One of the recent trends in the fitness and diet industry is the notion of negative calorie foods.
And since calories are a measure of the energy stored in foods or in the tissues of your body, this theory claim that you can have as much of these foods as you like without any weight gain.
That’s because digesting these them makes the body burns more calories than what it actually consumes. Hence, eliminating calorie addition.
In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at how to use negative calorie foods for weight loss.
What is a negative calorie food?
A negative-calorie food is a food that supposedly requires more energy to be digested than it provides to your body.
This does not mean that these kinds of foods do not contain calories but only the fact that your body ends up burning more calories than what you consume.
In other words, its thermic effect where the caloric amount of digesting the food would be greater than its food energy content.
In results, you’ll feel full after consuming negative calories foods, plus you’ll end up losing weight. Pretty good deal, isn’t it?
How do negative calorie foods work?
The theory behind negative calorie foods is that some foods have very lower calories (we’ll list a few of them later in this article) than the amount of energy it takes to digest the food into the body.
Usually, foods with high fiber and water content in them are low in calories and their digestion requires more energy than they provide for your body.
As a result, negative calorie foods can help one lose weight as they are not only low-calorie foods but they also help burn more calories than what normal foods do.
But, are negative calories real? You also may be wondering if does such a thing exists, every dieter’s dream would come true, right?
So, is there such a thing as negative calorie foods for weight loss? That’s what you’ll discover in the section below. Keep reading!
Are Negative Calorie Foods Real?
On average, for an active person:
About 60% of the body’s total daily energy expenditure is due to resting metabolism, about 32% of the body’s energy expenditure comes from physical activity and the rest 8% comes from the thermic effect.
As you can see, the thermic effect uses the fewest calories.
In other words, just about a tenth of the calories we eat are used to process our food, this includes chewing our food, moving it through the digestive system, absorbing nutrients…
Foods that contain few calories, provide a small number of calories but still require energy to digest.
That means it is theoretically possible to have a negative-calorie food, but there are no scientific studies to prove that certain foods have this effect.
Foods claimed to be negative in calories are mostly low-calorie fruits and vegetables.
Even one of the lowest calorie foods – Celery – has a thermic effect of around 8%, much less than the 100% or more required for a food to have negative calories.
So, even if there is no proven research about foods that burn more calories to digest, should you stay away from what called negative calories foods?
Simply NO!
The best thing to do is to replace your high calories snacks with these foods instead of just adding them to your diet.
These foods are very useful for people who are trying to lose weight, as they contain a low number of calories.
By replacing the food in your diet with some of these – for example, replacing a side portion of chips with a side salad – it is possible to lower your calorie intake considerably without even noticing.
As an extra boost, they are full of nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, and also contain a lot of fiber, which also has many benefits for your health.
10 Negative Calorie Foods For Weight Loss (A.K.A: Low-Calorie Foods)
Rich in nutrition and extremely low in calories, these negative calorie foods will pave your path to a successful weight loss journey.
Celery
When you think of low-calorie foods you likely picture celery.
Celery has a reputation as a diet food for a good reason. It’s incredibly low in calories, so you can enjoy it without increasing that much your daily calorie intake.
A cup of chopped raw celery has just 16 calories, cooked celery has slightly more calories, at 27 calories per cup, but this still very low in calories compared to other foods.
Celery also provides dietary fiber which boosts digestion and weight loss.
The high percentage of water and electrolytes in celery further prevents dehydration, which also reduces bloating.
Cutting calories is essential for weight loss, and replacing higher-calorie foods with celery helps you lower your calorie intake to lose weight.
Cucumber
Cucumber has long been known for its numerous health benefits, it has a detoxifying and cleansing effect on your body.
This low-calorie food makes for a great snack and can be included in a range of delicious weight-loss-friendly recipes.
A cup of sliced cucumber has just 14 calories, A medium peeled cucumber has just 24 calories, and even a large unpeeled one still has just 45 calories!
Cucumbers provide many essential nutrients, including vitamins C and K, and they have nutritional properties that make them helpful for weight loss.
Try using cucumbers as a base for salads to help fill you up, and gives your brain time to process “fullness” signals so you don’t overeat your main meal.
Watermelon
Juicy and fresh watermelons are one of the reasons that keep us particularly excited about summers.
Watermelon is an extremely low-calorie fruit, a 100-gram serving contains only 30 calories.
And because 90 percent of a watermelon’s weight is water, it’s one of the best fruits to eat if you’re trying to lose weight.
In addition to helping the body stay hydrated, snacking on watermelon will help you feel full so you won’t have cravings between meals.
Watermelons make for great excellent detox foods. Make yourself a refreshing watermelon juice or blend it in a smoothie with other healthy fruits.
