Yeah, but define "empty calorie". Like, I eat pretty low-carb (mostly because I feel better, not out of any ideological thing). Heavy on lean meats and green vegetables, while I avoid pastas, root vegetables, breads, etc.--I think a potato is the closest thing to an empty calorie you'll find this side of a sugar cube, but reasonable people can and do disagree.

Potatoes on their own aren't empty calories. [1] One medium potato is ~150 calories but full of potassium, vit c, and other nutrients. It's when you fry them or drench them in cheese and bacon bits and sour cream or mash them with loads of butter that they become unhealthful.

An empty calorie is one that provides little to no nutritional value other than the calorie itself. In my mind the most common empty calories come from sugars, some flours, and some oils.

[1]http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=48

Completely disagree: I eat a high-fat (~70% of calories from fat) and lots of protein diet (I'm about 12% bodyfat).

Bacon* and cheese and sour cream are the healthy parts of that meal, the potato is the "empty" thing by far, and the thing that will provide the highest glycemic load of those ingredients, spiking insulin.

(note that I have no idea what bacon bits are, or if they're even pork meat)

That's a good point, it depends on your diet and goals and varies from individual to individual.

What's healthy for one person may not be healthy for another, based on body weight/lifestyle/activity level/etc.

A potato is far better than white bread.

That's a fair cop. Potatoes are merely in the ballpark. (GI spikes for nutrients much more easily gotten from things that won't make me feel like crap? Either way, gimme.)

Exactly. Make sure your have a decent amount of fiber with your carbs so it digests slowly.