About
Empty calories refer to foods and beverages that contain very little or no nutrition. They can commonly contain high levels of sugar, unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates however, these are typically nutrient poor or lacking vitamins, minerals or fiber. High ideals of empty calorie products have dangers of putting on more bulk, lack of essential nutrients hence becoming prone to chronic diseases(1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Storing Empty Calories and Chronic Disease Risk: Snack-Food Products, Nutritive Content, and Manufacturers in Philadelphia Corner Stores
What Are Empty Calories?
These are foods and drinks, which supply the body with calories only without other nutritive values. Such nutrients include those with added solid fats and sugars and those that are processed foods. While these foods might be tasty and easy to consume, they provide very few nutrients you need to nourish your body(2✔ ✔Trusted Source
Where are kids getting their empty calories Stores, schools, and fast food restaurants each play an important role in empty calorie intake among US children in 2009-2010
Some common sources of empty calories include:
- Products that contain added sugars such as soft drink, sweetened tea / coffee, energy drink, sweetened coffee etc.
- Street foods such as fries, burgers as well as pizza
- Ships of chips, pretzels, and other pastries and any other packaged snack items.
- Products made from white flour, polished rice, sweets, sugar coated breakfast cereals
- Drinks such as beer and sweet mixed drinks.
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Why Calorie Density Matters
While the “calories in, calories out” model represents a simple method to manage weight, it is quite simplistic regarding health and ignores the quality of the calories you consume. Calorie balance does not translate to effective health, as empty-calorie foods may fit into a calorie count for the purpose of weight management, but they fail to deliver nutrients for long-term health.
Empty-calorie food products have unhealthy fats as well as added sugars, and they normally cause a person to gain weight, become obese, and heighten the risk for developing diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
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Children are the highest targets of food companies, and the most likely children who consume empty calories have to be the sweet, processed, and convenient foods that are tasty to the child. No matter how rich the diet is in empty calories, it can have numerous detrimental impacts on the growth and development as well as the health of a child.
Common sources of empty calories in children’s diets include:
- Sugary breakfast cereals and granola bars
- Fast foods such as pizzas and fried snacks.
- Sugary drinks, such as soda, sports drinks, and fruit juices
- Processed snack foods, like potato chips and cookies
Eliminating these kinds of foods and replacing them with better snacks would better the nutrition intakes by children and, eventually, save their future healthy behaviors in eating.
Consuming excess empty calories leads to the following health consequences:
- Weight gain and obesity because of a high calorie intake but with little to no nutritional content
- Nutrient deficiency: Empty calories often replace other nutrient-dense foods
- Increased chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline
- Poorer energy levels and lack of mental focus due to the absence of essential nutrients in the body
Frequent intake of empty calories may lead to a sub-optimal supply of nutrients needed by the body for energy, immunity, and health.
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The ability to identify empty calories is the key to their avoidance. They characteristically are:
- Highly processed and contain long lists of ingredients
- They are high in added sugars, including high-fructose corn syrup
- High in unhealthy fats, including trans fats and saturated fats
- Low in fiber, vitamins and minerals
Careful reading of food labels is also the way to identify empty-calorie foods. Almost all of these are found in those foods high in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and refined grains. Examples include sugary snacks, fast food, and sugary drinks.
How to Choose a More Nutritious Diet
Building from a Healthier Diet, Emphasize whole, minimally processed foods that provide nutrients like fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants. To eat better:
- Incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables in your meals to provide adequate vitamin and mineral intake. Make a commitment to including lean proteins, fish and chicken, and plant-based sources like beans and lentils into your diet.
- Let’s opt for whole grains such as oats, brown rice, and quinoa, which contain a good amount of fiber and essential nutrients.
- All possible cooking at home saves on overly packaged ingredients and helps cut down consumption of processed foods.
- Hydrate with water or unsweetened beverages rather than sugary drinks.
Some of the easy fixes to upgrade the diet include the following: healthier versions of empty-calorie foods.
- Replace fizzy drinks: Include in your diet water with lemon, seltzer water, or unsweetened herbal teas.
- Replace candy and sweets: Introduce fresh fruits, unsweetened dried fruits, or dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more).
- Replace packaged snacks: Replace with air-popped popcorn, raw veggies with hummus, nuts, and seeds.
- Fast foods can be replaced with baked sweet potato fries, grilled chicken or fish, and homemade veggie burgers.
- Sugary cereals can be replaced by oatmeal with fruits and nuts or by whole grain cereals with very little added sugars.
These swaps do not only reduce empty calories but also provide nutrient densities that will keep you full and energized-fiber, vitamins, and healthy fats.
Unlike empty-calorie food, which you can consume because it tastes good and is easy to consume, nutrient-dense food should be at the basis of your diet. These foods must include the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that your body would need to live healthily. Through the identification of empty calories and simple swaps for healthier alternatives, improving your overall diet can help reduce the risks of chronic diseases. With time, small changes in daily habits can result in massive improvements in one’s health.
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