Zucchini
Zucchini has plenty of fiber, which is great for weight loss because it slows down the digestion of food and keeps you full for longer.
It also has high water content, which helps feel your stomach without adding any extra calories.
With as low as 18 calories per 100 grams, zucchini is one of the highly recommended negative calorie foods for weight loss.
In addition to the above benefits, zucchini helps your body build and repair tissues, healing wounds, keeping your bones strong, and boosting your immune system.
P.S: Take this short quiz to find out which diet plan will work the best according to your individual goals.
Tomato
This powerful red ally is full of antioxidants and can help reduce water retention.
They are very low in calories; an average-sized tomato is just 22 calories and a large one is just around 33 calories.
Tomatoes are not only negative calorie foods for weight loss but also loaded with lycopene, which has been found to reduce the risk of high cholesterol, protect eyes and skin, and boost immunity.
Consuming tomatoes will not only make you feel full but will also cut down your calorie intake and help you create that calorie deficit required to lose weight
Broccoli
Containing barely 34 calories per 100 grams, broccoli is one of the best low calories foods for weight loss.
Broccoli, in particular, is such a standout among all the deep-colored veggies because it’s one of the few that contain calcium, which has been shown to increase belly fat loss.
A few studies have shown a relationship between people who consume ample amounts of deep-colored veggies and lower levels of visceral fat.
Moreover, broccoli is a powerhouse of antioxidants, it is a rich source of vitamin C, which makes it a healthy pick for good skin and immunity.
And since it is a decent source of fiber, it leads to early satiety and its nutritional profile prevents nutrient deficiencies.
Steaming, souping, and throwing them in salads are perfect for your weight loss goals. Better still, make healthy sandwiches and chips out of them!
Berries
Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are among the healthiest and low calories foods to eat.
They are packed with nutrients and antioxidants that can protect you against several diseases and help you slim down naturally.
With just 32 calories per half a cup, replacing those fattening snacks with berries is a brilliant way to cut the calories you get from your diet when trying to flatten your stomach.
When combined with a low-fat diet, berries might also lower triglycerides and improve blood sugar levels, each benefit of a comprehensive weight loss plan.
Grapefruit
Containing about 40 calories per 100 grams, Grapefruit is one of the best negative calorie fruits to include in your diet.
Studies also hint that an antioxidant in grapefruit called naringenin may act like lighter fluid in the liver, prompting the organ to burn fat faster.
This storehouse of vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium along is perfect for your weight loss goals.
A half grapefruit or a glass of grapefruit juice before meals may help fill you up, so you’ll eat fewer calories at meals and potentially lose weight.
Lettuce
Lettuce is crunchy and delicious, but it has the potential to help you lose those unwanted pounds, which is why you can add it to your weight loss diet.
It’s effectively a negative calorie food for weight loss since it only contains a mere 15 calories in a 100 grams serving.
Moreover, lettuce has a high water content with almost 96 percent water of its total weight! This makes it mildly more filling than other vegetables.
Lettuce adds crunch, juiciness, and a whole lot of nutrition to our salads, wraps, and burgers, and adding it to your diet should be a no-brainer.
Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
Containing about 50 calories per 100 grams, apple is the fiber-rich snack that you must keep in your bag to beat your mid-day hunger pangs.
That’s because low-calorie fruits like apples are more filling, you may end up eating less other foods during the course of the day.
The various healthy components of apples may contribute to fullness, so including this fruit in a healthy and well-balanced diet plan may indeed be useful for weight loss.
Do You Have To Eat Negative Calories Foods To Lose Weight?
A calorie deficit is the basis of many weight-loss equations.
There are many ways to achieve this energy deficit and one of them is to eat fewer calories than you burn each day.
This is exactly where negative calorie foods for weight loss comes in, by supplying you with extra water it’ll help naturally flush your system of excess sodium and thus help reduce bloat.
And also fiber, that’ll keep your gut bacteria healthy and promotes overall fat loss by reducing your appetite.
So overall, by simply taking in fewer calories each day, you’ll likely have fewer excess calories you have to burn off through exercise.
Final Thoughts – Negative Calorie Foods To Lose Weight
Following fad diets that only promote eating a few foods can cause you to miss out on important nutrients, thus harming your health.
The key to a successful and a long-term weight loss is adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and regular exercise.
Even if some fruits and vegetables are not negative calorie foods for weight loss, they are still low-calorie, and a smart choice is to include them in your diet plan.
Combined with a balanced nutrition (check out our recommeded weight loss program here) and a workout regimen; you got yourself the perfect recipe for a long-lasting weight loss!
