Negative Calorie Foods for Weight Loss
Are there really any foods that cause you to burn more calories than they provide to your body? The answer to that question is yes. We are going to present a list "negative calorie" foods below. But first, let’s clarify the meaning of the term "negative calorie" foods.
To begin with, you need to understand that there is actually no such thing as a negative calorie. A calorie is a unit of heat and it cannot be negative. So when people use the term "negative calorie" foods, they are referring a food whose calorie level is low enough that it takes more energy to eat and digest it than the food contains.
Take water, for example. If you consider water to be a food, then cold water is certainly a negative calorie food. It offers you no calories at all and the body has to expend energy to warm it up to blood temperature. This means that every time we drink a glass of cold water, we burn a couple of calories and lose a little weight just to process the water. But there really are very few foods like this. And, while it’s wholesome and vital, water is not among those things ingested that we usually think of as delicious and satisfying.
Most foods that are on the list we are going to show do not, by themselves, technically use more calories to process than they add., or if they do the effect is negligible. However, at all times, the body expends energy to do nothing more than just to keep alive and breathing. What this means is that, when you eat celery, for example, it does not provide enough calories to cover both the energy that it takes to digest it, plus the energy that we expend even when we are doing nothing. So that is why people call it a negative calorie food.
Here’s the bad part: Negative calorie foods are the favorite of anorexics. Eventually, a negative calorie diet would result in starvation. Now that’s real weight loss. But all kidding aside, even when you consider a less extreme scenario, nutritional deficiencies do occur surprisingly quickly. And, the calories burned usually come from muscle mass. The result is debility and wasting.
A more healthy purpose for a negative calorie diet is as for short term fasting or detox. For example, detox is something you can do for one to three days right after the Christmas season or other times when you have been eating an overly-rich diet. Certainly, it can be a great way to clean out the system - provided you are otherwise healthy. However it is best to get medical advice from a doctor before trying a negative calorie diet for any reason!
If you do decide to use a negative calorie detox, keep the following thoughts in mind:
1. It is a bad idea to eat a single type of food in large quantities, especially fruits. If you consume too much of a single food, the damaging substances it contains will harm you! For example, your stomach lining is at risk if you eat too much grapefruit or pineapple because of the acid they contain. Other foods, if eaten alone in excess may cause diarrhea or put an excessive burden on the liver, causing liver damage. So it is always best to remember to try using all the different foods, but in small quantities each.
2. Even though you are eating "negative calorie" foods, do not spend all day eating. You will become bloated and feel sick. However, you can safely plan four or five salad meals each day, and let your digestion rest at other times. If you are only doing this detox or negative calorie dieting for a couple days, you should not feel too hungry.
3. Remember that if you eat slowly and thoroughly chew your food, you will feel more satisfied. Also, you will burn more calories by eating slowly and chewing thoroughly. Likewise, if it is possible to eat the foods raw, the calorie burn will be higher than if you cook them! When eating raw vegetables, you will find that foods like beets and carrots will be more satisfying if you eat them grated!
4. Please undertake this project at a time when you do not have any important commitments! As with fasting or any kind of detox, some uncomfortable symptoms may come your way. These include headaches, irritability, tiredness and depression. If such symptoms become severe, stop the diet and see a doctor.
5. Plan a gradual return to normal eating, when you end the diet. Don’t make a complete switch all at once. .
With all that having been said and noted about the general approach, let's move on to the list of foods. There are some pretty tasty and surprising items on this list! Here they are in alphabetical order:
Apples, Asparagus, Beets, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cantaloupes, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery , stalk, Celery root, Cranberries, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Endives, Garden cress, Garlic, Grapefruit, Green beans, Green cabbage, Lamb's lettuce, Lemons, Lettuce, Onions, Papayas, Pineapples, Prunes, Radishes, Raspberries, Spinach, Strawberries, Tangerines, Tomatoes, Turnips, Zucchini
Please be careful when undertaking this diet for a few days and use this list of negative calorie foods wisely.
About the Author: Alexander Gray has published several articles to help with weight loss.
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