Why Empty Carbs Are Bad for You
December 22, 2025
The terms “empty carbs” or “empty calories” describe foods that provide very little nutritional value. These foods are often made from processed or refined carbohydrates. Examples include:
- Foods made from white flour, including white bread, flour tortillas, crackers, white pasta, pizza, cakes, cookies, pastries, waffles and doughnuts.
- White rice.
- Breakfast cereals.
Empty carbs also include simple carbohydrates, or sugars that the body digests quickly, commonly used in processed foods. These include sucrose (table sugar), high-fructose corn syrup and agave syrup.
Why Avoid or Limit Empty Carbs?
“Empty carbs are stripped of fiber, vitamins and minerals during processing – all important nutrients for digestion and overall health,” says Susan Campbell, RD, LD, a registered dietitian at University Hospitals.
Because they are digested quickly, empty carbs can also cause rapid spikes in blood sugar followed by sudden drops that lead to fatigue and food cravings. This increases the risk of:
- Weight gain: Empty carbs make overeating easy because they’re not filling, which can lead to weight gain.
- Chronic disease: Consuming too many empty carbs increases risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
Why Protein and Fat Are Essential
“To minimize the negative effects of eating carbs, it’s a good idea to include a lean protein or a healthy fat in all of your meals and snacks,” says Campbell. “Pairing protein or healthy fats with carbs can help slow digestion and the absorption of sugar into your blood stream.”
Most carbohydrates take one to two hours to digest, while proteins can take three to four hours. Slowing down carbohydrate digestion can help prevent the blood sugar spikes and crashes that leave people feeling tired and low in energy.
“Slower digestion is also good for weight management because it can reduce food cravings and ‘food noise’ by helping you feel full longer,” Campbell says. Food noise refers to frequent, often intrusive cravings for food, especially in people who are prone to blood sugar spikes and crashes.
Examples of paring lean proteins and/or healthy fats with a carbohydrate include:
- Oatmeal with nuts
- Avocado on whole grain toast
- Peanut butter on an apple
- Greek yogurt with berries
Go Easy on the Sweets
“Like everything else in life, eating is a balancing act,” says Campbell. “A slice of birthday cake or the occasional ice cream cone enjoyed on a summer evening is okay for most people. But eating large quantities of empty carbs daily can take a toll on your weight and how you feel.”
Signs that you may be consuming too many empty carbs include:
- Energy crashes after eating
- Constant hunger
- Digestive issues
- Increased belly fat
- Difficulty concentrating
Go for Complex Carbs and Balanced Meals
In contrast to empty carbs, complex carbs are rich in fiber. Because fiber takes longer to digest, complex carbs help prevent blood sugar spikes and reduce cravings.
“Fiber is an important but frequently overlooked nutrient,” says Campbell. “It’s essential for promoting healthy digestion, lowering bad cholesterol levels, and managing weight and blood sugar.”
The general recommendation for adults is 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. If you read food product labels (a good habit to get into), 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving is considered a good choice. Common sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, oatmeal, brown rice, yams and legumes.
Campbell emphasizes that a balance of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats is a great way to eat. She suggests trying the Healthy Plate method:
- Half the plate: Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables and fruits.
- Quarter of the plate: Fill one quarter of the plate with lean proteins (meat, fish, beans, low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese, nuts, seeds, etc.)
- Quarter of the plate: Fill the last quarter with whole grain foods or other complex carbohydrates.
In addition, Campbell recommends both the Mediterranean diet and DASH diets, both of which are heathy, balanced approaches to eating that limit consumption of empty carbs.
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The clinical dietitians at University Hospitals develop healthy eating plans for adults and children to optimize overall health and prevent or manage a range of health conditions.