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A calorie is a calorie, right?

By , About.com Guide

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Imagine a diet of only candy - Yuck.

Imagine a diet of only candy - Yuck.

Photo © Sarah Casha
Question: A calorie is a calorie, right?
A calorie is a calorie, right? And it doesn't matter if my 1200 - 1500 calories per day come from all veggies, all carbs, all protein or a balanced blend, right? So other than the nausea, the headaches and the sugar rush, what nutritional damage, if any, can be expected if I consume 1200 calories of Milky Ways and Cokes, for example? For just one day.
Marta
Answer: As far as weight gain or loss, a calorie is a calorie. If you normally eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, fiber, healthy protein, good fats and whole grains, I don't believe that eating nothing but candy and sugar for only one single day would really do any damage to your body in the long run. You would feel bad for a day or so, though.

Of course if you started eating like that with some frequency, you would have vitamin and mineral deficiencies, you wouldn't get the healthy fats you need, you would eat too many saturated and unhealthy trans fats and you wouldn't get enough protein. You would probably have poor health due to the deficiencies, low energy levels, and your immune system wouldn't work as well as it should.

One problem with sodas and candy is that once we start indulging our cravings for those sweets, the cravings get worse and worse and we may eat more and more of the sugary foods which would displace all the healthy foods we really need.

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