Losing weight only depends on calories and nutrients.

When reading the nutrition facts panel on a package, it's easy to be misled if you focus solely on the calorie count. Nine percent of people habitually scan food nutrition labels, but only one percent will continue to read beyond the total calorie count on the first line.

A coffee shop near my home recently advertised "Under 200 Calories," and one morning I fell for this clever marketing trap and used it as an excuse to order a vanilla latte instead of regular coffee. Later, I visited the official website of the coffee shop and found out that the 150-calorie latte contained not only 28 grams of carbohydrates but also 27 grams of sugar! Although the calorie count is relatively low, this option is not a great start to the day.

Most people eat far more carbohydrates than their bodies need, but their protein intake is clearly insufficient. A large-scale study shows that simply increasing protein intake slightly and reducing carbohydrate intake can effectively improve health. If you look at the ingredient list on food packaging, you will find that the ratio of grams of carbohydrates to grams of protein is usually 10:1 or even higher.

Instead of focusing on total calories, another simple filter is to look at the ratio of carbohydrates to protein. You can set a goal to only eat foods with a 1:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. This is an easy trick for filtering food when ordering at a restaurant or shopping at the supermarket, and I started doing it a few years ago. Almost all nutrition labels list the total amount of carbohydrates and protein. For example, the mixed nuts that I often eat as snacks, the avocado salad that I often eat for lunch, and my favorite Indian dish "Palak Paneer" are all about a 1:1 ratio.

At the very least, avoid carbohydrate-to-protein ratios higher than 5:1. Most potato chips or breakfast cereals have a ratio as high as 10:1. Maintaining a balanced ratio of carbohydrates to protein allows the body to produce more energy, which can lead to better health in the long run. Using the 1:1 rule may not be the most perfect measurement method, but it is a very practical and simple rule that can effectively prevent you from eating too many carbohydrates.

This article is excerpted from "Is This the Only Way for Your Life?" published by Benshi Culture. 》