Why do I care, and why should you? Because there are no good answers to silly questions. The longer we keep asking such things as—Is the calorie really a calorie? Do calories really count?—the more personal and societal resources we divert from the questions that matter: How can we fill up on fewer calories? What tools, skills, policies, programs, and practices can best help us lose weight and find health, in a modern, obesogenic environment? Questions about the nature of the calorie forestall the progress we need—and I'm always tempted to think the producers of calories are behind them.
While "waitin' on the world to change," here is my advice to you:
• To control weight, you must control calories—quantity matters. Period!
• The best way to control quantity is by improving quality. One of the many virtues of wholesome foods is that they help us fill up on fewer calories. Eat lots of simple foods that are close to nature.
• More of the right kinds of fat can be helpful. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are generally good for health and may help with portion control in the right context. An example of that context is the Mediterranean diet.
• Protein is satiating. Up to a point, more high-quality protein can be helpful. Think lentils, beans, meats, fish, eggs.
• Lower glycemic load can be helpful. This does not require cutting carbs indiscriminately, but it does mean avoiding or limiting foods made with refined starches and added sugars.
• Foods can be high in calories, and still help control total calorie intake—if they are rich in nutrients, and help confer a lasting feeling of fullness. We have such evidence for walnuts and almonds.
• While the source of calories may influence how many are burned, this is a trivial effect compared to that of…exercise! If you really want to burn more calories, you will get far more out of changing what you do with your feet than by changing what's at the end of your fork.