empty calories – what are they?

Despite what the term implies, most empty calorie foods can contain an extremely high number of calories. Often known as discretionary calories, they produce the same amount of energy as other calories but have little, or no nutrient value whatsoever, hence the term “empty calories”.

There are many empty calorie foods but the biggest culprit, especially if trying to lose weight, are sodas, carbonated soft drinks and fruit drinks. These all contain high amounts of sugar and sweeteners. Alcohol contains no nutrients whatsoever apart from empty calories.

These are closely followed by empty calorie foods such as cakes, pastries, pies etc, although not as high as sodas and soft drinks, they can contain large amounts of sugar as well as saturated fats such as butter, margarine and lard, plus the worst fats of all: trans or hydrogenated fats. Many of them also contain processed carbohydrates.

Other foods to avoid are fast and junk foods. Most of them contain unhealthy trans and hydrogenated fats, especially the likes of French fries, breaded chicken, onion rings and fish fillets, which are deep fried mostly in hydrogenated oil. Not conducive to low cholesterol and a healthy heart!

Did you know that 1 teaspoon of sugar, depending on the size of the spoon, can contain between 15 and 20 calories? Did you also know that a 12 oz. (355 ml, 3/5ths of a pint) of most fruit drinks contain 12 teaspoons of sugar? That’s a whopping 180 calories of sugar without anything else.

Sodas and soft drinks, particularly carbonated ones, run a close second with 9 teaspoons of sugar per 12 oz. serving.

Don’t be misled into believing that diet cola, sodas with no added sugars or sugar-free are the answer. They’re not! They’re sweetened with artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, which are highly acidic. Excessive use of this type of soda will lower your body’s pH which will become acidic and eventually lead to weight gain. See Posts: pH (potential of Hydrogen) – Part 1 and pH (potential of Hydrogen) – Part 2

Candy and candy bars all come into the equation with a 1 oz. (28 grams) chocolate bar having 3 teaspoons of sugar.

empty calorie foods: avoid over-Indulging

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It is really important you don’t over-indulge on empty calorie foods, especially if on a weight loss diet as, apart from lacking in vitamins and minerals and many other nutrients essential to good health, over-indulgence will lead to weight gain.

It is also important that a proper body weight be maintained. This can be done by balancing food energy intake with activity.

If you engage in heavy physical activity you will need more food energy as fuel than a person who leads a sedentary life or does little or no exercise (not advisable), this can be supplied by empty calories foods in addition to balancing them with foods with essential nutrients.

The recommended adult daily calorie needs of somebody doing limited daily exercise with the maximum amount of empty calories in parentheses are as follows:

Male aged 19-30: 2400 (330); 31-50: 2200 (265); 51+ 2000 (260).

Female aged 19-30: 2000 (260); 31-50: 1800 (160); 51+ 1600 (-).

Dairy Products
Food	Amount	Estimated Total Calories	Estimated Empty Calories
1% milk (low fat)	1 cup	102	18
2% milk (reduced fat)	1 cup	122	37
Whole milk	1 cup	149	63
Low-fat chocolate milk	1 cup	158	64
Cheddar cheese	1½ oz.	172	113
Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese	1½ oz.	128	76
Fruit flavored low-fat yogurt	1 cup (8 fl. oz.)	250	152
Frozen yogurt	1 cup	224	119
Ice cream, vanilla	1 cup	275	210
Cheese sauce	¼ cup	120	64

Protein Foods
Food	Amount	Estimated Total Calories	Estimated Empty Calories
Regular ground beef 80% lean	3 oz. Cooked	229	64
Roasted chicken thigh with skin	3 oz. cooked	209	47
Fried chicken with skin and batter	3 medium wings	478	382
Beef sausage (pre-cooked)	3 oz. cooked	345	172
Pork sausage	2 patties (2 oz.)	204	96
Beef bologna	3 slices (1 oz. each)	261	150

Grains
Food	Amount	Estimated Total Calories	Estimated Empty Calories
Blueberry muffin	1 small muffin (2 oz.)	259	69
Croissant	1 medium (2 oz.)	231	111
Biscuit, plain	1 medium (2½” diameter)	186	71
Cornbread	1 piece (2½” x 2½” x 1¼”)	167	52
Corn flakes cereal	1 cup	90	8
Frosted corn flakes cereal	1 cup	147	56
Graham crackers	2 large pieces	118	54
Whole wheat crackers	5 crackers	85	25
Round snack crackers	7 crackers	106	42
Chocolate chip cookies	2 large	161	109
Chocolate cake	1 slice of two-layer cake	408	315
Glazed doughnut, yeast type	1 medium, 3¾” diameter	255	170
Cinnamon sweet roll	1 medium roll	223	137

Fruit and Vegetables
Food	Amount	Estimated Total Calories	Estimated Empty Calories
Sweetened applesauce	1 cup	173	68
French fries	1 medium order	431	185
Onion rings	1 order (8 to 9 rings)	275	160

Miscellaneous Foods
Food	Amount	Estimated Total Calories	Estimated Empty Calories
Pepperoni pizza	1 slice 14″ pizza, regular crust	340	139
Regular soda	1 can (12 fl. oz.)	136	136
Regular soda	1 bottle (19.9 fl. oz.)	192	192
Fruit-flavored drink	1 cup	128	128
Butter	1 teaspoon	36	33
Stick margarine	1 teaspoon	36	32
Cream cheese	1 Tablespoon	41	36
Heavy (whipping) cream	1 Tablespoon	51	45
Frozen whipped topping (Non dairy)	¼ cup	60	55

Alcoholic Beverages
Food	Amount	Estimated Total Calories	Estimated Empty Calories
Table wine	1 glass (5 fl. oz.)	121	121
Beer (regular)	1 can ( 12 fl. oz.)	155	155
Beer (light)	1 can (12 fl. oz.)	104	104
Distilled spirits (80 proof)	1 standard drink (1½ fluid oz.)	96	96

Calories from alcohol are not from solid fats or added sugars, but they count against your limit for empty calories.

Data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). U.S. Department of Agriculture

I hope this article has given you some insight as to why empty calorie foods should be avoided in any healthy diet, be it weight loss or otherwise.

Next up, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of organic and non-organic food.

Organic or Non-Organic – Part 1