What are empty calorie foods and how can I snack smarter? 

Eating empty calories is like buying a cable TV package just so that you can watch one channel with all your favorite shows. It’s just a total waste. 

There are far more cost-effective ways to binge-watch your favorite show, and there are far more calorie-efficient ways to satisfy those munchies.

If you’re ready to get snack-savvy and nosh on something healthier, you’re in the right place. 

So, what exactly is an “empty calorie?”

Empty calorie foods have little or no nutritional value and they’ll empty out your calorie count for the day in a few bites. 

Think sodas, cakes, and candies—these foods will sweet-talk you, please you for a moment, but leave you with all their baggage. You deserve so much better than that. Make that break-up call with empty calories and get rid of those jerks for good.

If empty calories are so pointless, why do we keep eating them?

Processed foods are often packed with saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. This mix of contrasting ingredients plays a mean game with our brains. 

Our brains prefer high-calorie, high-fat, and sugary foods to low-calorie, low-fat, sugarless ones. As we munch on a bag of potato chips, our brains’ neurons pump out more and more dopamine—the chemical that makes us feel pleasure.

So the next time you chow down on a bag of greasy chips with as much self-control as your dog and that pizza you left too close to the table’s edge that one time, give yourself some grace. Junky snacks are sneaky. They play with our brains like we’re simple toys.

It’s time to turn the tide and start outsmarting your snacks. Below, you’ll gain three tools that’ll help you tackle the snack aisle.

How to outsmart unhealthy snacks

Ready to strut through the grocery store like you own the place? Unhealthy snacks can’t touch this! Try these three tips, and tell unhealthy snacks to talk to the hand. 

1. Read The Ingredients

Next time you’re shopping, go detective on that Doritos bag. On the backs of most snack bags, you’ll find that many are made from a pile of corn or potatoes. These two ingredients are the ruling King and Queen of Empty Calorie Kingdom. Look for satiating snacks that offer nutritional value, like our Bean Puffs!

2. Find Brands You Can Trust

If searching through nutrition labels sounds as boring as rice cakes, stick with trustworthy brands. Find companies that are creating nutrient-dense snacks, and stick to them like White Cheddar sticks to our Silky and Smooth Bean Puffs.

3. Ditch Crave-Inducing Empty Calories

When foods with lots of calories and no nutritional value hit your belly, your body is still starving for the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it needs. Snacks that are both tasty and nutritious will leave you feeling full and satisfied. 

After a portion of a protein and fiber-rich snack, you won’t be clawing at the next bag like a ravenous raccoon. You’ll be as satisfied as a sloth after munching a hibiscus flower (yep, that’s their favorite snack—and we thought sloths couldn’t get any cuter).

Empty calories can go eat themselves!

Now that you’re snack-savvy, ditching the cheese puffs will be child’s play. Soon, you’ll be crushing Bean Thinkin’ Bean Puffs like the gorgeous, capable, and powerful adult you are.

Surprise! Your new healthy self is also great with money. You just landed a healthy, filling, and tasty bag of Bean Thinkin’ Bean Puffs free of charge. Get your free bag today, you slick snacker.