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What is Empty calories?
Empty calories are calories that deliver energy but bring little else your body can use. Every calorie is a unit of energy, so "empty" does not mean zero energy. It means the food is missing the vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and essential fats that make a calorie nutritionally useful. The term comes from public-health nutrition, and the USDA's MyPlate framework ties it to two main culprits in the American diet: added sugars and solid fats.
Alcohol is usually grouped in as well, since it carries 7 calories per gram and no nutritional function. A regular 12-ounce cola is the classic example: roughly 140 calories, about 39 grams of added sugar, and essentially no vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber. Compare that with an apple of similar calories, which brings fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.
Both give you energy; only one feeds you. The idea matters because you eat for two reasons at once, to meet an energy target and to meet a nutrient target. Foods heavy in empty calories make the first job easy and the second job hard, so you can hit your calorie ceiling for the day while still falling short on the nutrients that support training, recovery, and health. Understanding empty calories is really about diet quality: not just how much you eat, but how much nutrition rides along with it.
How it works
Empty calories work against you through a mismatch between energy and nutrient density. Nutrient density is the amount of beneficial nutrients a food supplies per calorie, and empty-calorie foods sit at the bottom of that scale. Added sugars and refined fats are pure or near-pure energy: table sugar is close to 100% carbohydrate, cooking oils and solid fats are close to 100% fat, and both are stripped of the fiber, water, and micronutrients found in whole foods.
Because that energy is dense and fast-absorbing, these foods are easy to overeat and tend to be less filling per calorie than protein, fiber, and water-rich whole foods, so they blunt satiety and can crowd out more nutritious choices. On an energy budget the arithmetic is simple. If you need 2,000 calories a day and spend 500 of them on soda, candy, and refined snacks, you have only 1,500 calories left to hit every vitamin, mineral, protein, and fiber target.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines call this small leftover the discretionary allowance and cap added sugars at under 10% of daily calories, about 50 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet. The World Health Organization goes further, recommending free sugars stay below 10% and ideally under 5% of energy. Over time, diets high in empty calories from added sugar are linked in cohort studies and meta-analyses to weight gain, higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, largely because the excess energy drives fat gain and metabolic strain.
The formula
Nutrient density = beneficial nutrients per calorie
Empty-calorie foods score low on nutrient density. Practical guide: keep added sugars under 10% of daily calories (about 50 g on 2,000 kcal), and ideally under 5% (about 25 g) per WHO.
How to apply it
- Swap the drink first: Sugary drinks are the single largest source of added sugar in most diets. Replacing one daily soda or sweetened coffee with water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water can cut 140 or more empty calories and about 39 grams of sugar at a stroke.
- Read the added-sugars line: Nutrition labels now list added sugars separately from total sugars. Aim to keep the daily total under about 50 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet. Checking this one line quickly reveals which packaged foods are mostly empty calories in disguise.
- Anchor meals around nutrient-dense foods: Build plates from vegetables, fruit, lean protein, legumes, and whole grains so most of your calories carry nutrients. When the base of the diet is dense in vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber, occasional treats fit without wrecking overall quality.
- Do not drink your calories from alcohol: Alcohol gives 7 calories per gram and can quietly add hundreds of empty calories to a night out, while also lowering restraint around food. Setting a drink limit, or alternating with water, is one of the fastest ways to protect an energy budget.
- Spend, don't ban: Treat empty calories as a small discretionary budget rather than a forbidden category. Keeping added sugars under 10% of daily calories leaves room for a square of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream without displacing the nutrients that matter.
Types
Added sugars
Sugars and syrups added during processing or cooking, as in soda, candy, sweetened cereal, and baked goods. They add 4 calories per gram with no accompanying nutrients, unlike the natural sugar in whole fruit or milk.
Solid and saturated fats
Fats solid at room temperature, such as butter, shortening, fatty cuts of meat, and the fat in many fried and processed foods. They pack 9 calories per gram, the densest energy source, with little micronutrient value.
Alcohol
Ethanol supplies 7 calories per gram and no vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber. Mixers made with sugary soda or syrup add still more empty calories on top, which is why cocktails climb so high in energy.
Refined starches
Highly processed grains like white bread, white rice, and many snack foods have had the fiber-rich bran and germ removed. They are not always classed as empty calories but sit low on nutrient density for similar reasons.
Worked example
Two 2,000-calorie days that hit the same energy target but differ sharply in quality. The difference is not the number of calories, it is how many of them are empty, and therefore how much nutrition the day delivers.
| Item | Empty-calorie day | Nutrient-dense day |
|---|---|---|
| Morning drink | Sweetened latte, 250 kcal | Coffee with milk, 40 kcal |
| Snack | Candy bar, 250 kcal | Apple + yogurt, 200 kcal |
| Lunch side | Chips + soda, 400 kcal | Salad + beans, 350 kcal |
| Evening | 2 beers, 300 kcal | Sparkling water, 0 kcal |
| Added sugars | ~110 g (over 20%) | ~25 g (under 5%) |
Both days can total near 2,000 calories, but the first spends a huge share on added sugar and alcohol, leaving little room for protein, fiber, and micronutrients. The second hits the same energy target while feeding the body far more.
