Did you had any empty calories this week? You might have…..
Empty calories are calories which supply little or no nutritional value. A few examples of empty calories are candy bars, cookies, a hot steaming caramel macchiato, a blueberry muffin, potato chips, sodas. All the yummy stuff people crave for (most people) when the days are getting colder, when you are having (or going to have) your period, when you are bored……….
Should we ban foods with empty calories then? The question is, how often and how many empty calories do you consume. If you are having empty calories on a regular base it might be time for some change. By the way empty calories have another side effect most of them are bad for your teeth. Did you know that a Kit Kat of 43 grams contains about 220 calories and a Snickers bar of 57 gram contains about 273 calories. A Grande Caramel Macchiato contains about 240 calories. And a large blueberry muffin contains approximately 385 calories?
You might be consuming empty calories without even being aware of it. Why not substitute those empty calories for nutrient-dense foods. (This is the opposite of empty calories.) Here is a list of nutrient dense foods:
- Dry fruits such as dates, prunes, cranberries, raisins, apples, apricots
- Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, pistachio, cashew (have a handful)
- Carrot sticks
- Any Fruit: apple, banana , pineapple, mango, pears, kiwis
- Rice cakes
- Instead of soda have some water with lime and mint leaves
- Instead of a fancy coffee have black coffee or coffee with skimmed milk with sugar (in moderation!) or sweetener
- Hot steaming tea with fresh mint leaves
- Homemade salted popcorn with NO butter (read: no microwave popcorn)
- A small piece of dark chocolate
- Fresh fruits with a little dot of whipped cream
- (Vegan) Yoghurt with some muesli and fresh fruits
- What would you recommend?
Have empty calories once in a while but remember in MODERATION is the keyword.
What is in moderation according to you?