What is Calorie Conscious?
Calorie-conscious is a philosophy that no foods are off-limits to you. However, you are aware of the caloric content of different types of foods. Enabling you to remove any guilt you may feel when eating your favourite foods that are likely higher in calories but understanding how these foods fit into a well-balanced diet. This is part of the education you receive when working with an online nutrition coach.
Most of your energy intake (calories) need to be from nutritiously dense foods. This refers to a diet rich in plant-based, minimally refined foods. If you’re confused about what these foods are, think of foods that have minimal ingredients and the ingredients are something that you recognise. Examples include fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
You will need to ensure your diet has adequate protein for your requirements. This could include fish and lean meat sources while keeping to a minimum the processed meats and fattier cuts such as sausages, bacon, lamb chops, etc. You can also choose to obtain your protein from non-meat sources if that suits you. Examples include dairy sources, eggs, etc.
You also want to ensure your diet has variety. No day being the same minimises the risk of micronutrient deficiencies.
Then a small amount of your energy intake is the 'fun stuff', the foods which are extremely appealing to eat (hyper-palatable). These are the foods often have a high-calorie amount for the volume of food. Some examples would be a chocolate muffin, a can of cider, or a pizza at your favourite Italian restaurant.
Teaching the client to become calorie conscious provides an education process on portion sizes, calorie awareness of different foods, and how to eat in an informed manner to achieve the individual's goal.
There are many methods to educate the client on becoming aware of the caloric content of their food choices. These include using a food tracking app such as My Fitness Pal, recording food and portion size in a written food diary. A written food diary can also track any emotional eating or eating triggers the client may be experiencing. Taking pictures of meals/snacks and discussing with a nutritionist, the client can also take advantage of meal templates/meal planning, created for them by a nutritionist, allowing them to have some structure alongside learning about the caloric value of food. Habit tracking can be a great way to start with clients if they are new to learning about calories/nutrition. Working with a qualified nutritionist allows the client to become educated on their caloric needs to achieve their ideal body weight.
Once the individual has a good understanding of informed eating (calorie conscious) or has achieved the desired body composition goal that required a method of external tracking they can transition away from externally tracking their intake to eating with an informed understanding of their caloric needs.
The individual can then use the tool of tracking at different stages in their life if they feel they want to target a specific goal or if they need to re-check portion control to ensure they are meeting their nutritional needs.
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