Healthy eating is as much a

part of a yoga lifestyle as

mats and namastes. But it’s
what you eat that counts, not
just the quantity.
The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF)
recently launched a concept called the
‘quality calorie’, or QC, to make people think
more about the types of foods they eat.
While most adults consume more than
they need, the BNF reckons simply counting
calories and cutting down may not be
enough. It wants people to seek out the ‘best’
calories, not just ‘junk’ calories.
Foods with similar calorie content can
be different in terms of the nutrients they
provide, it says. For example, wholegrain
versions of bread, pasta and rice are higher
in fibr e than r efined versions.
Developed by the nutrition science team
at the BNF, the QC concept provides a fresh
approach to food choices. The end goal
is to help us to achieve a balanced and
nutritionally rich diet.
It encourages people to not just look at
the number of calories they consume, but
also the quality of their diet to help them get
more nutrients (including vitamins, minerals
and fibr e) and limit the amount of those
that are of concern (free sugars, salt and
saturated fat).
Excess calories are the root cause of
obesity, according to Public Health England,
which says that tackling the issue is now a
top priority.
“We know that as a nation we are
consuming too many calories,” said Ayela
Spiro, nutrition science manager at the BNF.
“In order to help battle the obesity crisis, it
is, of course, important to be aware of the
calories we eat and drink, but we also need
to be mindful of the nutritional quality. We
need to think about both the quantity and
quality of calories, which is why we have
combined both in the QC concept. We would
like people to look to make better choices
and think ‘how can I QC this?’ or ‘has this
been QC’d?’.”
Spiro adds: “If we only think about calories
as numbers, then we might choose to avoid
foods that are relatively high in calories but
also have a high nutritional value like nuts
and seeds, oily fish and ol ive or r apeseed
oil – all of which are included as part of
healthy dietary patterns.”
Find out more at: nutrition.org.uk
The quality calorie
It’s not how much you eat, it’s about what you eat
ROGUE’S
CALORIE
IT’S SIMPLE: HERE’S AN
EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU
CAN ‘QC’ AN EASY DISH
Replace white toast
with butter and jam with
wholegrain toast and
peanut butter — the dish
has been ‘QC’d’ by adding
more fibre, iron, protein
and less free sugars.