Not All Calories Are Created Equal

I loved this article in my March Clean Eating magazine, "Calorie Confessions" by Tosca Reno.  

Here is an excerpt:

For those of you who struggle with this thought - think of it this way...calories from an apple compared to calories from a doughnut:

"the apple contributes fiber, nutrients, and natural sugars, elements that build the body into a stronger, healthier, more disease-resistant state. those same apple calories contain natural sugars that are slowly released into the bloodstream by way of the fruit's fiber in a way that does not overburden the blood sugar-handling organs (pancreas, liver, hypothalamus and adrenal glands), making us less likely to binge!

the doughnut - completely devoid of any nutrients. the doughnut actually breaks the body down as it processes in the gut, making us weaker as it robs the bones and organs of valuable minerals. at the same time, refined flour and other refined sugar products in the doughnut arrive in the bloodstream like a herd of elephants - way to fast for the pancreas to handle. and so we get irregular spikes, crashes, and ultimately metabolic disorders that make us sick! from clean eating magazine "