E MPTY C ALORIES : A RE THEY HINDERING YOUR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SUCCESS ? Cassie Castillo Dietetic Intern

OUTLINE What is an empty calorie? What foods encompass empty calories? How does this tie in with my plate? How do these calories effect my weight? How can I consume fewer empty calories?

W HAT IS AN EMPTY CALORIE ? Provides calories and little to no nutrients Calories from solid fats and/or added sugars Should be a minimal part of your diet Examples: cakes, soda, cupcakes, ice cream

S OLID FATS Solid at room temperature Naturally found in meat, poultry, butter, fried foods Can be added to processed foods High in saturated fats and/or trans fats Examples: baked goods, fat marbling in meat products, poultry skin, ice cream

A DDED SUGARS Added to processed or prepared foods Candies, cookies, sodas, juices, frozen fruits, specialty coffee drinks, sweet rolls, donuts Food label: brown sugar, corn syrup, maltose, molasses, sucrose, honey, maple syrup, dextrose, high frutose corn syrup

W HERE DO THESE FIT ON MY PLATE ? calories “bonus foods” -Cookies, candies, cake, alcohol Able to decrease existing empty calories on your plate! Increased Empty Cal.Decreased Empty Cal. Sweetened applesauceUnsweetened applesauce 75% ground beef95% ground beef Whole milkFat-free milk

T IPS TO CONSUME FEWER EMPTY CALORIES Choose unsweetened(drinks, cereals, frozen fruit) Choose extra lean meats more often (95% or more lean) Limit fried foods Use the nutrition label  choose products with no trans fat and little saturated fat (<7% of total calories/day) Fat free-yogurt or fruit for sweet tooth craving Make empty calorie foods an occasion!

E MPTY CALORIES & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT Concentrated sources of calories Less feeling of fullness Sugar can be addictive, increasing overall sugar intake Rapid increase in blood glucose

W RAP - UP What is an empty calorie? What foods are greatly associated with empty calories? How can we minimize our intake of empty calories?

REFERENCES United States Department of Agriculture. How do I count empty calories? unt-empty-calories.html. Accessed 12 March United States Department of Agriculture. What are empty calories? calories/calories/empty-calories.html. Accessed 12 March United States Department of Agriculture. Eat fewer empty calories. management/better-choices/fewer-calories.html. Accessed 12 March UW Health. Weight management: empty calories count. MATION-FlexMember-Show_Public_HFFY_ html. Accessed 12 March 2013.