Living Well – The Empty Kilojoule

First let’s define what I mean by ‘Empty Kilojoule’

• Empty – Holding or containing nothing,
• Kilojoule – metric measurement of energy in food the unit in which scientists’ measure energy (A calorie is equal to 4.2 Kilojoules.)

Throughout this series of posts I have coined a couple of constant phrases, the main one being ‘Everything in Moderation’.

The phrase ‘Empty Kilojoule’ is almost the opposite. So what do I mean by ‘Empty Kilojoule? Put simply it is a food that you eat that has no real nutritional value other that energy. Foods (and I am using the term loosely) such as chocolate bars and potato crisps – you know the ones they have right at eye level in the supermarket aisles.

So why is ‘Empty Kilojoule’ really important?  Well when looking at foods that are better for you, investigate their full nutritional value. Don’t focus just on one ingredient, such as sugar content, but what other important nutrients / ingredients does it contain.  The obvious stuff is easy but you also need to take care of those foods which you might think are OK. 

Deciding what food to eat is like buying a car. When you look at a car, you research all of its features and options. Sure the base model might get you from A to B but how comfortable will you be on the trip? Is it full of safety features? What about the colour?

Treat food the same, sure a packet of crisps is going to fill that hunger spot, but will it give your body everything it needs? No – so go for an apple (like cars they come in a variety of colours) or a carrot as a snack instead.

I just laugh when people come out and say chocolate is good for you as it contains antioxidants. I am sure we could find other natural foods that could contain the same antioxidants. Maybe it is just that the chocolate company couldn’t market them to people as easy as a lovely milk chocolate bar!

It’s the same with drinks; a popular one at the moment is ‘No Sugar’. That maybe true but it is full of chemicals that will still give you the similar kilojoule content without any other nutritional value.

But it is not all bad, remembering ‘Everything in Moderation’. If you want a chocolate bar, have one; just don’t have a family size block twice a week. People that starve themselves for a particular food usually find themselves over obsessing about it and as soon as they have the chance will gorge on it to compensate.

So don’t kill yourself if you sneak in a Mars Bar once a week – indulge. You will feel better for it in the long run. One thing to remember though unburnt energy will become fat, so you might want to do a couple more push ups or an extra kilometre in that jog to use up the energy.