Diet Foods: Negative Calorie Foods

There is no such thing as a negative calorie - a calorie is a unit of heat and it cannot be negative. So when people talk about negative calorie foods, this just means a food whose calorie level is low enough that it takes more energy to eat and digest it than the food contains. For example, you are having a specific kind of foods that consist of 100 calories, whereas 150 calories are needed to digest the foods. That means, you have in effect burnt an extra 50 calories from your body simply by adding these foods in your diet. Negative calorie foods are highly recommended for weight loss programs and this concept is nevertheless becoming more popular these days.

The idea with negative calorie foods, which are always certain types of fruits and vegetables and are usually very high in fiber, and have a low number of calories to begin with. If true, this makes these foods excellent choices for a diet, since they keep you full, but don't add any calories whatsoever. This is what is meant by "negative calorie foods". A more accurate description might be "Foods low in calories that produce a negative calorie effect because of how much energy it takes to burn them". There is a heated debate, but the evidence seems to indicate that yes, there are foods that create a negative calorie effect.

It is never a good idea to eat huge quantities of one type of food, especially fruits. A lot of foods contain substances that can be damaging if consumed to excess. Other foods put an excessive burden on the liver or may cause diarrhea. So try to use all the different foods in small quantities. There are a great variety of negative calorie foods available in the market. Some of these foods are cucumber, carrot, cauliflower, apple, cabbage, kiwi, blueberries, broccoli, asparagus, papaya, green beans, pineapple, lemon, beet, grapefruit, zucchini, celery, strawberries, tomatoes, spinach and many more.

If you stick yourself on negative calorie diet only, it may create health hazards in long term. The reason is these foods are unable to provide certain nutrients inevitably needed by our body. These foods offer plenty of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, but profoundly lack few significant nutrients like fat and protein. Although we need to stay away from fatty foods, but a minimum level of fat consumption is actually needed by our health system. Same thing is true for protein substances. Without the presence of these two substances, many of the bodily functions may not work properly. Muscles will deteriorate as well as overall body maintenance. This is due to lack of protein. Lack of minimal fats will lead to lack of energy. However, there are few individuals who prefer to eat fish especially when they are on their negative calorie diet. Adding fish in your diet along with negative calorie foods may help you to stay healthy even in long term. It offers low calorie consumption in addition to the supply of essential nutrients to the body.

Everything has its pros and cons. Eating fatty and protein-rich foods at times can be good. Negative calorie foods should be taken wisely and strategically.