What Are ‘Empty-Calorie’ Foods?
Foods described as ’empty-calorie’ contain a very low nutrient/calorie ratio. Meaning, they have very few nutrients like vitamins and minerals when compared to their calorie level.
Empty calorie foods are NOT a good option when following a calorie-controlled weight loss diet. The fewer the calories, the more important it is to eat nutrient-dense foods.
Good examples of empty-calorie foods are sweets and regular soft drinks – both are high in calories (high sugar content) but almost devoid of nutrients.
Empty-calorie foods are the oppposite of nutrient-dense foods which are high in nutrition when compared to their calorie content.