food that’s totally devoid of nutritional value doesn’t exist. all food has macronutrients which our bodies rely on to support life, and the vast majority of food has a significant amount of micronutrients. pop tarts, cheeseburgers, french fries, pizza, cookies, chips, white flour products and other demonized foods contain vital micronutrients such as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, b vitamins, vitamin c, and more. meat is a better source of some essential micronutrients than plant foods.
vegetables and fruits are great, as are legumes, but they’re not the only nutrient-dense foods. they tend to be lower calorie & higher fiber foods, tho, which in conditions of scarcity (the reality for many ppl on earth, incl the ~developed world~) are far less efficient delivery systems for nutrients.
“empty calories” aren’t a thing – calories are units of energy – and you’d have to work pretty hard to find a food that contained no significant amount of any micronutrient. again, all foods have the macronutrients that keep us alive.
kindly get off my posts about the health benefits of eating foods you enjoy w this shaming nonsense about “foods that have no nutritional value”. i’m sorry your relationship w food is characterized by fear & a mistrust of pleasure, but we’re not here to keep you company in your misery
Last time I was at the aquarium, I read an informational sign about how the animals prefer certain types of food because they’re “a good source of calories.” A good source of calories! When’s the last time you heard a human food being referred to as such? Obviously there are other nutritional considerations that are important too- I’ve had nutritional deficiencies due to celiac and have felt the real impact of those- but WE NEED CALORIES TO FUNCTION.
So I’ve started using that phrase “good source of calories” around the house, and it still feels a little silly, but it’s a real thing! Just speaking for myself, I’m not instinctively good at maintaining regular eating habits, but I also know that I MUST get food into my body early in the day and replenish it regularly so that I have the energy to do stuff and avoid headaches, dizziness, and mood changes. I also frequently lack an appetite for breakfast, so yeah, I look for foods that are particularly calorie-dense so that I can get the most bang for my buck. It’s seriously startling how much impact this has on my sense of well-being and ability to get the stuff done that I need to get done.
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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