Target empty calories in kids’ diets at the source: study

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – About a third of the calories kids eat at school, at fast food restaurants and from grocery stores are “empty calories” that should be targeted for reduction, according to a new study. “Although fast foods are generally recognized as less healthful, our study found that foods consumed by U.S. children from grocery stores and schools were similar in empty calorie content to fast foods,” author Jennifer M. Poti said. Poti is a doctoral candidate in nutritional epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Added sugars are incorporated during food processing, preparation or at the table, but do not include the natural sugars in fruit or milk, Poti said.