Guide
Why 2,000 calories isn't always 2,000 calories
Two days can add up to the same calories and still be nothing alike. Here is what the number leaves out.
3 min read
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Picture two people who each eat 2,000 calories today. One has oats, beans, fish and a lot of vegetables. The other has a pastry, fries and a soda. On paper they ate the same. By tonight they'll feel pretty different, and so will their bodies over time.
What a calorie leaves out
A calorie is just a unit of energy. It can't tell you how much fiber came with it, how much protein, or how much salt. The guidelines ask for plenty of the first two and a cap on the last1, and none of that shows up in a daily total.
Open the day up
Split that same total into protein, carbs and fat and the days start to look different.
Then the fine print
Sodium and potassium pull in opposite directions2. A day built on processed food tends to run high on one and low on the other, whatever the calorie count says.
So what do you do with this?
Keep your calorie goal. Just look one level down. Ask Insights what your calories are made of, then change one thing: a little more fiber, a little less salt.
Quest
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