The Truth About Calories: What Your School Never Taught You
Remember sitting in class, learning about photosynthesis and polynomial equations? While those subjects have their place, there's a whole world of essential life skills that most of us had to figure out on our own after graduation.
In this podcast episode, we converse about the crucial lessons that were missing from our education - from understanding nutrition and managing finances to building meaningful relationships. Whether you're fresh out of school or years into adulting, these insights will help fill the gaps in your practical knowledge and empower you to make better life decisions.
What Are Calories, Really?
Let’s start with something basic: calories. We hear about them all the time with diets and weight loss, but what are they? A calorie is just a way to measure energy. It’s the amount of energy needed to heat up one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.
When you understand this, it changes how you think about food. Calories aren’t "good" or "bad" — they’re just energy. But we don’t learn that in school. Instead, we get caught up in food labels, trendy diets, and myths like “salads are always healthy” (they’re not if they’re smothered in dressing).
Why Nutrition Matters
In some countries, people learn about food as part of their culture. For example, kids in France learn about the food they eat during lunch. But in the U.S., it’s all about fast and easy meals, which often aren’t the healthiest.
Nutrition is barely taught in school. Most of us only learn about the outdated food pyramid. Meanwhile, processed foods and pre-packaged meals take over because cooking seems hard or expensive. But it doesn’t have to be! Foods like beans are cheap, healthy, and easy to make, even though they’re sometimes unfairly seen as “poor people’s food.”
Other Things School Didn’t Teach Us
It’s not just nutrition. Here are some other areas where school could have done more:
Money Basics: How to budget, save, and deal with taxes or loans.
Life Skills: Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of a home.
People Skills: How to talk to others, solve problems, and show empathy.
Health and Fitness: Mental health, exercise, and staying healthy.
Civic Knowledge: How governments work and how to vote.
Job Skills: Writing a resume, finding a job, and behaving at work.
Thinking Skills: How to figure things out and make smart choices.
Time Management: How to stay organized and not get overwhelmed.
Tech Know-How: How to use technology safely and smartly.
Creativity: Encouraging art, music, and other ways to express yourself.
These are not just extra things to know. They’re important for living a good life.
Learning From Other Cultures
In some places, schools teach kids these life skills. For example, in Japan, students clean their classrooms and help with lunch. This teaches teamwork and responsibility.
But not all families or schools can teach these things. Sometimes parents don’t know these skills either, and the cycle continues. Schools could step in to fill the gap, helping everyone learn what they need to succeed.
What Can We Do?
So how do we fix this? First, we need to see that these skills are just as important as math or science. Schools could work with local experts, like nutritionists or financial advisors, to make learning practical and fun.
For adults, it’s never too late to start. You can learn to cook simple meals, set up a budget, or improve your people skills. The internet has tons of resources to help — just make sure to use your critical thinking skills to find good information.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to point fingers at schools or parents for these gaps, but it’s really everyone’s job to help. By noticing what we didn’t learn and taking action, we can build a smarter, healthier, and happier world.
Life is the best classroom of all. Let’s make the most of it.
This blog was generated with the help of AI
