What Are Empty Calories?

“Empty calories” is an informal nutrition term used for foods and drinks that provide energy but relatively small amounts of nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

The calories themselves are not different from other calories.

What differs is what comes with those calories.

For example, two foods can both provide 200 calories while contributing very different amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, water and other components.

What does “empty calories” mean?

The phrase does not mean that a food literally contains calories with no nutritional value.

It is shorthand for a comparison between:

energy provided

and

nutritional value provided alongside that energy

Foods commonly described as sources of empty calories tend to provide a relatively large amount of energy from added sugars, fats or alcohol while contributing fewer essential nutrients relative to that energy.

It is therefore better to think of “empty calories” as a practical description rather than a precise scientific category.

Common examples

Foods and drinks that may be described as providing many empty calories include:

• sugar-sweetened soft drinks
• some sweets and candy
• some cakes and pastries
• many sugary desserts
• some highly sweetened drinks
• alcoholic beverages
• foods that combine large amounts of added sugar and fat while providing relatively little protein, fiber or micronutrients

However, classification is not always straightforward.

A food can contain added sugar or fat and still provide useful nutrients.

That is one reason the term should not be treated as a rigid food classification system.

A simple comparison

Consider three hypothetical 200-calorie choices:

All three provide energy.

The distinction is not whether the calories “count.”

They all count toward energy intake.

The difference is the broader nutritional package.

Calories are still calories

The word “empty” can create a misleading impression that these calories somehow behave as if they do not exist.

They do.

Calories are a measure of energy.

If a drink contains 150 kcal, those 150 kcal still contribute to total energy intake even if the drink contains very few vitamins, minerals, protein or fiber.

For calorie tracking, there is no special category that makes an “empty” calorie disappear.

Empty calories vs nutrient-dense foods

The concept becomes easier to understand when compared with nutrient density.

A nutrient-dense food provides meaningful amounts of beneficial nutrients relative to its energy content or serving.

Examples can include:

• vegetables
• fruit
• legumes
• whole grains
• fish
• eggs
• dairy foods
• nuts and seeds

The exact nutrient profile differs greatly between these foods.

The point is not that they are all low-calorie.

Some nutrient-dense foods can be relatively high in calories.

For a deeper explanation, see Nutrient-Dense Foods: What They Are and How to Eat More.

Nutrient-dense does not mean low-calorie

This distinction is important.

Nuts, seeds and some oily fish can provide substantial calories while also supplying useful nutrients.

For example, nuts can contribute:

• unsaturated fats
• protein
• fiber
• vitamins
• minerals

Calling every high-calorie food a source of “empty calories” would therefore be incorrect.

Calorie density and nutrient density are different concepts.

Low-calorie does not automatically mean nutrient-dense

The reverse is also true.

A product can contain few calories without providing meaningful amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins or minerals.

Therefore:

low calorie ≠ automatically nutrient dense

and

high calorie ≠ automatically nutritionally poor

Calories answer an energy question.

Nutrient density answers a different question.

Added sugar and empty calories

Foods high in added sugars are often used as examples because added sugar contributes energy without providing protein, fiber or substantial amounts of most essential micronutrients.

But that does not mean every food containing added sugar is nutritionally equivalent.

For example, a sweetened yogurt may still provide protein and calcium.

A breakfast cereal with added sugar may also contain fiber and fortified micronutrients.

A sugary soft drink has a different nutritional profile.

The complete food matters.

Fat and empty calories

Dietary fat is energy-dense, providing more energy per gram than protein or carbohydrate.

But fat itself should not be described as nutritionally “empty.”

Dietary fats perform important physiological roles, and many fat-containing foods provide other nutrients.

Examples include:

• nuts
• seeds
• avocado
• olive oil
• oily fish

The useful question is not simply:

“Does this food contain fat?”

but rather:

“What does this food contribute to the overall diet, and how much am I eating?”

What about alcohol?

Alcohol provides energy but is not an essential nutrient.

Alcoholic drinks can therefore contribute calories without making the same nutritional contribution as foods supplying protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Some alcoholic beverages contain carbohydrates or other compounds as well, but this does not make alcohol nutritionally necessary.

From an energy-tracking perspective, calories from alcoholic drinks still contribute to total intake.

Are ultra-processed foods the same as empty calories?

No.

These terms describe different things.

“Ultra-processed” refers to a food-processing classification.

“Empty calories” refers informally to the relationship between energy and nutritional value.

An ultra-processed product may be high in calories and relatively low in some nutrients, but that is not automatically true of every product classified as ultra-processed.

Likewise, the term “empty calories” should not be used as a synonym for “processed food.”

See Ultra-Processed Foods: What the Term Means.

Are all sweets empty calories?

Not in an absolute sense.

A piece of chocolate, for example, contains more than pure energy.

Its exact nutritional profile depends on the product.

