Empty Calories: What They Are & Foods to Avoid
Here is a myth worth busting immediately: "empty calories" do not mean calories that do not count. They count exactly the same as any other calories toward your energy balance. What makes them "empty" is everything else they fail to deliver — protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals — while still taking up your calorie budget and, crucially, leaving you hungrier than foods that actually nourish you.
Key Takeaways
- • Empty calories come from added sugars and solid fats — they provide energy with minimal protein, fiber, or micronutrients
- • CDC data: empty calories represent ~40% of daily caloric intake for children and adolescents aged 2–18
- • The 6 biggest sources: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk
- • Ultra-processed foods supply 55% of calories in the average American diet (CDC, 2025)
- • The fix is not perfection — the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines allow up to 10% of calories from added sugars within a nutritious overall diet
The Official Definition (and Why It Matters)
The term "empty calories" originates from the USDA's Dietary Guidelines framework and specifically refers to calories from two sources: added sugars and solid fats. These components contribute energy to the diet but minimal essential nutrients.
Added sugars are sugars and syrups added to foods during processing or preparation — distinct from naturally occurring sugars in whole fruit or dairy. Solid fats are fats that are solid at room temperature: butter, beef fat (tallow), shortening, stick margarine, and the fat in full-fat dairy products and fatty meats. Both categories can appear in the same food simultaneously (think: frosted donuts, which combine shortening and added sugar in a single serving).
Alcohol occupies a related category — it provides 7 calories per gram with no nutritional function, making it arguably the most empty-calorie substance in the American diet, though the USDA framework addresses it separately.
The Scale of the Problem: Data From CDC and USDA
The statistics on empty calorie consumption in the United States are striking. According to CDC childhood nutrition data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), empty calories from added sugars and solid fats account for approximately 40% of total daily caloric intake in American children and adolescents aged 2–18. About half of those empty calories come from just six food categories.
For adults, the picture is different in quantity but not in kind. A 2025 CDC data brief (Products — Data Briefs, No. 536, August 2025) found that Americans aged 1 and older derive 55.0% of total calories from ultra-processed foods. Youth aged 1–18 consume an even higher share: 61.9% of all calories from ultra-processed sources.
The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans allocate only 270 "discretionary" calories (the official term for empty-calorie allowance) within a standard 2,000-calorie diet after meeting all essential nutrient needs. Most Americans consume 2–3 times that amount from empty-calorie sources daily.
The Six Biggest Sources of Empty Calories in the American Diet
CDC research identifies six food categories as responsible for the largest share of empty calories consumed by Americans. Understanding them by category — not just by individual food item — makes it easier to identify and reduce them across different eating patterns.
| Category | Common Examples | Typical Empty-Cal Serving | Why It's Problematic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar-sweetened beverages | Soda, fruit punch, energy drinks, sweet tea | 150–250 kcal/12 oz | Liquid calories do not trigger satiety signals the way solid food does |
| Dairy desserts | Ice cream, frozen yogurt, pudding, flavored milk | 200–350 kcal/serving | High sugar + fat combination maximally stimulates the reward pathway |
| Grain desserts | Cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, muffins | 200–450 kcal/serving | Refined flour + solid fats + added sugar; displaces nutrient-dense meals |
| Pizza | Delivery pizza with processed meat toppings | 280–420 kcal/slice | Solid fat from cheese + sausage dominates; low in fiber and micronutrients |
| Whole milk | Whole milk, full-fat cream | 150 kcal/cup (vs. 80 kcal for skim) | The saturated fat content qualifies; note milk still provides protein and calcium |
| Candy | Gummies, chocolate bars, hard candy | 150–280 kcal/oz | Pure added sugar with trace micronutrients; no satiation mechanism |
Source: CDC Childhood Nutrition Facts (2024) and USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025. Calorie ranges represent typical commercial portion sizes.
