Empty calories list....
Replies
-
Who said it was the only way?
you must be new here...
usually the clean eaters demonize moderation as "Twinkies and donuts all day" or claim that if you eat clean you will lose more weight than someone how practices moderation, even though the clean eater and moderate eater are in a 500 calorie deficit...
there is more too ...
i dont listen to those people. i have 50 pounds behind me that tell me what im doing is working.
to each their own, though.0 -
-
-
I 100% agree that things such as soda, alcohol, etc are empty calories. You get little nutrition out of them and yet they eat away at your daily calorie intake pretty rapidly. The occasional glass of wine or soda is ok, but if it's part of a daily diet (or replaces your water intake) then I think there is a problem. The way I personally view it (for myself) is that I refuse to waste precious calories on things that do not serve my body nutritionally. In my mind, I view it sort of like currency. If I only have X amount of calories to "spend" each day, am I spending it wisely? If not, I have to re-think my approach. The same goes for exercise and mental energy. If I only have $5 of energy to spend each day, what am I going to spend it on?
I do not agree that pizza is empty calories, however. I make homemade pizza at home often. I know what goes into it, and I'd hardly call it "empty".0 -
We have to teach our staff the Choose my plate nutritional stuff during our choking training. I purposefully avoid using the term empty calories. IF something has carbs, protein and fat I don't consider it empty.0
-
This content has been removed.
-
I think the word "empty" is certainly misleading. But the website's definition that they "add calories to the food but few or no nutrients" could be helpful to someone who is trying to maximize volume, nutrients, and fullness on less calories. I think this is geared for people who are truly lost and don't know where to begin. Cutting back on calorie-dense food for a little while to navigate what works for you isn't the worst idea. For me, eating a donut for breakfast doesn't cut it. Even if it fits my calorie budget, it looks and feels small and sad to me, and leaves me hungry afterwards. But the same calories in oatmeal leave me full and happy. Someone else might prefer the donut, and that's fine. But I think knowing that some food will give you more nutrients per calories (such as the fiber in oatmeal) can be a helpful launch point.
This.
I would agree that soda is empty calories. (Which is not to say that I don't think you should drink it, or that I never drink it. I do.)
I disagree about pretty much everything else though. Just because popular belief is that something is a "junk food" doesn't make it devoid of nutrition. Pizza has tons of nutrition. The only problem with it is A. if it makes you go over your calories or B. if for whatever reason you have a really low carb limit, it would be difficult to make that fit in your macros. Otherwise, pizza's great!
K, I'm done with my two cents and will now continue reading the thread at which point I will probably feel dumb for posting this.0 -
We have to teach our staff the Choose my plate nutritional stuff during our choking training. I purposefully avoid using the term empty calories. IF something has carbs, protein and fat I don't consider it empty.
I was reading down the list they provided and thinking about how I fill in my diary. I sort of sketch in the outline of my main meals, and then fill in details to meet certain macros.
A lot of days, I'm pretty short on fat, maybe could use a hair more protein. I often end up adding a pat of butter, some Parmesan cheese, and a serving of ice cream to meet it.
All three were no-no's.
0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »We have to teach our staff the Choose my plate nutritional stuff during our choking training. I purposefully avoid using the term empty calories. IF something has carbs, protein and fat I don't consider it empty.
I was reading down the list they provided and thinking about how I fill in my diary. I sort of sketch in the outline of my main meals, and then fill in details to meet certain macros.
A lot of days, I'm pretty short on fat, maybe could use a hair more protein. I often end up adding a pat of butter, some Parmesan cheese, and a serving of ice cream to meet it.
All three were no-no's.
I do the same thing. I prelog my lunch( I pretty much take the same thing every day- I'm so boring
) and have a rough idea of what I'm doing for dinner and then fill in the rest.
I hate having to teach this stuff because people at work know I've lost a lot of weight. So during nutrition training they ask me how I've done it and I tell them, which goes against a good portion of the choose my plate lol.