But sweets are often discussed in the context of empty calories because they can provide substantial energy while contributing relatively small amounts of protein, fiber or essential micronutrients per calorie.

The useful distinction is relative, not absolute.

Are sugary drinks a clearer example?

Often, yes.

A sugar-sweetened drink can deliver substantial energy without much protein, fiber or solid-food volume.

That makes it a relatively straightforward example of what people usually mean by empty calories.

But the purpose of the concept is not to declare a drink forbidden.

It is to understand what the calories contribute beyond energy.

Why the term has limitations

“Empty calories” sounds precise, but it is not a formal measurement such as grams of protein or milligrams of calcium.

There is no universal threshold at which a food suddenly becomes an “empty-calorie food.”

The term can also hide important context:

• portion size
• frequency of consumption
• total dietary pattern
• fortification
• nutrients present in the food
• cultural role of the food
• enjoyment and practicality

For these reasons, it is often more useful to ask specific questions about a food rather than simply labeling it “empty.”

Better questions to ask

Instead of asking only:

“Is this empty calories?”

try asking:

• How many calories does the portion provide?
• Does it contain protein?
• Does it provide fiber?
• Does it contribute useful vitamins or minerals?
• How large is the portion?
• How often do I eat it?
• What does the rest of my diet look like?

These questions provide more actionable information.

Example: comparing two snacks

Suppose Snack A contains:

• 220 kcal
• little protein
• little fiber

Snack B also contains:

• 220 kcal
• more protein
• more fiber
• some micronutrients

The calorie totals are the same.

If your only goal is calorie accounting, both contribute 220 kcal.

If you are also considering fullness and nutritional quality, Snack B may contribute more useful nutrition.

That does not make Snack A “toxic” or nutritionally forbidden.

It simply shows why calories alone do not describe the complete food.

Example: the same food in different portions

Portion size can change the practical importance of an energy-dense food.

A small amount of chocolate eaten as part of an otherwise varied diet is different from obtaining a large proportion of daily energy from sweets and sugary drinks.

This is why individual foods are better interpreted in the context of the overall pattern.

Do empty calories cause weight gain?

No individual category of food automatically causes weight gain independently of overall energy balance.

Body weight changes over time are influenced by the relationship between energy intake and energy expenditure, along with many factors that affect both sides of that relationship.

Foods that are easy to consume in large amounts may make it easier for some people to consume more energy than intended.

But describing a food as “empty calories” does not mean that eating it once directly causes fat gain.

Can you eat foods described as empty calories and still have a healthy diet?

Yes.

Diet quality is determined by the broader pattern, not by whether every individual calorie comes from a maximally nutrient-dense food.

A diet can contain:

• nutrient-dense staple foods
• adequate protein
• fiber-rich foods
• fruit and vegetables
• appropriate total energy
• some foods eaten primarily for enjoyment

The proportions and overall pattern matter more than trying to eliminate every food that might receive the “empty calorie” label.

When the concept is useful

The term can be useful when it helps explain why two diets with the same number of calories can differ nutritionally.

For example, a 2,000-calorie intake built largely around foods providing protein, fiber and micronutrients is nutritionally different from a 2,000-calorie intake in which a large share comes from sugary drinks and sweets.

The energy total can be identical while the nutrient profile differs substantially.

When the concept becomes unhelpful

The term becomes less useful when it is used to:

• divide every food into “good” and “bad”
• assume every high-calorie food is nutritionally poor
• ignore portion size
• ignore the rest of the diet
• treat occasional foods as nutritional failures
• replace specific nutrient information with a vague label

Food labels such as “empty” can make nutrition sound more binary than it actually is.

How to evaluate a food without the label

A practical method is to look at four layers.

1. Calories

How much energy does the portion provide?

2. Protein and fiber

Does the food contribute either in a meaningful amount?

3. Micronutrients

Does it contribute vitamins or minerals that matter within your overall diet?

4. Context

How large is the portion, how frequently do you eat it and what else do you eat across the day?

This approach gives more information than a simple yes/no label.

A supermarket example

Imagine choosing between three drinks.

Drink A: sugar-sweetened soft drink.

Drink B: milk.

Drink C: unsweetened fortified soy drink.

All can contribute calories depending on the product and serving.

But their protein, micronutrients, sugar content and overall nutritional roles can be very different.

Looking only at calories misses those differences.

Looking only at whether something is “empty” also misses detail.

The nutrition label gives a more useful picture.

A practical way to think about empty calories

You do not need to calculate an “empty calorie allowance.”

Instead, look at your overall eating pattern.

If a large share of your daily energy comes from foods or drinks that contribute little protein, fiber or micronutrients, replacing some of them with more nutrient-dense options can improve the nutritional value of the diet without requiring every enjoyable food to disappear.

The most useful interpretation is:

“Empty calories” describes calories that come with relatively little additional nutritional value. It does not describe a different type of calorie, and it is not a precise scientific classification of foods.