Since calorie is a measure of energy, so what does it mean when, for example, alcohol, having “empty calories”? What kind of energy is being measured here?
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I have an apple. It’s filled with sugars, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc. It will be given a calorie value, say 100 calories.
Now I have a sticky bun. It’s also rated at 100 calories (for the sake of this example), but unlike the apple, it doesn’t have any of the extra vitamins, minerals, etc. Instead it is jam packed with filler – carbohydrates and fats.
So for the same 100 calories, I can choose between the apple, which for that 100 calories, my body gets some carbs, some sugars, and then minerals and vitamins it can use for growth and repair. In other words, this 100 calories is well balanced with a multitude of things your body can use.
Whereas the sticky bun is all carbs and fat. Your body cannot use any of that for long term growth or repair. All it can do is try to burn the carbs and store the fat.
So, we say “empty calories” because in the case of the sticky bun, you ate as many calories as the apple, but they were far less useful to your body in terms of the content making up those calories.
Taking this one step further: sticky bun is designed to attract you more than the apple, so the risk is that over time, you consume more sticky buns than apples leading to a deficit in the building materials your body needs to repair and keep going, you end up taking on more fat then you expect (because these foods are purposely stuffed with it) which is far more than your body would normally get if you were following a regulated/natural diet. Your body, designed to store fat when given it (for just in case energy emergencies) starts storing all of this extra fat and you gain weight.
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