Easter is coming and that means a lot of empty calories will be eaten. But aside from Easter candy, you might be eating more empty calories on a daily basis, than you think.
- Soft drinks, sports drinks, sweet tea, lemonade and energy drinks
- Alcohol
- Junk food and fast food
- Candy, including hard candies and sweet or sour chews
- Cakes, pastries and donuts
These are all examples of empty calories and they deliver a high energy spike. Athletes can benefit from this extra boost of energy to help them push through. Although, empty calories can’t be used to build muscle, supply vitamins, promote a sense of fullness or provide any other nutritional benefits. Athletes use these foods or drinks strictly for replenishing glycogen stores quickly for energy. However, most of us are not elite athletes and our bodies won’t use this energy in time and unfortunately, all that extra energy will be stored as fat.
Another unfortunate thing about empty calories is that they can be eaten in excess because they are not filling and we can eat copious amounts, like in the case of chips. Before you know it, a bag is scarfed down. They are not always found in obvious places either. Many products as instant breakfast cereals cold or hot, snacks and condiments are all empty calories. One of the most damaging ones can be sugary drinks as they can go down quickly with a lot of empty calories consumed in a very short time.
Then there’s the issue of food cravings. Food cravings may be rooted in your brain becoming addicted to these highly rewarding foods. But, if you’re eating mostly empty calories, these cravings might also be your body asking for food that actually provides the important nutrients you need to survive, which empty calories neglect to provide you.
Lastly, eating empty calories in excess can lead to blood sugar spikes and increase inflammation — which, in turn, can lead to chronic health issues like diabetes and heart disease. Overeating any type of food can, of course, can be unhealthy over time, but overeating foods that provide no health benefits, are more likely to have these types of implications.
As a rule of thumb, if a food does not contain nutrients or if the calories from sugar and fats outweigh the nutrients found in the food, it’s considered to be a source of empty calories. These foods also have zero fiber, which is a very important part of a healthy diet.
Follow these tips:
- Know how sugar is too much. Small amounts of added sugar (about 10% of daily calories) are okay.
- Get familiar with reading labels. For example, if a label says carbohydrates are 25g and sugar is 20-24 grams, then basically that food is mainly sugar. The nutrition label is also an important part of ensuring you’re sticking to eating a single serving size.
- Cook from scratch and meal prep. Cooking meals at home is a great alternative, as well as a way to ensure that your meals are healthier overall. Usually, home cooking involves 1 ingredient foods. 1 ingredient foods are the food themselves in whole state, like fruit, grains, vegetables, meat, beans, herbs….
- Limit alcohol. There are no beneficial calories in alcohol, and each gram of alcohol carries seven calories with it.
*If this article or any past articles leaves you with questions, the want to be a better you, the courage to take the first step to a happier you, than please contact me at:
Mikkie Pollon (Nettles), Certified Personal Trainer/Holistic & Sports Nutritionist
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