Why Empty Calories Are Linked to Weight Gain: The Satiety Mechanism
Empty-calorie foods cause weight gain not because they contain "special fattening calories" — a calorie from sugar and a calorie from broccoli produce the same energy in your cells. The problem is that they are almost universally low in the two macronutrients most responsible for satiety: protein and fiber.
Protein triggers the most powerful satiety response of any macronutrient. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Weigle et al., 2005) found that increasing protein from 15% to 30% of calories caused subjects to spontaneously eat 441 fewer calories per day — without any instructions to restrict intake. Fiber slows gastric emptying, feeds gut bacteria that produce satiety-signaling short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and adds bulk to food.
Empty-calorie foods are typically very low in both. A 20 oz bottle of cola contains 240 calories, 0g protein, and 0g fiber. A 200-calorie bag of gummy candy delivers the same: zero satiety-producing nutrients. The result is that after consuming these foods, your total caloric intake for the day is 240 calories higher — but your hunger is entirely unchanged. This is the actual mechanism connecting empty calories to overconsumption and weight gain.
Added Sugar: The Primary Driver of Empty Calories
Added sugar deserves special attention because it is the most pervasive source of empty calories in modern processed food. According to CDC NHANES data, Americans consume an average of 77g of added sugar daily — more than double the American Heart Association's recommended limit of 36g/day for men and triple the 25g/day limit for women.
The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines recommend keeping added sugar below 10% of total daily calories (50g on a 2,000-calorie diet). At the current American average of 77g, added sugar alone contributes approximately 308 calories per day — 15.4% of a 2,000-calorie diet — from a source that delivers no protein, no fiber, no vitamins, and no minerals.
| Food Item | Serving | Added Sugar (g) | Calories from Sugar | % of AHA Women's Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola | 20 oz bottle | 65g | 260 | 260% |
| Glazed donut | 1 donut (75g) | 12g | 48 | 48% |
| Flavored yogurt | 1 cup (227g) | 22g | 88 | 88% |
| Ben & Jerry's ice cream | ½ cup (95g) | 22g | 88 | 88% |
| Starbucks Grande Frappuccino | 16 oz | 50g | 200 | 200% |
| Kind Bar (Dark Chocolate) | 1 bar (40g) | 5g | 20 | 20% |
AHA women's daily limit: 25g added sugar (6 tsp). AHA men's limit: 36g (9 tsp). Nutrition data from USDA FoodData Central and manufacturer label data.
Solid Fats: The Other Half of the Empty-Calorie Equation
Solid fats are the less-discussed component of empty calories, yet they contribute a substantial share of discretionary energy in most American diets. The primary concern with solid fats is not that fat itself is harmful — dietary fat is essential — but that solid fats (mostly saturated and trans fats) carry a disproportionate cardiovascular disease burden relative to unsaturated fats, and they appear most heavily in highly processed foods that crowd out more nutritious options.
The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines cap saturated fat at under 10% of total daily calories — roughly 22g on a 2,000-calorie diet. The American Heart Association is more conservative: less than 5–6%, or 13g/day. The average American consumes approximately 28–30g of saturated fat daily per NHANES data, meaningfully above both thresholds.
Common high-solid-fat foods include: butter (7g saturated fat per tablespoon), full-fat cheese (6g per ounce), sausage and processed meats (4–9g per 2 oz), commercial baked goods using shortening, and coconut oil (12g per tablespoon, despite its health food reputation). Note that olive oil, avocado oil, and most nut oils are primarily unsaturated — they are not classified as solid fats and are not part of the empty-calorie problem.
The Nutrient Displacement Effect: Why This Matters Beyond Calories
The most significant health consequence of high empty-calorie intake is not the calories themselves — it is what those calories displace. Every gram of added sugar consumed in a soda is a gram not occupied by protein, fiber, or micronutrients from whole foods. At a population level, this displacement creates the paradox of Americans who are simultaneously overfed and micronutrient-deficient.
