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Cutting junk food out of my diet?

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Replies

  • Posts: 1,304 Member

    It's the internet. You can say whatever you want.

    I suppose. All jokes aside though, I do think there are empty calories, like in alcohol for example.
  • Posts: 5,446 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    so epic failure then, glad we agree.

    brotastic response

    done with you
  • Posts: 2,480 Member
    I’m looking at the label on a bag of BBQ Fritos, and this is junk food. Sorry if this upsets people, but since it is my food and my body, I categorize it in a way that is meaningful to me. Vegetable oil, MSG, a rainbow of weird artificial colors, added sodium and sugar, a bunch of other laboratory concoctions added, etc. I occasionally eat things like this, but I’m not kidding myself into thinking that this is some wonderful, high quality food. It is mass produced crap.
  • Posts: 13,575 Member
    JSurita2 wrote: »

    I suppose. All jokes aside though, I do think there are empty calories, like in alcohol for example.

    Me too. I think non-alcohol calories can be empty too. But I think it would near impossible to come up with a concrete definition of "empty calories" that would apply to every situation.
  • Posts: 1,304 Member

    Me too. I think non-alcohol calories can be empty too. But I think it would near impossible to come up with a concrete definition of "empty calories" that would apply to every situation.

    I would say that calories with zero or almost zero nutritional value are empty. I'm sure some will disagree of course and that's okay. Like you said, this is the internet, say whatever you want.
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  • Posts: 13,575 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »

    And then we once again return to cucumbers and iceburg lettuce being empty calories by they definition. Then cereal and ice cream can no longer be called empty calories.

    I would agree that ice cream and cereal should not be called empty calories because they aren't calories.
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  • Posts: 1,304 Member
    If the cukes are used to garnish your cocktail then they're empty.
  • Posts: 218 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »

    And then we once again return to cucumbers and iceburg lettuce being empty calories by they definition. Then cereal and ice cream can no longer be called empty calories.

    And we're back to cucumbers and lettuce. The issue is you are using extremely low calorie foods. Eat 300 calories of cucumbers or lettuce, and look at how much those small amounts of vitamins and minerals for a regular serving grow. I would amend the previous quote and say anything with high calories and zero to almost zero nutritional value. That's why we keep coming back to alcohol, because it's probably the easiest to understand in terms of something potentially very high in calories that your body couldn't actually live on long term without serious health effects. While eating all of your calories in lettuce or Lucky Charms isn't recommended either, they will at least contribute much more than alcohol to your nutrition needs.
  • Posts: 29,136 Member

    I would agree that ice cream and cereal should not be called empty calories because they aren't calories.

    what are they then? Are you just going to call them Proteins, fats, and carbs???
  • Posts: 29,136 Member

    And we're back to cucumbers and lettuce. The issue is you are using extremely low calorie foods. Eat 300 calories of cucumbers or lettuce, and look at how much those small amounts of vitamins and minerals for a regular serving grow. I would amend the previous quote and say anything with high calories and zero to almost zero nutritional value. That's why we keep coming back to alcohol, because it's probably the easiest to understand in terms of something potentially very high in calories that your body couldn't actually live on long term without serious health effects. While eating all of your calories in lettuce or Lucky Charms isn't recommended either, they will at least contribute much more than alcohol to your nutrition needs.

    I doubt you could live on 100% lettuce long term either....
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  • Posts: 218 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    I doubt you could live on 100% lettuce long term either....

    Didn't I say that in the end?
  • Posts: 218 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »

    Okay and eat 300 calories of Lucky charms and look at how many vitamins and minerals you get. A large amount of your days requirements. The point is you are all making up your own definition to what empty calories are. Then when you are shown that your definition is flawed you try and ammend it

    Yes, that's generally what happens in discussions where people contribute ideas that make you consider other aspects. I don't believe I have seen your absolute definition posted.
  • Posts: 13,575 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »

    They aren't calories? What does that mean?

    a calorie is a unity of energy, ice cream and cereal are foods that contain calories.
  • Posts: 13,575 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    what are they then? Are you just going to call them Proteins, fats, and carbs???

    proteins, fats and carbs are nutrients. Ice cream and cereal are foods that contain nutrients.
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  • Posts: 2,424 Member
    ceoverturf wrote: »

    Perhaps if people stopped using them, the debate would end, no?

    Perhaps they need to add a pop up before new members can post in the forums - use these following terms, and you'll be crucified by posters who consider it a personal insult that you didn't psychically know they're offended by them.
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  • Posts: 29,136 Member

    proteins, fats and carbs are nutrients. Ice cream and cereal are foods that contain nutrients.

    but they don't contain calories?
  • Posts: 29,136 Member
    JPW1990 wrote: »

    Perhaps they need to add a pop up before new members can post in the forums - use these following terms, and you'll be crucified by posters who consider it a personal insult that you didn't psychically know they're offended by them.

    or be wk'd by the ones riding to the rescue....
  • Posts: 13,575 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »

    So then if calories are units of energy and foods contain calories that means no food is to be considered empty calories because if they have calories they provide energy. Thanks for clarifying your stance.

    Or, maybe all calories are empty because they only measure energy provided rather than actually providing it.
  • Posts: 13,575 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    but they don't contain calories?

    Sure they do.
  • Posts: 29,136 Member

    Sure they do.

    then why did you say this:

    I would agree that ice cream and cereal should not be called empty calories because they aren't calories.

    If they aren't calories, what are they?
  • Posts: 4,855 Member
    JSurita2 wrote: »

    I'm still seriously curious, does 50 calories of alcohol give me 50 calories of energy?

    A calorie is a measure of energy.
  • Posts: 13,575 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »

    then why did you say this:

    I would agree that ice cream and cereal should not be called empty calories because they aren't calories.

    If they aren't calories, what are they?

    I said that because they aren't calories. They are food.
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