0 -
Before fat became demonized, empty calories was a phrase limited to foods that were pretty much all sugar with little to no other macronutrients or micronutrients. So things like soda and most candy qualified. And alcohol definitely did.
That's still what I define 'empty calories' as. Doesn't stop me from eating things with little to no nutritional value, but at least now I'm much more aware of it and can adjust accordingly.
0 -
that's the reason why most people who just eat junk food actually are starving in a celular level - deficit of nutrients/ empty calories
Care to clarify this remark at all? Who are these people that eat "just junk food"? How are they starving "at a cellular level"?
This seems like reductio ad donutum to me again.
0 -
For me the key to "empty calories" would be foods with few micronutrients or which basically provide only energy (like soda). I don't find it an especially helpful term, but that's what I would have assumed it meant.
Isolating calories from saturated fat or sugar and saying that even foods with lots of other nutrients are major providers of "empty calories" because they also provide additional calories from fat and sugar seems weird.
One Sunday I cooked some pork shoulder, which I used to make delicious (if I say so myself) lunches that also included lots of veggies. It was a little harder to balance my macros since they had more fat than my usual lunch, but that was not so hard to deal with. According to this analysis, though, my pork and veggie lunches would have been full of "empty calories."
Indeed, one of the bigger source of "empty calories" in my diet lately, according to this way of thinking about it, is my bone-in chicken breasts, since I prefer them with the skin and fat to the boneless, skinless kind. But that means they come (naturally, of course) with lots of "empty calories."
Like I said above, weird.
Also, nice to know that I added some "empty calories" to my omelet this morning (feta cheese). I guess according to some posters on this thread that means the broccoli and spinach I also added to the omelet was nullified. Heh.0 -
What exactly is "solid fat"? What foods would be an example of something that contains a "not solid fat" that would apparently not be an empty calorie? Confused.lemurcat12 wrote: »Also, nice to know that I added some "empty calories" to my omelet this morning (feta cheese).
Cheese is so not empty! I don't even love cheese very much, but I rely on it to help me reach my protein goals as well as my calcium. Bang for the buck, people!0 -
What exactly is "solid fat"? What foods would be an example of something that contains a "not solid fat" that would apparently not be an empty calorie? Confused.
I think "solid fat" is usually intended to refer to saturated fats. That seemed to be related to how it was being used in the examples, too.
And I agree that cheese is not empty, but the pizza example clearly was claiming otherwise, alas!0 -
This content has been removed.
-
doktorglass wrote: »but it is not an empty calorie, so the definition is in a sense, useless....
It doesn't matter what you call it, the definition is a measurement instruction. They wanted to measure excess calories consumed; calories that can be removed from the diet without any negative health effects. They formulated such a measurement and then called it empty calories.
Empty calories is by the way also called discretionary calories which is defined as "the difference between total energy requirements and the energy consumed to meet recommended nutrient intakes."url="http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/html/d3_disccalories.htm"]1[/url
Maybe this name has a more positive feel?
You're completely moving your goal post.
I'm going to assume that you would consider a serving of gummi bears to be empty calories but do you think that a person going for a 5k, or whatever k run would definately consider them empty?Essencerose3 wrote: »I 100% agree that things such as soda, alcohol, etc are empty calories. You get little nutrition out of them and yet they eat away at your daily calorie intake pretty rapidly. The occasional glass of wine or soda is ok, but if it's part of a daily diet (or replaces your water intake) then I think there is a problem. The way I personally view it (for myself) is that I refuse to waste precious calories on things that do not serve my body nutritionally. In my mind, I view it sort of like currency. If I only have X amount of calories to "spend" each day, am I spending it wisely? If not, I have to re-think my approach. The same goes for exercise and mental energy. If I only have $5 of energy to spend each day, what am I going to spend it on?
I do not agree that pizza is empty calories, however. I make homemade pizza at home often. I know what goes into it, and I'd hardly call it "empty".
