Rossi in his article for the British newspaper Daily mail explains why the numbers shown in the calorie tables on food packaging often don’t match the number of calories the human body actually receives after eating them. According to him, the advertised value is based on laboratory studies in which calories are burned and absorbed differently than in certain human organisms.

Nutritionists drew attention to a recent study by American scientists, which proved that after eating almonds, the human body stores only 20 percent of calories from the value calculated on the packaging. According to their conclusion, most of it ends up in the feces of the individuals examined, which is consistent with how the human digestive system relates to foods of purely plant origin.

Experts explain that in plant foods that have not undergone industrial processing, fats and calories are so tightly packed that it is more difficult for digestive enzymes and intestinal bacteria to penetrate them. Therefore, as a result, a person does not digest and excrete most of the food.

In the case of highly industrially processed foods, where various preservatives, sweeteners, flavorings or colorings have been added, on the other hand, the nutritional value on the packaging is much closer to reality. During processing, each component has been broken down in such a way that after eating it, the human digestive tract gets calories more easily and less is wasted.

Rossi highlights that when a person starts eating a fruit, vegetable or legume, he or she should honestly chew each bite, crushing it himself. On the other hand, if he chooses a bar of chocolate, even though according to the nutritional information, it will contain the same number of calories as, say, a banana, but his body will handle it differently.

Instead of anxiously counting calories, she advises people looking to lose a few pounds to limit processed foods in their diet as much as possible. According to Rossi, on the other hand, the basis should be fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals, beans, eggs, fish and fermented dairy products.