Empty calories vs nutrient-dense calories
| Empty calories | Nutrient-dense calories | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | High and fast-absorbing | Varies, often more filling |
| Nutrients per calorie | Very low | High |
| Typical foods | Soda, candy, chips, alcohol | Vegetables, fruit, lean meat, legumes |
| Satiety | Low, easy to overeat | Higher, more satisfying |
| Role in the diet | Small discretionary budget | Base of the diet |
The goal is not zero empty calories, it is a diet built mostly on nutrient-dense foods with a small, deliberate allowance for the rest. Balance and total intake decide the outcome, not any single food.
By goal
- Fat loss: In a calorie deficit every calorie counts, so trimming empty calories from drinks, alcohol, and refined snacks is the easiest way to cut energy while keeping protein, fiber, and micronutrients high enough to preserve muscle and control hunger.
- Muscle gain: A surplus tempts you to fill it with cheap empty calories, but growth and recovery need protein, carbohydrate quality, and micronutrients. Use most of the surplus on nutrient-dense foods and keep added sugars within the 10% guideline.
- General health: Keep added sugars under 10% of daily calories, and ideally under 5% per WHO, limit alcohol, and anchor meals around whole foods. This lowers the long-term risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease linked to high added-sugar intake.
Common misconceptions
- "Empty calories have zero calories." They are packed with energy, that is the point. "Empty" refers to the near-total absence of nutrients, not energy. A can of soda has about 140 real calories your body must still account for, it just brings no vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber along with them.
- "You must eliminate empty calories completely." Diet quality is about proportion, not perfection. Guidelines leave a small discretionary budget, roughly under 10% of daily calories, for added sugars and treats. A mostly nutrient-dense diet easily absorbs the occasional dessert or drink without harm.
- "All calories are the same, so empty calories don't matter." For body weight, total energy balance dominates, but calorie sources still differ in nutrients and fullness. Empty-calorie foods are easy to overeat and crowd out nutrition, so they make hitting both your energy and nutrient targets harder at the same time.
- "Natural sugar in fruit is an empty calorie." Added sugars are the concern, not the sugar naturally packaged in whole fruit or milk. Whole fruit delivers its sugar alongside fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals, which slows absorption and makes it nutrient-dense rather than empty.
Related terms
Empty calories FAQ
What are empty calories in simple terms?
Empty calories are calories from foods and drinks that give you energy but almost no nutrients. Soda, candy, chips, and alcohol are common examples. They fill your calorie budget without supplying the vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber your body actually needs.
Do empty calories still count as calories?
Yes. Empty calories carry full energy and count toward your daily total exactly like any other calorie. The word empty refers to the lack of nutrients, not a lack of energy. A soda's 140 calories still affect your weight and energy balance.
What foods are high in empty calories?
Regular soda, energy and sports drinks, candy, cookies, cake, ice cream, pastries, chips, and many fried or heavily processed snacks are high in empty calories. Alcoholic drinks, especially cocktails made with sugary mixers, are another major source in most diets.
Is alcohol an empty calorie?
Yes. Alcohol supplies 7 calories per gram and no vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber, making it one of the emptiest calorie sources. Mixers made from sugary soda or syrup add still more, which is why cocktails and beer add up so quickly on a night out.
Are empty calories bad for weight loss?
They make weight loss harder. Empty-calorie foods are energy-dense, fast-absorbing, and often less filling, so they are easy to overeat while leaving little room for satisfying protein and fiber. Cutting them first is usually the simplest way to open up a calorie deficit.
How many empty calories are okay per day?
Guidelines suggest keeping added sugars under 10% of daily calories, about 50 grams or 200 calories on a 2,000-calorie diet, with WHO advising under 5% for extra benefit. Treat this as a small discretionary budget once your nutrient needs are met.
Is sugar in fruit an empty calorie?
No. The concern is added sugars, not the natural sugar in whole fruit. Fruit packages its sugar with fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals, which slows absorption and adds nutrition. That makes whole fruit nutrient-dense, the opposite of an empty-calorie food.
What is the difference between empty calories and nutrient-dense foods?
Empty calories give lots of energy with almost no nutrients, while nutrient-dense foods give plenty of vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber for their calories. Broccoli, salmon, beans, and eggs are nutrient-dense; soda, candy, and chips are empty-calorie foods.
Why are empty calories called empty?
They are called empty because the calories arrive without the nutrients that make food nutritionally valuable. The energy is real, but the vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber are missing, so the calories are hollow in nutritional terms even though they still affect your weight.
How do I cut empty calories from my diet?
Start with drinks: swap soda, sweetened coffee, and alcohol for water or unsweetened options. Read the added-sugars line on labels, build meals around vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and whole grains, and treat sweets as a small budget rather than a daily habit.
References
- Empty calories. Wikipedia
- Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. World Health Organization, 2015
- Huang C, et al. Association of added sugar intake with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality: a systematic review of cohort studies. Nutrients, 2022. PMC9127522
- Qin P, et al. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and mortality: a meta-analysis. PMC, 2023. PMC10050372
- Added Sugar in the Diet. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source
- What are empty calories? Definition, foods, and more. Medical News Today
- What are empty calories? Michigan State University Extension
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