Really, is calorie counting the worst propaganda society has faced in recent times? Let’s do the
math. What else is disturbing the internet at this very moment? Maybe the wellness brands
that sell $80 “mindfulness candles”, or the crypto bros who promise to make you rich overnight
while their NFTs fade faster than your paycheck. Or maybe, wow, this is a good one: the
wealthiest people on earth, unscrupulously stating that money does not buy happiness, all to
keep the underbanked from rioting so they can continue to feed their animals snacks that are
substantially more expensive than what the average individual eats in a three-day time
segment.
And how could we forget about the dudes who take women out, and then expect to
end the night 50/50? Horrific, to the bones. There is nothing more embarrassing than that. But
the thing is, in our gentle (obscenely twisted) society, the right to say “This is the worst thing I
have ever heard”, or “Nothing could ever stop what just happened to me” has been taken away
from us. It could be more awful than that. For instance, let’s think a little bit about the
declarations of sweet President Trump. Every single time he made headlines with something
that almost caused people to have panic attacks, something even worse followed.
Anyways, you’ve probably got the idea: propaganda is wild these days, with social media doing
nothing but making people question every single facet of their identity. One day, one wakes up
and decides they’re going to build up the most twisted thing to ever exist in their character,
wearing the skin of…Wearing the skin of whom? Of everyone but their own. Propaganda
doesn’t just mislead us; it seeps into our thoughts, becoming an integral part of how we
perceive the world. That’s the most dangerous part: it convinces us we are acting out of our
own free will, when in reality we’re following a script someone else has written. We make
choices, speak words, and even defend ideas, believing they are ours, yet they were planted,
nurtured, and shaped by relentless repetition. It’s not control we’re exercising, but more like
conditioning we’ve absorbed. And the more certain we are that we’re immune, the deeper its
roots have already grown.
And that may be the case for calorie counting as well. It’s one of the most harmful things one
can do to themselves. It’s pure torture, the blueprint for chaos, so often a facet of eating
disorder pathology. For instance, without counting the individuals who worry about calories so
they can work out and gain weight, the majority aren’t aiming for health; they’re trapped in a
mental spreadsheet, logging bites as if their body is a math problem to be solved, and rewiring
the brain to fear it.
However, there is more to discover…
The Cult Of Food Shame
Eating disorders and the corrosive shame we attach to food are not born in a vacuum, they are cultivated by the polished cruelty of social media’s curated perfection, the relentless tyranny of the fashion and modeling industries which praised heroin chics, the diet empires profiting from our self-doubt, and a culture that measures worth in inches and pounds rather than wisdom and self-love. So, yes, if we were to designate the responsible figures for one’s choice of counting calories, the social media, the modeling industry, and the prominent diet enterprises are unquestionably the key influencers. For a very long time, we have been told that there is a right and wrong way of eating, and in the case of anorexia, obsessions always lead to tremendous levels of anxiety and guilt, submitting to the dictates of strict rules and standards of a widely accepted ideal of thinness. And where is the fun in that? How could one enjoy life when this excruciating thought torments them?
In reality, one should worry about what’s for dinner tonight and where to find the best replacement kitchen doors, not making inquiries about whether that bite from the cake will compromise the thickness of their legs.
Diet Culture Wrapped In Faux Empowerment
Cards on the table, diet culture stems from a multi-billion-dollar industry built on convincing people there is something wrong with their bodies. Basically, it thrives on manufactured insecurity, which is ultimately repacked as empowerment. They tell people they are broken, and then hand them a calorie-tracking app or a detox plan, calling it the move to “take control of your own life”. The marketing is nonetheless drenched in buzzwords such as self-love, confidence, and strong, not skinny, but it doesn’t really matter. The subtext is always the same. You are not as good as you think you are. So, yes, the faux empowerment works because it feels proactive, making it hard for people to see that they have been sold a cage with inspirational quotes painted on it. People are given the illusion of control, discipline, and progress, failing to discern that their winning is more of a leash than it is a medal.
Does Your Calorie App At Least Tell The Truth?
Based on basic information such as one’s gender, height, weight, age, and physical activity levels, calorie-counting apps leverage mathematical formulas to approximate the basal metabolic rate (BMR). However, there are several other factors that can significantly influence one’s BMR, including muscle mass, medical history, gut health, dieting history, medications, and genetic predispositions. Moreover, even if calorie-counting apps were 100% accurate, which they are not, there would still be a problem. The nutrition information displayed on packaged foods or restaurant menus does not always accurately reflect the truth. Actually, in some countries, the nutritional components of food can vary by up to 20% above or below what the label indicates.
The conclusion? The accuracy of the numbers produced by calorie-counting apps is compromised.
