Lose Weight with Negative Calorie Foods

By Nichele Bonsanto, published Aug 17, 2007
Published Content: 37  Total Views: 15,202  Favorited By: 9 CPs
Rating: 3.2 of 5
We all know that the key to losing weight is burning off the calories that we consume. Getting fat is as easy as eating a few meals and never getting rid of the excess calories you take in. But what if you could keep eating and lose weight with no special exercises?

Like all food, "negative calorie" foods actually do have calories. The difference between these foods and the rest is that these "negative calorie" ones burn up more calories during the process of digestion than they actually have in themselves. These foods force our bodies to work harder to break down the nutrients in the food.

For example, a medium apple is about 90 calories. But your body might burn 110 calories just to digest it. The result you get is a net loss of 20 calories just by eating alone.

A 25-calorie piece of broccoli requires 80 calories to digest. That's 55 calories burned just by eating one piece of broccoli!

If you are looking to lose some weight and it seems overwhelming, try putting more of these negative calorie foods in your diet. You can shed some pounds without starving or having to exercise.

From HealthRecipes.Com:
According to a recent study performed by Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D., of the University of California, at San Francisco, a vegetarian diet consisting mostly of fruits and vegetables, was adhered to by research subjects as an experimental study on the reversal of heart disease. As a result each of the research subjects (all suffering from heart disease), lost an average of 20 pounds without cutting calories or limiting serving sizes.

Some Negative Calorie Fruits

Apples,
Blueberries,
Cranberries,
Grapefruit,
Lemons,
Mangos,
Oranges,
Pineapple,
Papayas,
Raspberries,
Strawberries,
Tangerines

Some Negative Calorie Vegetables

Asparagus,
Beets,
Broccoli,
Cabbage (green),
Carrots,
Cauliflower,
Celery (one of the best)
Chicory,
Chili Peppers,
Cucumbers,
Endive,
Fennel,
Gourd,
Garlic,
Leek,
Lettuce,
Onions,
Prunes,
Radishes,
Rhubarb (great source when stewed)
Spinach,
Tomato,
Turnip,
Zucchini

Lose Weight with Negative Calorie Foods

Vegetables and Fruits can help you lose weight

Credit: public

Copyright: public

Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
 
 
Check out the thermogenic properties of foods for more information on this... Interesting stuff. Protein burns 25% of its calories during digestion, carbohydrates burn 12% of their calories during digestion, and fats burn 3% of their calories during digestion, if I recall correctly. If you eat an apple that is 100 calories, 12% of the calories will be burned off (approximately, as an apple is mostly carbohydrate), and you will be getting 88 calories rather than 100. I would be very cautious with saying that many of the fruits and vegetables mentioned are negative-calorie. Without being rude, I would like to say I believe some of this may not be completely true. But still, definitely eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

Posted on 09/01/2007 at 6:09:00 PM

 
Very interesting topic. I had no idea that some foods had a negative calorie count. I need to memorize these lists. Great article.

Posted on 09/01/2007 at 9:09:00 AM

 
Thanks for this article! It's nice to know I'm finally on the right track with what I'm eating!!

Posted on 08/29/2007 at 3:08:00 AM

 
This is an interesting, well written article. Thanks for writing it!

Posted on 08/28/2007 at 11:08:00 PM

 
Wow that is pretty amazing. I had no idea that you could burn additional calories just by eating?! I think we will start eating lots more veggies!

Posted on 08/21/2007 at 5:08:00 PM

 
I completely agree that a diet high and vegetables and fruits can help you lose weight, but I'm not sure I buy the negative calorie food thing. Thanks for an interesting article with lots of resources to check out!

Posted on 08/21/2007 at 8:08:00 AM

Type in Your Comments Below - (1000 characters left)
Your name:

Submit your own content on this or any topic. Get started »
Showing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
 
Most Commented On