Negative Calorie Foods – Are They Good For Losing Weight?

Negative calorie foods have so few calories that it takes more energy to digest them than are contained within the foods.

For example, water has no calories.  When you drink water you use energy to bring it up to your blood temperature.  So water is one of the negative calorie foods because every time you drink a glass of water you burn up a few calories and lose a little weight.

There aren’t many few foods like this.  Most foods that are called negative calorie foods don’t really use more calories than they add – until you take into account the energy your body expends just staying alive.

For example, celery doesn’t yield enough calories to make up for the energy it takes to digest it and the energy we use just sitting around breathing.  That’s why celery is one of the negative calorie foods.

Will I Lose Weight Eating Negative Calorie Foods?

If you only eat negative calorie foods you will lose weight – and end up starving in the process.  And nutritional deficiencies can arise very quickly.

Since the calories burned would mainly come from muscle mass the result would be debilitating.  So eating negative calorie foods over the long term is something you don’t want to do.

How Can I Use Negative Calorie Foods?

A healthier approach to using negative calorie foods would be as a detox.  You can detox for anywhere from one to three days.  Let’s say it’s after the Christmas season, or Thanksgiving, or anytime you’ve eaten an over rich diet.

If you’re healthy, detox can be a terrific way to cleanse your system and lose a couple of pounds along the way.  Nonetheless you should still see your doctor before doing it.

If you decide to use negative calorie foods to detox, consider the following:

1.     Eat different types of foods in small quantities.  It’s not a good idea to eat large quantities of one type of food (especially fruit) in excess.  For example, if you eat too much pineapple or grapefruit you can damage your stomach lining.  Other foods can put excessive strain on your liver or could cause diarrhea.  You’ve heard it before – “variety is the spice of life”.

2.    Eat four or five meals a day instead of eating throughout the day.  This way you give your digestive system a chance to rest.

3.    Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.  You’ll burn more calories.  Also, negative calorie foods are more effective eaten raw rather than being cooked.  Try grating foods like beets and carrots – it’ll be more satisfying.

4.    Do your detox when you don’t have any important commitments because you might experience some uncomfortable symptoms which could include irritability, tiredness, headaches and depression.  If you do experience them and they become severe, stop the diet and see your doctor.

5.    Gradually return to normal eating when you finish your detox.

Here’s a List of 34 Negative Calorie Foods

* Apples
* Asparagus
* Beets
* Blueberries
* Broccoli
* Cantaloupe
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery stalks
* Celery roots
* Cranberries
* Cucumbers
* Eggplant
* Endives
* Garden cress
* Garlic
* Grapefruit
* Green beans
* Green cabbage
* Lamb’s lettuce
* Lemons
* Lettuce
* Onions
* Papaya
* Pineapples
* Prunes
* Radishes
* Raspberries
* Spinach
* Strawberries
* Tangerines
* Tomatoes
* Turnips
* Zucchini

Please use this list of negative calorie foods wisely.