“Empty Calories” Is a Dangerous Euphemism
Let’s be real. The phrase “empty calories” sounds harmless – like a missed text. A blank stare. Something that just… isn’t.
But sugar and processed foods aren’t empty. They’re toxic.
And it’s time we stopped pretending otherwise.
“Empty” Makes It Sound Like They Forgot the Vitamins.
Not That They’re Poisoning You.
Let’s be real: “Empty calories” was a PR move.
It was invented to give soda, candy, ultra-processed breads, and breakfast cereals a little slap on the wrist.
“Oh, they just don’t have nutrients,” the experts said.
Let me ask you this:
Is arsenic “empty”?
Are trans fats “empty”?
Is meth “empty”? No.
Because “empty” doesn’t describe the damage.
We need to upgrade the vocabulary.
Because these calories aren’t just lacking – they’re biologically disruptive.
They flood the bloodstream with glucose, spike insulin like a dopamine slot machine, inflame the gut, disrupt your microbiome, hijack your dopamine, tank your satiety signals, and turn your fat cells into hoarders on meth.
Oh, and they’re in nearly 70+% of the items in the average grocery store.
“A Little in Moderation” – Said No Addict Ever
The government still says sugar is fine in moderation.
That’s like saying “a little heroin is okay as long as it’s fair trade.”
Try moderation with something that rewires your brain to crave more.
That breaks your appetite regulation.
That delivers a dopamine rush more intense than cocaine in some rat studies. Yes, seriously.
Moderation is an excellent strategy for foods that aren’t addictive.
Sugar is not one of them.
Do you know who thinks these calories are harmless?
The Ones Selling Them.
The $1 trillion processed food industry loves “empty calories.”
It sounds so… fixable.
Add some fiber, fortify it with a vitamin, slap a “Heart Healthy” label on it – and boom, the cereal aisle is now a pharmacy.
But here’s the science they don’t want you to know:
- Fructose metabolism in the liver is nearly identical to that of ethanol. Yep – sugar hits your liver like booze. No breathalyzer required.
- Processed carbs light up the brain’s reward centers in ways that look disturbingly similar to hard drugs.
- “Added sugar” is now directly linked to metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, and Alzheimer’s. Not correlated. Linked.
And yet the FDA still treats it like a harmless treat. A little indulgence.
Let’s Tell the Truth: These Are Toxic Calories
Calories that cause disease.
Calories that drive addiction.
Calories that hide behind outdated labels while killing people slowly and profitably.
Forget “empty.” That’s a euphemism for corporate manslaughter.
The Real Pandemic Is on Your Plate
In 2024, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a quietly chilling statement:
“We are now seeing fatty liver disease in 8-year-olds.”
Let that sink in.
The liver disease we used to see in aging alcoholics…
…is now showing up in third graders.
If fructose is the alcohol of the child, as Dr. Robert Lustig says, then what does that make the food companies pushing it?
The Grieving Starts Now – But the Fight Begins Today
I’ve spent decades helping people get sober from drugs and alcohol.
But nothing – nothing – comes close to the shame, despair, and hopelessness I hear from people trying to quit sugar.
A full 25+% of the people who call me for coaching are crying.
They have never told another living soul about their sugar issue.
They’ve been told they lack willpower.
They’ve been told to try moderation.
To count calories.
To track macros.
They’ve been lied to.
And they’re suffering. Quietly. Publicly.
In their bodies, in their brains, and in their broken attempts to “just eat better.”
So no, we’re not calling them “empty calories” anymore.
We’re calling them what they are: Toxic.
This Is the New Movement.
The era of sugar denial is over.
The term “Toxic Calories” is not a brand. It’s not a metaphor.
It’s a warning label for an industry that’s gotten away with food crimes for too long.
If you’re tired of being lied to, shamed, and gaslit by billion-dollar corporations and captured regulators…
If you’re sick of watching your kids melt down after breakfast and your doctor call it “normal”…
If you’ve tried everything and still feel addicted to the foods you know are killing you…
Then welcome. You’ve found your people.
Toxic Calories is just the beginning.
Want to join the movement?
Start by questioning every label. Every ad. Every bite.
And stop swallowing the lie that some calories are just “empty.”
Because the truth is finally here – and it tastes nothing like sugar.
➡️ What To Do Next
If you’re sick of being misled, struggling in silence, or trying to “moderate” your way out of an addiction. Start here:
👉 Take the Sugar Addiction Quiz
👉 Join the 30-Day Sugar Detox Challenge
👉 Download the Last Resort Sugar Detox Book – for FREE
Stop swallowing the lie.
Start fighting back.
