When I was at school, I remember my #1 question to teachers when they would assign essays would be:
“How long does it need to be?”
Annoyingly enough, they would answer: “Content is more important than length. Your paper needs to long enough to cover all the necessary points and send your message across.” At the time, three letters came to mind:
WTF??!
Something about a word limit seemed so much more assuring. Now that a good 6 or so years have passed, I have finally seen the light: quality over quantity always. For example I’d rather:
- Have 5 good friends than 15 acquaintances
- Spend £100 on 1 pair of quality shoes than 3 average pairs
- Eat 2 bites of a decadent dessert than a whole 100-calorie snack packet
- Drink a glass of a reputable wine than a bottle of a cheaper, unknown alternative
- Fit in 4 quality runs a week as opposed to 7 sluggish runs
Similarly this “quality>quantity” concept extends to diet & nutrition. Obviously weight management comes down to “calories in versus calories out” but equally important is the quality of food eaten for a number of reasons:
1) Chemical reactions
For the average person, eating around 1,500 calories daily is likely to result in weight loss. However consuming these calories in the form of cookies, crisps and other low-quality, non-nutritious foods creates chemical reactions in the body which have a direct impact on good health and weight. For example, eating too much sugar results in an overproduction of insulin which promotes weight gain.
2) Metabolism
Here’s a shocker: non-nutritious foods tend to be calorie-dense 😯 …i.e. you only need to eat very few of them to reach your target daily calorie limit. Eating very little volume of food each day can trigger your metabolism to slow down to conserve energy. Alternatively, several smaller meals eaten throughout the day keeps your metabolism ticking.
3) Nutrition
A diet comprised of cookies and cake is certainly a fun idea..up until it kills you. Eating a diet primarily based around not-so-nutritious foods will undoubtedly have a negative impact on your overall health. Our body is more complex than we think, and needs to be fed a range of foods containing protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to function efficiently.
While it may be possible to lose or maintain your weight by mainly eating junk food, such a diet won’t be doing any favors for your health or appearance. After all, what’s the point of losing weight if you can’t feel great and full of energy?? Eat to thrive, not survive!
Do you ever compromise quality for quantity?
LOVE THIS! I am such a quality over quantity person in every aspect of my life (especially food and purchases and holidays) to the point that I am a bit of a snob haha (at least with the food)
Totally with you on the “5 good friends rather than 15”!
Great post.I try to be mindful to incorporate quality in my life over quantity.
This is such a great post. Sums up exactly what I want to say to people when they see me eating fruit instead of cookies! It makes such a massive difference to how I feel, energy wise, that I’d much rather save the cookies and cakes for when I want a treat!