Is Calorie Counting About Moderation or Starvation?

I'm going to throw caution to the wind with this next statement and be completely honest: I have about had it up the wall with talk of the latest diet crazes, calorie counting, "low-fat", "sugar-free", blah, blah, blah. If there was ever a worse time for women to feel poorly about the way they look, it would be now. And I guess I should not be sexist, the pressure to be completely fit and toned plagues the male gender to no end.

This topic-turned-annoyance has been weighing on my mind as I hear the chatter in my office, in line to pick up lunch, on the metro, on television. Basically everywhere. And don't misconstrue what I am saying. I fully believe that people should eat healthy and intake a variety of foods (meats, grains, veggies, fruits - just think about that little triangle-shaped food guide the USDA so kindly provides for us). However, I have to wonder, when did "healthy eating" become less about moderation and more about starvation?

When certified dieticians condone the eating of carbs and meat products, why does society say you should be eating a vegetarian-only diet? Why is there such a big emphasis on 100 calorie packs that taste like cardboard and actually have less nutritional value than say two servings of fruit (more calories, but also more nutrients)?

While I realistically can't give a factual answer, I can provide a hypothetical guess. Q: Why? A: Because society says to be "beautiful" you have to be stick-thin with two percent body fat. Rarely is the question "Do you know how many calories are in that?" followed by the justification "Because you really should get more calories from carbs." It's usually overheard in the same conversation as lines like "I need to look good in my swimsuit", "I would kill for your thighs" or "I want to look like a Victoria's Secret model".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but did Sophia Loren not say, "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." Let's not lie to ourselves. No stick-thin, airbrushed model will ever be as beautiful as the icons like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Bette Davis.

Sophia Loren

While obesity is a problem, so is an eating disorder. Instead of pumping Americans full of low-cal frozen food meals that have enough sodium to probably stop the heart of a grown man, why can we not turn the emphasis back to encouraging variety in a diet? And of course, don't neglect daily exercise!

Let me just leave you with a little food for thought -pun intended. Think about what you ate today. Would you have chosen a different option if not for the calories per serving? Did you feel unsatisfied after any of your meals? Did you supress any cravings rather than indulge them?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, give yourself a break tomorrow and treat yourself to your favorite food. You deserve it! And trust me, your thighs will not think any differently.