Talk:Empty calorie
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The previous wording was "Empty calorie describes a calorie with little or no marked nutritional value, typically from processed carbohydrates and/or fats." As the article goes on to point out, this is a contradiction since its very caloric value gives these "empty calories" the same nutritional value as any other calories,--rather the phrase refers to the lack of accompanying micronutrients, fiber, complex carbohydrates, etc. typical of processed and refined foods. NTK 19:19, 10 January 2006 (UTC)
This article says that white bread and white rice are high in "empty calories", but in the U.S. at least, both of these are almost always fortified with vitamins and minerals. Therefore, they can't be empty calories.
- Incorrect. Fortification is an afterthought that does not come even remotely close to restoring the nutrients lost (at least in the case of white flour). Though it is not a source that could be cited in the main article, this page has some pretty interesting numbers taken from the USDA. --Warrior-Poet 21:33, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
Wine and beer also contain nutrients. Granted, not a huge amount, but both of them, in moderation, can be a healthy part of a person's diet. 65.41.187.75 02:14, 9 June 2006 (UTC)
The phrase 'empty calories' seems particularly uninformative and not based on sound science. Is the claim that the health risk is that 'empty calories' taste so good and are so convenient that it encourages overeating and resultant obesity? That seems plausible. Or is the claim that 'empty calorie' diets will result in poor health due to lack of vitamins, minerals, etc? Is there any evidence of of the latter argument? And couldn't a simple daily vitamin remove any risk of that? Scotchex 18:44, 23 October 2006 (UTC)
- I think you are both missing the point of the article. Nowhere does it assert that the foods listed here cannot be a healthy part of a person's diet - although that is a rather tenuous argument for many of the foods listed here. Nor does it assert that one cannot take vitamin supplements and make up for what empty calorie foods cannot provide. Those are separate arguments to be handled in another article. The article asserts that a) Dietitians consider some foods to be "empty calorie" foods on the basis of poor nutritional content and b) that empty calorie foods can lead to malnutrition (the reasons for this are somewhat obvious, though I suppose that direct evidence to support this claim would be to the benefit of the article). The article also states that dietitians recommend nutrient-dense foods over the "empty (or near empty) calorie" foods listed, which does not strike me as something that
needs to be further supported either. That readers may take exception to their favorite foods being dubbed "empty" in no way undermines the legitimacy or relevance of the article. --Warrior-Poet 21:33, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
Open Source hey —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.177.130.198 (talk) 14:01, 12 September 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Move
Although I never put the move tag on this page, and the above discussion doesn't appear to be about the move, so I'll create the discussion here. Personally, I'd oppose a move to junk food because empty calories are dealt with more on a nutritional side, rather than an over-all on junk food. Kilo•T 19:01, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
I concur with this argue that empty calorie should not be moved. —Preceding unsigned comment added by RobDBuck (talk • contribs) 23:48, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
