THERE is a big difference between healthy eating and eating for weight control.

Take a minute to reflect on this statement. Simply because your diet is packed full of kale, green smoothies, chia, nuts and chic peas does not mean that you will be losing weight. This may not seem rational (and it certainly doesn’t sound fair) so let me explain why this is the case.

Healthy eating is a broad statement that can describe anything from a nutritionally balanced diet to packing in as many healthy foods in it as you can.

Take for example your morning smoothie. It may seem that the more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, good fats via avocado and coconut oil, Greek yoghurt and plant milks you pack into your order, the better. And indeed when we analyse this smoothie for key nutrients, the more healthy ingredients the better — good fats, tick; fibre, tick, veges, tick, antioxidants, tick. But we forget one point of crucial importance. All of these ingredients also contain calories.

Unfortunately when it comes to weight control, what really matters is the number of calories we consume. No matter how healthy something is, if you eat too much of it, you will also be consuming too many calories and you will not lose weight.

So what are some of the most common ‘healthy’ meals we choose that often see us loading up with a complete calorie overload?

BREAKFAST

Cereal bowls and high sugar drinks are two common calorie dense foods. A cereal bowl packed with grains, fruits, milk, yoghurt and toppings including nuts, oils and sugars like honey come in at about 500-600 calories and up to 80-100g of sugars. You would have to be running a marathon to burn off this many carbs and still lose weight.

A calorie controlled version would see you limit your choose to one grain such as oats, a lower sugar fruit such as berries along with Greek yoghurt or a light milk. This version of breakfast will register at just 300 calories, which is a general prescription for weight loss.

SNACKS

A protein ball made with dates, honey, protein powder, seeds, rice malt syrup and coconut can contain as many as 300-400 calories in a single ball, the calorie equivalent of a meal. On the other hand, a single serve of 20 almonds and a piece of fresh fruit will give you just 200 calories per serve.

SALADS

Your daily salad order does not escape this review either. The average salad that we order at the food court is actually a high fat, high carbohydrate choice in more cases than not.

Consider what goes into the most popular salads — noodles, rice, dressing, avocado, feta, nuts, salmon, crumbed chicken with a relatively small amount of leaves and greens thrown in.

These salads contain between 600-800 calories per serve along with 40-60g of fat. Another high calorie, yet healthy choice. A slight change to the order with a greater focus on low calorie salad vegetables, vegetable carbs such as corn or sweet potato, one or two serve of fat via olive oil and avocado and some lean protein such as chicken breast or turkey halves the amount of calories without losing the benefit of your key nutrients, albeit in more controlled portions.

DINNER

Dinner does not escape the need for overhaul in the quest for weight loss versus eating healthy. Slabs of salmon, a truckload of sweet potato and sweet treats such as yoghurt, fruit and dark chocolate to end the evening with a good dose on antioxidants again can equate to as much as 1000 calories. Just a couple of rows of dark chocolate contains 200!

If we compare this to 100-150g lean protein such as white fish, chicken breast or lean steak coupled with 2-3 cups of brightly coloured vegetables and we’ll register with just 400 calories.

It does not have to be difficult, all you need to remember, is that too much of anything, even healthy foods can be a bad thing

***Please note the calorie examples here are given for an adult female. Males will generally require between 1800-2000 calories per day for weight loss. Although every person is different and this general article is not intended to replace individualised dietary information from a dietitian.