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Empty calories

All food provides calories and calories provide energy. But not all calories come with a full complement of benefits such as amino acids, fatty acids, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Some foods are said to give you empty calories. This term has nothing to do with the calorie’s energy potential or with calories having a hole in the middle. It describes a calorie with no extra benefits. The best known empty calorie foods are table ethanol and sugar, the kind of alcohol found in beer, wine, and spirits. On their own, ethanol and sugar give you energy but no nutrients.

People who abuse alcohol are not always thin, but the fact that they often substitute alcohol for food can lead to nutritional deficiencies, most commonly a deficiency of vitamin B1, resulting in loss of appetite, an upset stomach, depression, and an inability to concentrate.

But many people who can afford enough food nevertheless are malnourished because they simply don’t know how to choose a diet that gives them nutrients as well as calories. For these people, eating too many foods with empty calories can cause significant health problems, such as having weak bones; being underweight ; getting bleeding gums, skin rashes, and other nasties; and developing mental disorders, including depression and preventable retardation