What Are Empty Calories And How Do You Avoid Them?

When sifting through the countless diet, health and fitness articles on the internet and in the magazines everyday, you have undoubtedly come across the term "empty calories."  These are defined as calories that come from foods that offer little to no nutritional value for your body.  Things like sodas, candy and processed foods.  They generally consist of processed carbohydrates and fats.  Yuck!   Well at least that's what we should say, but we tend to gravitate towards these types of foods because of the taste.  The problem is that they contain large quantities of calories that tend to be sugar and nothing else.  Beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages also fall into the category of empty calories.  Another really bad thing about "empty calorie" foods and drinks are that they tend to leave you hungry very quickly after consumption.  In short, without moderation, these foods and drinks can quickly add up to large amounts of weight gain.

Eating foods with lots of "empty calories" cause you to experience blood sugar spikes that fall just as quickly which leads to the "crash" of fatigue.  These blood sugar swings can drive the need for an additional pick-me-up of, you guessed it, another "empty calorie" source.  It's a never ending cycle of ups and downs that becomes a very hard habit to break.

Our fast food, convenience world has created a society of people who want things fast and quick.  Unfortunately it has also lead us to become a society of overweight, unhealthy and disease infested humans.  As I have stated before, despite the education and information available on health and wellness, 90% of us will die of a preventable disease.  That sounds crazy, but it's true.  We have the information, we just don't use it.  Why?  Because we have been conditioned to follow convenience over health.   There are, however, things that we can do to develop better habits and make better choices to break the cycle of constant "empty calorie" consumption.

Know What You Are Eating...Read Labels.

We all know the general "yuck" foods like sodas and jelly beans, but even so-called "healthy" foods like protein bars and energy drinks can be full of large amounts of "empty calories."  Avoid foods that contain high-fructose syrup, monosodium glutamate (MSG), enriched bleached flours, sodium nitrates and nitrites and artificial colorings.  If a food has more than 10 ingredients, it's likely that it should be avoided.  

Avoid Deep Fried.

Instead of deep-frying, use other methods of cooking. For instance, have a baked potato with skin instead of fries, or a piece of baked skinless chicken breast instead of fried chicken.  Use olive oil in place of vegetable oil if you must have something fried, and remember to use oat flour in place of regular bleached flour as a good substitute for battering a food.  

Watch Out For Condiments.

Pancake syrup, Ketchup and other condiments can add a significant amount of sugar calories to your diet.  Be aware of what you are using to flavor your foods to avoid these extra calories.  1/4 cup of ketchup can contain as much as 60 extra calories and 4 tsps. of sugar.

Food Swap.

We all want something sweet every now and then.  Avoiding empty calories doesn't mean you have to give that up.  Instead of having that chocolate ice cream, replace it with some yogurt and mixed fruit or an all natural frozen fruit bar.  Not only will it quench your sweet tooth but it will provide you with some great nutritional energy for your body.  With a few creative swaps you can have your sweets and eat them too.

As always, take it slow and gradually introduce new items into your diet to replace old habits.  You may discover it's not only tasty, but your energy levels will increase too.  Until next time, keep reaching for that health, happy life you deserve!

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THIS ARTICLE IS MEANT FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.  IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT OR CURE ANY DISEASE.  PLEASE ASK YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING ANY SUPPLEMENTATION PROGRAM. ANY HEALTH PROGRAM SHOULD BE DONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN AND INVOLVE HEALTHY EATING, EXERCISING AND GOOD SUPPLEMENTATION.