Smoothy Slim
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Is ice cream empty calories?

Empty Foods Most empty calorie foods are highly processed and contain added fat and sugar. As you might imagine, examples include all those products that are hard to avoid such as cakes, biscuits, pies, pastries, shop-bought desserts, sweetened fruit drinks and ice cream.

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Seems like a bit of a contradiction, doesn’t it? Calories are supposed to give us energy, so how can they be empty? Well, an empty calorie does actually supply energy, but it’s not nutritionally balanced. If you’re trying to maintain or lose weight, it’s better to keep foods that contain empty calories to a minimum. While all foods contain nutrients and calories, it’s important to choose foods with more nutrients, rather than those with more calories. Nutrient-dense foods are beneficial for maintaining good health as they provide more of the things our bodies need, rather than just energy. A high intake of empty calorie foods may cause weight gain, especially if your calorie intake exceeds your activity levels. In contrast, consumption of nutrient-dense foods helps to maintain a healthy weight, in addition to supplying nutrients that protect against disease.

Empty Foods

Most empty calorie foods are highly processed and contain added fat and sugar. As you might imagine, examples include all those products that are hard to avoid such as cakes, biscuits, pies, pastries, shop-bought desserts, sweetened fruit drinks and ice cream. Empty-calorie foods also make up most of the long shelf life foods and drinks sold in vending machines. Alcoholic drinks such as beers, wines and spirits also contain high numbers of empty calories. Although these foods may be considered convenient, readily available and perhaps cheaper than their nutrient-dense counterparts, having too many of them isn’t the best thing for your health. The main issue is that if you’re consuming too much energy, but not using it up through day to day activities or exercise, the extra calories are stored in the body as fat and over time, result in weight gain.

Nutrient-Dense Foods

Eating a healthy, balanced diet of nutrient-dense foods provides many of the nutrients required to maintain health. Foods such as fruits, vegetables and plant-based proteins are not only healthy, but taste great too! Although they might provide fewer calories, they more than make up for it by being excellent sources of nutrients, vitamins and minerals such as B-vitamins, vitamins A, C, D and E, protein, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc and fibre. Nutrient-dense foods will keep you fuller for longer than empty calorie foods and they’re much better for you in the long run.

Considerations

It’s okay to enjoy empty calorie foods every now and then, but excessive intake can increase your weight and lead to other health problems. This is especially important if you have little ones. According to the National Institutes of Health, a 2010 study revealed that almost 40 percent of the calories consumed by two to 18-year-olds are empty. Most doctors recommend that children obtain only eight to 20 percent of their calories from empty calorie sources. Adults and children can improve overall health and decrease empty calorie intake by limiting portion sizes and eating high-nutrient foods throughout the day. Keep in mind that beverages can be a source of empty calories, too. Avoid beverages with added sugars and choose water most of the time.

Making the Right Choice

All good dietary guidelines encourage eating a diet of nutrient-dense foods while avoiding foods that contain sugar, refined carbohydrates, fats and salt. A plate of colourful vegetables and proteins instead of plate full of processed equivalents is the simplest way to ensure you are not eating empty calories.

Looking for healthy snacks?

If you’re after something healthy, low fat and natural which counts towards your 5 a day, then buy a TREK bar today! Checkout some of our range below:

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Is Butter good for you?

Potential Health Benefits of Butter It's rich in nutrients like bone-building calcium and contains compounds linked to lower chances of obesity. Butter can also be part of a low-carbohydrate diet, which may help people better maintain their weight or lose weight quicker than they would with a low-fat diet.

Butter is a dairy product created from proteins and fats found in milk and cream. In the U.S., most butter is cow milk-based, but butter also comes from many other sources such as milk from sheep, goats, buffalo, and yaks. Manufacturers and home chefs create butter by churning milk or cream to separate fat globules from the buttermilk. They also sometimes add salt and food coloring. Rendering butter (removing the water and milk solids) produces butterfat-rich clarified butter, or ghee. Home chefs like cooking with ghee because it has a higher smoke point than regular butter, which browns or burns easily. The higher smoke point makes ghee well-suited for frying and sauteeing foods at high heat. Non-dairy “butters” like peanut butter, apple butter, cocoa butter, and baby bottom butter are not butter in the literal sense but do resemble butter in consistency. Some studies have found links between high-fat dairy products like butter and lower chances of obesity, diabetes, and heart problems. Still, remember that butter is high in calories and saturated fat. Scientists have debated the health benefits of butter for decades.

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