Many times, when we feel hungry, we just binge on any packaged food items. We just munch anything which is there ready to eat that is mostly devoid of nutrients and afterward, we feel lethargic. These food items are termed empty calories. These are mainly foods and drinks that have high sugar, fat, or alcohol content with no or empty calories. Regular consumption of these foods heightens the risk of obesity, bloating, cardiovascular, lifestyle, and hormonal disorders.

Empty calories are found in following

Cakes, cookies, pastries, and donuts (contain both solid fat and added sugars) 

Sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and fruit drinks (contain added sugars) 

Cheese (contains solid fat) Pizza and burgers (contains solid fat) 

Ice cream (contains both solid fat and added sugars) etc

Substitutes of empty calories

You can take water, no-sugar-added fruit juices, tea or coffee, tomato juice, and other vegetable juices in place of Sodas, energy drinks, and sports drinks.

You can replace bread made with whole grains: whole wheat, rye, and sprouted wheat (they have lots of fiber) with bread made with refined flour.

You can go for baked chips, air-popped popcorn, and can say no to french fries, chips, and other fried food items.

Cookies could be avoided and instead, mini gluten-free khakhra or crackers can be consumed as alternative snacks.

Sweetened yogurt should be exchanged for sugar-free yogurt.

Artificially sweetened cereal can be swapped with sugar-free muesli.

A small amount of empty calories is okay, but most people eat far more than is healthy. It is important to limit empty calories to the amount that fits your calorie and nutrient needs. You can lower your intake by eating and drinking foods and beverages containing empty calories less often or by decreasing the amount you eat or drink.