Empty Calories

Empty Calories is the nickname give to food or drink that contain NO nutritional content but high amounts of calories which turn straight to fat. Once eaten, the foods are digested straight away causing high insulin levels, short term hunger suppressant and ultimately weight gain and related health problems. They fall into the junk food category.

Green Nectar believes good tasting food doesn't have to come from empty calories. Good Natural organic fruit and vegetables are full of nutrients, boosting your health. This will start a chain reaction where your body will start to loose weight in a healthy way with no need for dramatic diets, that once your body finds its right weight, it will stay there.

Where does 'Empty Calories' Come From

Calories are obtained from any type of food and are known as the fuel for your body so in order to find out what the good foods are we need to look at the bad. All good foods have nutrients in them that the body will extract and use. The rest is usually fat  or converted to fat from sugar or simply waste. So where food has no 'goodness', there  are deemed only to be 'empty calories'.

They can also be thought of as junk foods as they have no nutritional value. Empty calories in small moderation before exercise can be useful for energy but prolonged diets consisting heavily in empty calories lead to heart, blood and cardiovascular problems including diabetes type 2.

Below are just a few of the foods that contain empty calories. Most of the others are off springs of the list below so if the foods have similar characteristics, ingredients then they are likely to be junk foods that contain empty calories.

• Alcohol (beer, wines and spirit)
• Artificially sweetened foods and dairy products.
• Biscuits
• Bread (white)
• Cakes
• Candy
• Chocolate bars
• Coffee
• Crisps
• Empty calories are otherwise known as:
• Fizzy Drinks
• Fruit cordial
• Heavily fried food (fried chicken, fried chips etc)
• Mayonnaise
• Milk / White / Dark Chocolate (high quality dark chocolate contains antioxidant properties - should be consumed in small quantities)
• Salad Cream
• Tea (sugar)

Anything which has been not grown natural or organic, fried or is mixed with foods that have been fried. Always go for the healthier option, chances are it will satisfy your hunger cravings for longer and have the nutrients your body will function from.