Calories: Friend or Foe?

Calories are often pinned as the enemy, the foe we must defeat in order to live a healthy and happy life. But that’s not really the full story and I’m happy to say that notion is mostly false (with a few important disclaimers).

Friendly Calories

It’s more true to say calories are our friends, especially when we have the right boundaries in place. Let’s take this common scenario into consideration...

You to body: It’s time to lose weight. Slash calories, no more candy, no more junk food, clean eating, track all foods, increase exercise
Body to you: I like the idea…but…
You to body: Let’s do it!
2 weeks later…
Body to you: I’m not getting what I need. I give up.

While it’s true that you need to cut back to lose weight, ghosting your friends is no way to foster a healthy relationship. In this case, without calories, your body can’t do the work and fights back. It may seem counterintuitive to spend more time with calories, but it’s important to get the right ones to fuel your energy and any extra physical activity you’ve started.

The “Right” Calories

Befriending the right number of calories is hard! In fact, it’s difficult for dietitians to generate the “right number” and that’s because your needs change on a daily basis and are influenced by medications, hormones, genetics, and movement. There is no magic number of friends you need in your social circle, and the same is true for calories. If you’re struggling with your calorie relationship, getting an unbiased support person can help you discover a happier and healthier friendship with calories.

Earlier, I said you need to foster friendships with the “right” calories, but what does that actually mean? Choosing foods that are high in nutrients like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and fish not only give you calories, but they also have important vitamins and minerals that are needed to boost your mood, increase mental capacity, and utilize calories for energy in the body. (If you want more ideas, sign up for the newsletter that shares recipes and favorite snacks.)

Getting Calories as an Aviation Professional

Whether you’re a pilot or an air traffic controller, your challenging schedule and work environment can make it hard to foster the right calorie relationships. But there are some easy things to try to start building a happy relationship with your calories.

Eat breakfast. Yes, this is important 😊
- Have a piece of fruit with Greek yogurt and a handful of mixed nuts. These items can be easy to find in most airport convenience stores and are easy to pack.
- Make and freeze some high protein egg bites. These are easy to pack and can be microwaved in your hotel room. Grab a banana from the continental breakfast or a piece of whole wheat toast.
Have snacks on hand
- Pack a baggie of cut veggies (baby carrots, celery, sugar snap peas). Or try Brad’s Crunchy Kale. Pair this with a tasty protein bar like this one by Built (there are so many options!)
- Chia Seed pouches paired with dried chickpeas.
Meals in the hotel
- Try smoked salmon with crackers – this makes a great snack too, but best left eaten by yourself rather than in the cockpit or a crew room 😐 pair this with Brad’s Crunchy Kale or a salad from hotel restaurant.
- Huel makes really tasty meal packets! They are dehydrated meals and work great in a pinch and to have at least one packed meal.