'Empty calorie' foods: Why you shouldn't eat them.

When reading articles about processed foods, fast food, or sugary drinks, we often encounter the term "empty calories." So, what does "empty calories" mean, and what foods are considered empty calories?

Processed foods and fast food can negatively impact health - Illustration.

According to Ms. Ngo Thi Ha Phuong (Center for Nutrition Education and Communication - Institute of Nutrition), "calorie" is a unit of energy. In nutrition, calories refer to the energy that people receive from the food and drinks they consume. This energy will be used for the body's basic metabolism (respiration, circulation, digestion) and for physical activities.

"Empty" literally means nothing. Therefore, foods are considered "empty calories" when they only provide energy but contain little or no vitamins and minerals essential for the body.

Therefore, the consequences of consuming large amounts of these foods are excess weight gain and deficiencies in vitamins and minerals.

Foods with "empty calories" are harmful to the body.

Empty calorie foods and drinks include sugary drinks and processed, ultra-processed, and fast foods. These empty calorie foods are often high in free sugars, unhealthy fats, and provide a lot of energy.

However, this will result in a deficiency of fiber, healthy fats, and protein, which are essential for the body's growth, development, immune response, and other metabolic functions.

Numerous studies have shown that consuming sugary drinks at a frequency of one can a day can have negative health effects, such as increasing the risk of bone and dental diseases, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other metabolic disorders.

Processed, ultra-processed, and fast foods tend to contain high levels of salt, sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, calories, preservatives, and processed ingredients.

When you eat these foods, they immediately affect blood sugar and blood pressure, increase inflammation, and prevent the body from receiving enough essential nutrients.

In the long term, a diet high in these types of foods can lead to digestive, immune, inflammatory, cardiovascular health problems, obesity, and more.

Reduced opportunities to consume nutrients essential for the body.

Dr. Phuong explained that the role of food is to provide nutrients for the body to grow, function normally, and stay healthy.

Nutrients not only provide energy for activity, growth, and all bodily functions (such as breathing, digestion, and heat production), but they are also the building blocks for the body's development and repair, and keep the immune system healthy.

Substances such as carbohydrates (including starch, sugar, and fiber); lipids (including saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, trans fats, and cholesterol); and proteins play a role in providing energy. These are the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Among these substances, free sugars, which belong to the carbohydrate group, and some saturated and trans fats, which belong to the group of fats, are the main components of foods containing empty calories and play a role in providing energy.

When consuming large amounts of empty calorie foods, the body is primarily supplied with energy but receives few other nutrients such as fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, and protein, which are essential for other bodily processes.

In addition, empty calorie foods provide a high amount of energy, with fats that are difficult to digest, thus making children not want to eat other foods.

Some examples of foods with empty calories - Photo: National Institute of Nutrition

Therefore, the needs for vitamins and minerals, protein, and healthy fats will not be adequately met, leading to the child's growing body not receiving sufficient materials for optimal physical and mental development.

When children consume foods with empty calories, they essentially still receive enough energy for their bodies to maintain basic metabolic functions and physical activity, but they will lack essential nutrients for growth and development.

Identify empty calorie foods.

To find out which foods contain empty calories, read the nutrition label and look for information on sugars, added sugars, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium content, and energy. Read more about nutrition label reading to make healthier food choices.

LINH HAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuc-pham-calo-rong-tai-sao-khong-nen-an-20251101151205851.htm