One topic that you will find all over the net when you look at weight loss topics is the concept of negative calorie foods. In essence, a negative calorie food is presumed to be one that requires more energy to digest than calories it provides to the body for fuel. Thus, the body uses more energy to break down the food than the food contains. This concept is intriguing because it basically means that eating a negative calorie food can contribute to weight loss. You can see how this would be attractive, but is this concept too good to be true. Could negative calorie foods really exist?
In general, the foods that are believed to have negative calories are low-calorie vegetables and fruits. Here’s a list of examples…
- Celery
- Oranges
- Strawberries
- Tangerines
- Grapefruit
- Carrots
- Apricots
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Watermelon
- Cauliflower
- Apples
- Hot Chili Peppers
- Zucchini
While these foods are healthy and should be a part of our overall diet, if you only ate them alone you would have some nutritional deficiencies. However, they make for excellent snacks and replacements for high calorie foods that you need to phase out of your diet.
According to individuals such as Dr. Nancy Snyderman, these foods have no negative calorific impact. In explaining her view, Dr. Snyderman maintains that the calories burned during the digestive cycle are minor compared with the calories the food itself contained. It has also been stated that the thermic effect of celery is about 8%, which is less than the 100% or more it would take for a food to have the negative calorie effect. Specifically, a celery stalk provides the body with 6 calories. However, the body uses only half a calorie to digest the stalk. Moreover, proteins-which necessitate the most energy for digestive purposes-have thermic energy levels of just 20%-30%.
People who support the negative calorie concept may state that the weight loss experienced by individuals on diets rife with negative calorie foods proves that the idea is valid. Those who argue against this proof state that the weight loss transpires for other reasons, such as the fact that many of the foods contain significant amounts of fiber and water. These two components contribute to the sense of fullness and thus encourage weight loss because dieters are less likely to consume food in excess. Also, opponents note that the only true negative calorie drink would be ice water. Ice water would count as a negative calorie drink because it contains no calories, but necessitates that the body use energy to make the liquid’s temperature conform to body temperature.As the negative calorie debate rages on, individuals who want to optimize their health may find it advantageous to try a negative calorie foods. In so doing, people can personally determine whether the dietary shift is advantageous. We aren’t talking junk food or toxic foods here. The benefit of fresh fruits and veggies is something we can all agree too.
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