Are you a victim of empty calories? Do you think you are taking in quality calories each day? There has been a lot of attention given to the consumption of empty calories in the news in recent years. Many large cities have even started to tax these empty calories dubbing it a ‘fat tax.’ Empty calories are taken in with very little thought by many. By definition, an empty calorie is a nutrient sparse or non-nutrient containing calorie derived from added sugar and/or solid fats. Solid fats are things such as butter or shortening that solidify at room temperature and can also include some meat fats. Most of the sugars identified in this category are added during food processing. For example the syrup that is added to canned fruits. These nutrient lacking, empty calories are abundant in our society today and it is true that some can make certain foods more appealing, but the bottom line is they are also adding to our waistlines and costing us money in many ways.
Empty calories add up quickly, especially if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary people require less caloric intake to prevent excessive weight gain. This creates the challenge of a proper balanced dietary food intake with a very small calorie count. What are the biggest empty calorie offenders? Soda, sports drinks, fruit drinks, chips, cookies, cakes, donuts, cheese, pizza, ice cream (a double offender both with sugar and solid fat), hot dogs, bacon and ribs to name a few. Check out this calorie count on beverage consumption.
Bottom line, explore the content of the things you eat and drink to help make the most of your caloric intake each day with nutrient dense options. If you do not like plain water, infuse it with strawberries, kiwi, or lemon (or a combination of your favorite fruits) to add flavor with natural flavors with fewer calories. Below is a link that encourages you to utilize the strawberry tops you would otherwise throw away to infuse your water! Talk about zero waste! Making your snacks at home enables you to know the nutrient content and to decrease or avoid added sugars and fats. Explore MyPlate.gov and utilize some of the tools to better educate and inform yourself on how to take control of your calories and take control of your health.
https://www.yahoo.com/health/how-to-use-your-strawberry-tops-122884392008.html
Author: Marie Arick- jmarick@ufl.edu
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