empty calories

Idioms  

1. Food that has little or no nutritional value. For example, Snacking on beer and potato chips makes for a lot of empty calories. [1960s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

empty calories

"It's like dumping empty calories into a system that's been running on a finely tuned diet for hundreds of years."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2025

“They were really worried and felt like this was going to denigrate them and be sort of empty calories for their brain,” Dr. Lakhani said.

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2023

But sometimes, his numbers get looked at as empty calories.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 26, 2023

Also, no empty calories here; despite a sugary premise, Rosaline's journey reconciling her feelings about identity and class, give this book a hearty center.

From Salon ● Nov. 12, 2022

But when empty calories or devitalized foods or misdigestion cuts our nutrient intake we begin experiencing tooth decay, gum disease and bone loss in the jaw.

From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Solomon, Steve