and tahini?

Olive oil is high in calories but is one of the healthiest things you can eat. It's full of anti-oxidants and is anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is the root cause of many diseases such as cancer. My in-laws live in the mediterranean and not only do they cook their food in A LOT of olive oil they pour olive oil all over their food once it's cooked. I can tell you, people in their country are a lot slimmer than your average Brit

That's more likely to be due to their overall diet and what they don't eat (processed/fast food, large portions) rather than high consumption of olive oil.

Yes, it's healthy, but how much do you need to be healthy? It's almost certainly not the case that you need to eat all your food drenched in olive oil to see the benefit.

Yes I agree. They probably eat more olive oil than is needed for it's nutritional benefits but the point I'm trying make is that cutting out healthy but high calorie food isn't necessarily the answer. I think by eating lots of healthy fats (like olive oil) people feel full for longer which means they eat less. Here people who are dieting often eat diet foods which aren't healthy and don't fill them up. From my own experience focusing on health and nutrition leads to sustainable, long term weight management.

The only thing I think you can eat In unlimited quantities without lots of calories is vegetables