• By Elizabeth Edmonds
• Posted Monday, December 3, 2012

Tips on eating fewer empty calories

Many of the foods and beverages Americans eat and drink contain empty calories – calories from solid fats and/or added sugars. Solid fats and added sugars add calories to the food but have few or no nutrients. For this reason, the calories from solid fats and added sugars in a food are often called empty calories.

The foods and beverages that provide the emptiest calories for Americans are: cakes, cookies, pastries, and donuts, sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and fruit drinks, cheese pizza, ice cream, sausages, hot dogs, bacon, and ribs. These foods and beverages are the major sources of empty calories, but many can be found in forms with less or no solid fat or added sugars.

Here are three ways to cut back on empty calories:

1. 1. Choose foods and drinks with little or no added sugars or solid fats.
2. 2. Select products that contain added sugars and solid fats less often.
3. 3. When you have foods and drinks with added sugars and solid fats, choose a small portion.

For more tips about empty calories click here.

For more tips and resources click here.

For information about the Behealthy School Kids Program call 336-703-3217, emailmillerya@forsyth.cc, or visit: Be healthy School Kids Program.