According to the Linus Pauling Institute's analysis of NHANES data, 94.3% of Americans fail to meet the daily requirement for vitamin D, 88.5% for vitamin E, 52.2% for magnesium, and 44.1% for calcium. These are not deficiencies caused by food scarcity — they reflect calorie budgets consumed by foods that deliver essentially no micronutrients.
The practical consequence extends to fitness outcomes as well. Magnesium deficiency impairs muscle protein synthesis and recovery. Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with lower testosterone levels in men (per a 2011 randomized trial in Hormone and Metabolic Research). Iron deficiency reduces aerobic capacity. The athlete who drinks two sodas per day and avoids vegetables is undermining their training through micronutrient displacement, not just calorie excess.
Hidden Empty Calories: Foods That Fool You
Several foods marketed as healthy or neutral deliver significant empty calories in ways that catch people off guard:
"100% Fruit Juice"
Whole fruit contains naturally occurring sugars alongside fiber, which moderates absorption and provides satiety. Juice removes the fiber — a glass of orange juice (8 oz) contains 26g of sugar and 0g of fiber, while two whole oranges (the amount needed to produce that juice) contain 24g of sugar plus 6g of fiber. The USDA counts only added sugars as empty calories, technically exempting juice, but the practical effect on blood sugar and satiety is similar to soda for people drinking multiple glasses daily.
Flavored Coffee Drinks
A Starbucks Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte contains 50g of added sugar and 380 calories — equivalent to a full meal in caloric impact, but with only 14g of protein from the milk and no fiber. Many people add these drinks on top of breakfast rather than instead of it, creating a 380-calorie surplus of near-empty calories before 9 AM. Plain coffee or espresso contains essentially zero calories; the empty calories come entirely from flavored syrups, sweetened creamers, and whipped cream.
Commercial Granola and "Health" Bars
Many granola products and protein bars marketed toward fitness enthusiasts contain 15–30g of added sugar per serving, alongside refined grain bases. A popular granola brand contains 13g of added sugar per half-cup serving with only 3g of protein and 2g of fiber. This is nutritionally closer to a cereal dessert than a health food. The halo of "natural" or "whole grain" marketing does not change the added-sugar content.
How to Cut Empty Calories Without Feeling Deprived
The goal is not to eliminate all enjoyment from eating. The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines explicitly allow space for added sugars within a healthy diet — the problem is scale, not any single food choice. Here are evidence-based strategies that reduce empty calorie intake without requiring willpower-based restriction:
1. Replace Liquid Empty Calories First
Liquid calories are the highest-return target because they provide zero satiety. Replacing one 20 oz soda daily (240 cal, 65g sugar) with water or sparkling water saves 240 calories and 65g of added sugar with zero hunger cost — your brain does not register liquid calories as food in most circumstances. A 2015 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water produced an average of 1.5 kg of additional weight loss over 6 months without any other dietary changes.
2. Swap Nutrient-Poor Snacks for High-Protein Alternatives
The reason empty-calorie snacks are so easy to overeat is not willpower weakness — it is biology. Protein and fiber turn off hunger hormones; sugar and refined fat do not. Replacing a 200-calorie candy bar (0g protein, 0g fiber) with 200 calories of cottage cheese + blueberries (14g protein, 2g fiber) provides the same energy in a form that actually signals satiety. The substitution requires no calorie restriction — just nutrient substitution.
3. Read Labels for Added Sugar Specifically
Since 2020, FDA-mandated Nutrition Facts panels distinguish "Total Sugars" from "Added Sugars" on packaged foods. Use the added sugar line — not total sugars — to identify empty-calorie contributions. Naturally occurring sugars in plain dairy, whole fruit, and some vegetables do not qualify as empty calories under the USDA framework and carry fiber, vitamins, and protein alongside them.
