What are empty calories?
Empty calories refer to the amount of energy present in certain high-energy foods, which have low nutritional value. In such food products, the energy comes primarily from processed carbohydrates or fats, and sometimes even from ethanol. An empty calorie will usually contain the same amount of energy as normal calories, but is poor in nutritional benefit such as lack of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, dietary fiber and antioxidants. Empty calorie intake leads to weight gain and therefore should be avoided by all those who want to lose weight. Some examples of empty calorie food products are soft drinks, jellies, ice cream, sweets, candy, margarine, white rice, white bread, butter, lard, alcoholic beverages, beer, wine, and fatty junk foods such as hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs. , Fried chicken and French fries.
Are all calories the same?
The answer is no; all calories are not created equal. It’s a common myth in the fitness world that weight loss or gain is simply a matter of how many calories you’ve consumed and how many you’ve burned; that is, a calorie is the same if it is obtained from protein, fat or carbohydrates. But this is not the case. For example; Just consider two groups: Group A consumes 2,000 calories from pizza, soda, hot dogs, and coffee, while Group B consumes the same 2,000 calories but from vegetables, fruit, chicken, fish, and oatmeal. Now, would you say that group B calories are better than group A? This is because the nutritional value of the calories ingested by Group B is much higher than Group A, which makes it different.
Does the body process all calories in the same way? For example; 100 calorie pack vs. 120 Cal from a banana?
It was widely believed until now that all calories are processed and metabolized in the same way in our body. But scientific research shows otherwise; Our bodies react very differently to calories depending on their source and how they are consumed. Calories from different sources, such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates, are similar in their energy content, but each is processed differently by the body. This is because the body has to expend different amounts of energy to process and metabolize different nutrients and calories; more energy is expended to process protein than carbohydrate and more energy is expended to process carbohydrate than fat. Therefore, 120 calories from a banana adds fewer calories to your body than a 100 Cal pack.
Does the body digest calories the same way at different times of the day?
It was believed that time has nothing to do with the way our body digests calories and therefore you can eat at any time of the day without worrying. But a recent study has revealed that there is, in fact, a bad time to eat. Although there are conflicting reports, there is sufficient and more circumstantial evidence to show that poor eating habits and wrong timing definitely affect the way the body processes and metabolizes calories. Although the body’s digestive process remains the same, it has been observed that eating late at night often leads to weight gain and other digestive problems compared to people who eat early. But none of this has been fully proven, so the question remains moot.