The question that remains is:
Is a calorie just a calorie?
I would look at more things than only overall caloric intake to asses the value of a diet. Here is what I would look for:
- Markers of bodily tissue inflammation.
- Blood lipid profile.
- Plasma glucose levels and insulin resistence
- Alkalinity/acidity of urine which indicates overall body alkalinity/acidity
Things that raise all these markers: saturated fats(inflammatory, LDL raising, increases insulin resistence), protein(composed of amino
acids, which increases bodily acidity) and grains(contains inorganic acids which increases acidosis which can lead to arthrites and gout), and simple sugars(acid-forming and increases insulin resistence).
Hence a perfect diet would have little to no:
- Protein
- Saturated fats
- Grains
- Sugars
This translates into a diet that has at it's base fruits and vegetables with small amount of proteins from lean meats and nuts and seeds for both protein and monounsaturated fatty acids.
This is consensus. The only real debate is whether to include polyunsaturated fats in the diet or not. Large amounts of both omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids improve blood lipid profile by increasing cell membrane plasticity and decrease insulin resistence, but on the other hand they significantly increases oxidative stress which might cause damage to the DNA and increase the risk of cancer. For instance, supplementing with fish oil increases your risk of prostate and stomach cancer. My opinion on this: if you have either artherosclerosis or diabetes, then you should supplement with fish oil as the benefits outweight the risks. If you don't, then it is not worth the risk.
Now if you are talking about extreme health improvement, then yes, the only thing that matters are calories. A guy who eats only 500 calories a day from ice cream will look younger, be healthier and live longer than a guy who eats 3,000 calories a day of chicken breasts, brown rice and broccoli. Once calories drop below 1,000 calories a day, enzymes involved in DNA repair and genes involved in bodily repair are activated and cause health improvement greater than any healthy diet can.
SUCKMYMUSCLE