4. Audit Your Calorie Budget Using TDEE
If you are actively trying to lose weight or maintain body composition, knowing your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) creates a concrete budget that makes the trade-off visible. When you know your maintenance calories are 2,200/day and you are targeting a 400-calorie deficit, a single Frappuccino at 380 calories consumes nearly your entire daily deficit allowance — leaving no room for anything else. Use the Calorie Calculator to establish your personalized maintenance number, then track whether empty-calorie foods are consuming the deficit you are working to create.
5. Apply the 80/20 Rule, Not Zero Tolerance
Attempting to eliminate all empty calories is neither necessary nor sustainable. Research on dietary adherence consistently shows that flexible dietary approaches (allowing occasional off-plan foods) produce better long-term outcomes than rigid all-or-nothing frameworks. The actual target, per USDA guidelines, is that 80–90% of calories come from nutrient-dense foods — which leaves 10–20% as discretionary room for the foods you enjoy most. The problem is not occasional soda; it is soda replacing water as the default beverage for 365 days a year.
Empty Calories vs. Zero-Calorie Foods: A Useful Distinction
Empty calories should not be confused with zero-calorie foods. Zero-calorie foods (celery, cucumber, leafy greens, most vegetables) are high in fiber, water, and micronutrients — the opposite of empty. They fill stomach volume without adding significant energy, making them some of the most valuable foods for satiety and weight management.
For a complete guide to foods that fill you up with minimal caloric cost, see our Zero Calorie Foods guide — the practical counterpart to this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are empty calories?
Empty calories are calories from added sugars and solid fats that provide energy but minimal protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals. The USDA coined the term in their Dietary Guidelines framework. Examples include soda, candy, and commercial baked goods. The calories are not "empty" in the sense of not counting — they count exactly the same as any calorie — but they fail to deliver the nutrients that accompany equally caloric whole foods.
How many empty calories does the average person eat per day?
Per CDC NHANES data, Americans consume 500–800 empty calories daily from added sugars and solid fats — about 25–40% of total intake. For children and adolescents (ages 2–18), empty calories represent roughly 40% of total daily calories. The six largest sources are: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk.
Are empty calories different from low-nutrient-density foods?
They overlap but are not identical. "Empty calories" is the USDA's specific framework covering added sugars and solid fats. "Nutrient density" is a broader ratio of micronutrients to calories. Ultra-processed foods can fail both definitions simultaneously. For most practical purposes, the nutrient density concept is more useful because it captures a wider range of processed foods that fail to nourish even when they do not technically qualify as "empty calorie" foods.
Do empty calories cause weight gain faster than regular calories?
Not directly — a calorie from sugar and a calorie from chicken produce the same energy. The weight gain association comes from indirect mechanisms: empty-calorie foods are low in protein and fiber (the two most satiating nutrients), engineered to override fullness signals, and easy to consume in large quantities without triggering hunger suppression. A 2025 CDC data brief found 55% of all American calories come from ultra-processed foods, which are disproportionately empty-calorie sources.
Which foods have the most empty calories?
The six largest sources in the American diet per CDC data: sugar-sweetened beverages (soda, energy drinks, fruit drinks), dairy desserts (ice cream, sweetened yogurt), grain desserts (cookies, cakes, pastries), pizza with high-fat processed meat, whole milk, and candy. Alcohol is a major additional source at 7 cal/gram with no nutritional function.
Can you eat empty calorie foods and still be healthy?
Yes, in moderation. The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines allocate 10% of calories to added sugars and allow saturated fat up to 10% within an otherwise nutrient-dense diet. The issue is not any single food but patterns — when empty-calorie foods consistently crowd out nutrient-dense ones, micronutrient deficiencies follow. If 85–90% of your calories come from whole, minimally processed foods, occasional empty-calorie choices will not meaningfully impair health.
Know Your Calorie Budget — And What Fills It
Understanding how many calories you actually need makes empty vs. nutrient-dense calorie trade-offs concrete.
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