what are simple carbs and empty calories

what are some examples of simple carbs that we should stay away from i know empty calories is like drink pop but wat else?

Thu. Oct 6, 5:18am

"white foods"

pasta, white rice, and white bread are generally considered simple carbs -- you can substitute whole wheat pasta, brown rice and whole grain breads. In general, don't eat refined carbs, but go for whole grain carbs.

Sugar and anything sugary is a simple carb. Juice generally falls under this category, but whole fruit (although it has a lot of fructose, a simple carb) has fiber and vitamins and is good for you.

Alcohol is another empty carb to be avoided or used in moderation only.

Any kind of cookies, cakes, most crackers -- all refined carbs, usually with a lot of fat and sugar. Candy is almost entirely sugar; chocolate also has high fat content.

And you didn't mention fatty foods, but remember that fat has 9 calories per gram, so you want to moderate your fat intake. Butter, cheese, oils, peanut butter -- all are fat. But you need some fat in your diet, and some fats are better than others. Olive oil is good, fatty fish such as salmon or tuna is also good for you. Use other animal fats (butter, cheese) in moderation. Nuts are healthy, but also fatty, so use in moderation.

So what does that leave you? Fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, healthy oils, fish, soy products. Eat nuts, meat, dairy products in moderation.

You can still indulge in desserts, cheese, etc. but do it as a rare treat rather than a daily part of your diet.

Hope this is useful to you.

Thursday, October 6, 2005, 10:15 AM

thanks it was very helpful

Thursday, October 6, 2005, 11:09 AM

What foods are empty calories?

Pretty much everything in the "snacks/cookies/crackers" aisle!

Friday, October 7, 2005, 12:20 PM

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