Is eating an 80 calorie cookie the same as eating an 80 calorie apple?

Good question! I actually wanted to call on a nutrition expert to help with this one. So here's what my good friend, Amy "Health Gal" Hendel, had to say about this. According to Amy, "If someone merely counts calories as a dietary approach to losing weight or gaining some measure of health - they are missing an important ingredient. Foods that are high in fiber require the body to expend some extra calories digesting those fiber calories. That fiber rich food is often also a source of nutrient dense calories that the body can use to offset disease or simply maintain quality of health. So though you may choose to eat a cookie that's 100 calories as opposed to an apple with skin - you are losing out on the extra calories needed for digestion of that apple and you're losing out on all the vitamins that apple has. And the fiber and antioxidants it contains." Amy also points out that processed foods often contain harmful ingredients like Trans or saturated fats. So what about eating cookies that have been infused with vitamins and fiber? Amy says there's a good chance that the body doesn't absorb the man made nutrients put into processed foods as efficiently as it does those from natural foods. Both Amy & I agree that it's best to have a diet that consists of a fair amount of fresh fruits and veggies, with a few guilt-free processed treats thrown in for good measure!