Again, would everyone consider a soda empty calories? Same example as above.
If they are empty calories then they are empty for all. It's either yes or no. Not that they are empty because you want to say they are.
I am not either of the people you quoted, but in my opinion yes, those are still empty calories. The person eating/drinking it is getting a benefit from it, sure. But those items are not contributing to their overall nutrition goals as far as macro or micro nutrient, so yes, still empty.0 -
I don't really have strong feelings about this, but in that case aren't they contributing to the overall macro goals?
For example, I tried some carb timing/quick carb fueling stuff where I ate fast carbs (white rice was the main thing I added in that I wasn't already eating) around workouts. The white rice mainly added carbs/energy, but it also helped me meet my macros, since I increased my carbs to 50% on workout days when I was doing that.
There's no reason why I couldn't have used gummi bears instead, for the same purpose.0 -
-
This content has been removed.
-
lemurcat12 wrote: »
Hi,
any excess of trans fat, causes delay in the normal function of endothelial cells which may take up to 8 hours, so it will interfere with the beneficial effects of the remaining nutrients.
Now there is good pizza as stated above made with raw food.
I am referring to fast food pizza loaded with trans fat and other industrial ingredients0 -
You're completely moving your goal post.
I'm going to assume that you would consider a serving of gummi bears to be empty calories but do you think that a person going for a 5k, or whatever k run would definately consider them empty?
... empty calories =/= specific food items.
Two identical persons, A and B need 2000kcal each to maintain weight and health. All nutrients needed for a human must be contained in those 2000kcal. That includes the necessary amounts of carbs, fats and protein. Which also includes a serving of gummy bears for A and B.
Person A eats nutrient dense food so that nutrient goals are met within 2000kcal. Person B eats less nutrient dense food. According to the definition, the nutrient dense food is diluted with solid fats and refined sugar. Instead of eating just gummy bears, B fried and battered the gummy bears and dipped them in powdered sugar, diluting the food item's nutrient density. Persons A and B eat exactly the same amount of food for each meal, but now person B must add an extra meal of 500kcal to meet their nutrient goals. And as a result gains weight. Since person B could just have removed the fried batter and powdered sugar and saved 500kcal without any effect on the nutritional profile of the food, they call the extra 500kcal, empty calories.
Whether person B likes fried gummy bears and feel better including it in its diet is beside the point. Empty calories is just an aspect of health that they are interested in.0 -
Essencerose3 wrote: »I 100% agree that things such as soda, alcohol, etc are empty calories. You get little nutrition out of them and yet they eat away at your daily calorie intake pretty rapidly. The occasional glass of wine or soda is ok, but if it's part of a daily diet (or replaces your water intake) then I think there is a problem. The way I personally view it (for myself) is that I refuse to waste precious calories on things that do not serve my body nutritionally. In my mind, I view it sort of like currency. If I only have X amount of calories to "spend" each day, am I spending it wisely? If not, I have to re-think my approach. The same goes for exercise and mental energy. If I only have $5 of energy to spend each day, what am I going to spend it on?
I do not agree that pizza is empty calories, however. I make homemade pizza at home often. I know what goes into it, and I'd hardly call it "empty".
people who are replacing water with alcohol are more than likely alcoholics, so that is kind of a ludicrous comparison point...0 -
doktorglass wrote: »but it is not an empty calorie, so the definition is in a sense, useless....
It doesn't matter what you call it, the definition is a measurement instruction. They wanted to measure excess calories consumed; calories that can be removed from the diet without any negative health effects. They formulated such a measurement and then called it empty calories.
Empty calories is by the way also called discretionary calories which is defined as "the difference between total energy requirements and the energy consumed to meet recommended nutrient intakes."url="http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/html/d3_disccalories.htm"]1[/url
Maybe this name has a more positive feel?
You're completely moving your goal post.
