Weight loss can be boiled down to the simple fact, backed by the law of thermodynamics, of using more energy (calories) than you consume. Over time your body will use the stored energy (fat) to help it function since it is not able to meet this need from the energy it gets from the food consumed.
Therefore, when you're wanting to lose weight, it is important to consume a wide variety of nutritious foods that are minimally processed since these will give you the important vitamins and minerals that you needs along with the energy from calories.
However, there are many foods out there that can provide you with the energy but little else. This are often said to be nutrient poor foods - foods that have high calories but little nutritional gain. Another term for foods like this is "empty calorie foods". You get the calories but little else!
An example of this that we're all familiar with is simple table sugar. Sugar that we may put into tea, sprinkle on cereal or our pancakes contains a high level of calories (relative to weight) but does not give us any benefit in terms of vitamins, minerals or phytonutrients.
So if you're looking to lose weight, eating foods that just give you calories and nothing else is not a good strategy since you will still feel hungry as they will not fill you up and keep you satisfied. Also you will not get any of those health giving nutrients that your body needs to work efficiently - including the ability to shed fat when it needs to.
Here are five empty calorie foods that have no place in a diet for those looking to drop the weight:
Alcohol
Sorry folks, but this is the number one culprit in many people's diet when it comes to empty calories. Not only is it easy to over consume, alcohol has no benefits and the calories that it contains as well as the calories from the sugar within it soon mount up. A typical pint of lager can contain roughly the same number of calories as a slice of pizza.
Fizzy Drinks
Coke, lemonade, sports drinks... the list goes on. All of them are a sugary mix of carbonated water and flavourings and not much else. The levels of sugar in many of these drinks is shocking and can quickly take you over your daily sugar allowance - not to mention ramping up your calorie intake. But what about diet soda or "zero" sugar versions? Yes, these will have less sugar and fewer calories, but they contain artificial sweeteners to give them that sweet taste. Many studies are inconclusive about the long term affect of such sweeteners and some studies have shown that the carbon dioxide bubbles in the drinks may block the signals our brain gets from our stomachs to indicate when we're full. So all in all, avoid them!
Confectionery
Not surprising this one! Sweets are primarily made from sugar and have zero nutritional benefit. The sugars can give you a quick surge of energy but unless that energy is used up straight away, it is likely to be converted to fat.
Chocolate
Although this could have been included with confectionery, it is worth giving chocolate a mention on its own since not only does it come with a high amount of sugar, it also packs a lot of fat with it too. Some studies have shown that the compounds that are found in the raw form of chocolate may have some health benefits, these are outweighed by the amount of sugar and fat chocolate contains.
Fruit Juice
Yes, fruit juice is natural and can contain a good amount of healthy vitamins. But this comes at the expense of more sugar. Even though the sugar may not be added sugar - just the naturally occurring sugars in the fruit - the concentrated nature of the juice means you get far more sugar in one serving that you would from the original fruit and your body can process it much more quickly meaning you get an energy spike. Eating the whole fruit instead will give you the juice plus many more nutrients plus the valuable fibre that helps to release the sugars more slowly. Limit yourself to one glass of pure fruit juice a day (which does count as one of your five a day) and eliminate those juice drinks and squash!
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