Food for Thought: 
Health is not found in counting calories
Author: Denise Robertson, Founder of Sublime with Lime “This must be super healthy. It’s only 70 calories,” says the one uneducated consumer to the next in the aisle of the grocery store. Having to choose between a processed chocolate bar of 70 calories and a natural Sublime with Lime treat of 110 calories, the uneducated consumer grabs the initial option and calms her mind that she has made the “healthiest choice”.
If the above paragraph causes you to feel a sense of unease, you are on the right path to healthy eating. However, If you have found yourself advocating for healthy food merely based on counting calories, you have got it all wrong. “Not all calories are created equal. Calories consumed without nutrient dense fuel surrounding those calories mean nothing to the body,” says Elziree Le Roux, registered dietitian at Rainbow Harvest Dietitians.
According to Le Roux and countless other wellness researchers, the health quality of food products cannot solely be determined by counting or comparing calories on labels.
“Every calorie you consume can only be used as nourishment for the body if it is surrounded by substrates, enzymes, fibre and phytochemicals that allow the calories to be digested, absorbed through the bloodstream and entered through the cell membranes to finally be burned and utilized as energy.”

“If a person consumes empty calories that are not surrounded by substrates, enzymes, fibre and phytochemicals, these calories hover around in the bloodstream and cannot be metabolized or enter the cell membrane for energy utilization, which causes the body to store it as fat - making your low calorie product a purposeless bite to eat,” says Le Roux.
A low calorie claim can furthermore not merely be associated with true well-being, due to the immense depth of the meaning of nutrient density - going as far as within the soil of the earth our farmers use to grow the food we eat.

According to Ryno de Swardt, sustainable/regenerative farming advocate and general farm manager at Redberry Farm George (WC), the soil that is used to grow our crops is made up of a complex microbiology system that determines the nutrient density of crops that is produced in the soil.
“For the minerals in the soil to be properly taken up by plants and be present in the food we eat, the soil needs to consist of a well-functioning microbiology that is filled with live organisms. Without the presence of these organisms, the plants are unable to optimally take up the nutrients which means the consumer is consuming a mineral/nutrient-deficient product,” says de Swardt.
The lack of these important nutrients in food due to the rise of mass-produced farming and manufacturing, cause an increase of products to be sold in our grocery stores that contain nothing but empty calories. Calories that cannot enter the cell membrane for energy utilization and that are stored by the body as fat, are hence consumed more and more by uneducated consumers who lack the capacity to move beyond their ignorance.
How on earth do I go about from here you may ask?
  • Educating yourself is always an excellent starting point. By knowing more, you can do more for your health and wellbeing.
  • Read the ingredient labels thoroughly - if you cannot recognize or pronounce an ingredient, your body will also not be able to recognize or absorb it.
  • Look for the quality and density of the nutrients provided in the product to ensure that it does not contain empty calories.
  • Do some homework or research before going grocery shopping on sourcing responsible food brands and farmers.
Alternatively, for your convenience: there are magnificent health food brands that exist with your holistic wellness as top priority. One superb example is Sublime with Lime Health Bakery.
Sublime with Lime treats your body like a temple by providing nature’s comfort food products that are made from nutrient-dense plant-based ingredients where optimum nourishment is top priority.
Who knew that you would be able to eat healthy brownies, cakes and rusks that are scientific-based and handcrafted with love and care for your wellbeing. 
The wish of Sublime with Lime is to empower your body, mind & Spirit to live your days to the fullest.
For more information on all of the above, please visit the
Sublime Website or Rainbow Harvest Dietitians.