I'm going to assume that you would consider a serving of gummi bears to be empty calories but do you think that a person going for a 5k, or whatever k run would definately consider them empty?Essencerose3 wrote: »I 100% agree that things such as soda, alcohol, etc are empty calories. You get little nutrition out of them and yet they eat away at your daily calorie intake pretty rapidly. The occasional glass of wine or soda is ok, but if it's part of a daily diet (or replaces your water intake) then I think there is a problem. The way I personally view it (for myself) is that I refuse to waste precious calories on things that do not serve my body nutritionally. In my mind, I view it sort of like currency. If I only have X amount of calories to "spend" each day, am I spending it wisely? If not, I have to re-think my approach. The same goes for exercise and mental energy. If I only have $5 of energy to spend each day, what am I going to spend it on?
I do not agree that pizza is empty calories, however. I make homemade pizza at home often. I know what goes into it, and I'd hardly call it "empty".
Again, would everyone consider a soda empty calories? Same example as above.
If they are empty calories then they are empty for all. It's either yes or no. Not that they are empty because you want to say they are.
I am not either of the people you quoted, but in my opinion yes, those are still empty calories. The person eating/drinking it is getting a benefit from it, sure. But those items are not contributing to their overall nutrition goals as far as macro or micro nutrient, so yes, still empty.
sugar = energy, so how can that be empty?0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »
Hi,
any excess of trans fat, causes delay in the normal function of endothelial cells which may take up to 8 hours, so it will interfere with the beneficial effects of the remaining nutrients.
Now there is good pizza as stated above made with raw food.
I am referring to fast food pizza loaded with trans fat and other industrial ingredients
what if I get fast food pizza loaded with vegetables, is it then good?
0 -
I will never understand how a meal of bread, cheese, ham and an assortment of vegetables is completly acceptable, but as soon as the bread is round and flat, and the other ingredients are baked on top of it, it becomes the debbil.0
-
What exactly is "solid fat"? What foods would be an example of something that contains a "not solid fat" that would apparently not be an empty calorie? Confused.lemurcat12 wrote: »Also, nice to know that I added some "empty calories" to my omelet this morning (feta cheese).
Cheese is so not empty! I don't even love cheese very much, but I rely on it to help me reach my protein goals as well as my calcium. Bang for the buck, people!
Hi,
You can get the daily amount of calcium through a tablespoon of sesame and linseed omega 3 by a soup spoon. the protein you can get from broccoli .
I stopped drinking milk because several negative studies , and I chose to make my own almond milk with honey and pure cocoa .0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »I will never understand how a meal of bread, cheese, ham and an assortment of vegetables is completly acceptable, but as soon as the bread is round and flat, and the other ingredients are baked on top of it, it becomes the debbil.
flattening = processing = bad0 -
What exactly is "solid fat"? What foods would be an example of something that contains a "not solid fat" that would apparently not be an empty calorie? Confused.lemurcat12 wrote: »Also, nice to know that I added some "empty calories" to my omelet this morning (feta cheese).
Cheese is so not empty! I don't even love cheese very much, but I rely on it to help me reach my protein goals as well as my calcium. Bang for the buck, people!
Hi,
You can get the daily amount of calcium through a tablespoon of sesame and linseed omega 3 by a soup spoon. the protein you can get from broccoli .
I stopped drinking milk because several negative studies , and I chose to make my own almond milk with honey and pure cocoa .
please link us to the negative studies….0 -
By that definition, the only food that's not "empty" is multivitamin pills. 1 pill has less than 1 calorie and more micronutrients than any piece of vegetable could only dream of.doktorglass wrote: »explain to me how a vegetable pizza would be an empty calorie?
By the definition, they are just comparing foods based on nutrient density (proportion of nutrients in a food relative to its energy content), and calorie density (amount of energy relative to weight of the food). They are not saying that a vegetable pizza is devoid of nutrients, but compared to other foods with the same calorie content and weight, the nutrient profile is much lower. Meaning that one probably has to eat more calories to fulfill one's daily micro-nutrient needs.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions