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empty calories

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Sneaking a sweet treat every now and then is something we all look forward to. Sweets, however, are full of sugar, so it can be hard to justify eating too many of them in one go or eating them regularly. However, sweets aren’t all bad, and there are reasons why you shouldn’t cut them out altogether.

Here’s our list of the pros and cons of eating sweets.

1. Pro: They Can Have Uses

Eating sweets isn’t all about getting your sugar fix. Sweets can actually help to sating our hunger, believe it or not. For instance, if you suffer from anxiety, depression, insomnia or chronic pain, healthy gummy bears can offer you a way to alleviate the symptoms of your condition and allow you a little sneaky treat at the same time, particularly if they are infused with a compound like CBD. It’s win-win!

2. Con: Energy Crashes

Unfortunately, sugar isn’t a good source of energy for the everyday person. When you consume sugar, your body goes through a cycle. While you might find yourself initially energized from the sugar intake, within a few hours your blood sugar is broken down and you’ll start to feel the crash. This can leave you feeling sleepy and grumpy, and you’ll be finding that the small energy gain you got from the sugar wasn’t worth it in the first place!

3. Pro: Boost Your Mood

Sugar makes us feel good, and there’s actually some science behind this. Sugar activates the part of our brain that is responsible for pleasure, so a quick sugary snack will give us an immediate feeling of euphoria. However, with great power comes great responsibility. Make sure that you keep your sugar intake in check, no matter how good it makes you feel, as you don’t want to unintentionally overindulge as this may cause all sorts of problems.

4. Con: Empty Calories

Easily one of the biggest arguments against sugar is that it is a high calorie food that doesn’t offer much in return, aside from a fleetingly good feeling. The calories, on the other hand, can cause lifelong issues, the most obvious of which is being obese. Everything we eat and drink contains calories and in order to maintain a healthy body size we need to limit our calories to a healthy range each day. By eating foods that are high in sugar, we are blowing out our calorie intake for the day. Obesity is linked to all sorts of life threatening issues, such as increased risk of heart attack and stroke, to name a few.

When we are having a long and busy day, it’s easy to feel like a snack to get us through. Going for the easiest snack in reach often means picking something that is high in sugar. Believe it or not, though most people would tell you to steer away from sugary snacks, there are in fact benefits from consuming sugar from time to time. By being informed, you can make the best decision on how much sugar to include in your diet.

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Experts say that people watching their weight should pay close attention to how much alcohol they drink since it is second only to fat in terms of calorie content.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), alcohol makes up nearly 10% of total calorie intake among drinkers.

Having a large glass of wine will cost you the same 178 calories as eating two chocolate digestive biscuits.

And it will take you more than a half hour’s brisk walk to burn off.

Eating or drinking too many calories on a regular basis can lead to weight gain.

But unlike food, alcoholic drinks have very little or no nutritional value.

The “empty calories” in drinks are often forgotten or ignored by dieters, says the WCRF.

Experts say that people watching their weight should pay close attention to how much alcohol they drink since it is second only to fat in terms of calorie content

Experts say that people watching their weight should pay close attention to how much alcohol they drink since it is second only to fat in terms of calorie content

Kate Mendoza, head of health information at WCRF, said: “Recent reports have shown that people are unaware of calories in drinks and don’t include them when calculating their daily consumption.”

Containing 7 kcal/g, alcohol is only slightly less calorific than fat, which contains 9 kcal/g.

Protein and carbohydrates contain 4 kcal/g and fibre 2 kcal/g.

Men need around 2,500 calories a day, and women around 2,000.

“Cutting down on drinking can have a big effect on weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight,” said Kate Mendoza.

It can also reduce your risk of cancer, she said.

Alcohol has been linked with breast, bowel, mouth and liver cancer.

If you don’t want to abstain entirely, there are ways that can help you cut down, including opting for smaller glass sizes, diluting alcohol with soda water or a low-calorie soft drink, alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and keeping a few nights each week booze-free.

WCRF has produced an Alcohol Calorie Calculator for different drinks that shows approximately how much exercise you would need to do to burn off the alcohol calories you consume.

Government guidelines recommend men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day, and women should limit themselves to 2-3 units a day.

A standard 175 ml glass of wine contains about two units and a large 250 ml glass contains about three units.

If you have had a heavy drinking session, you should avoid alcohol for at least 48 hours, experts advise.

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