Negative Calorie Foods

Negative calorie foods are not those food items that have zero or less calories. Actually, negative calorie foods do contain calories. The reason why certain food items are considered as negative calorie foods is because it takes more calories so that your body can break them down. So, you are actually burning more calories than you have consumed.

Yes, negative calorie foods are those foods that help to burn more calories than they actually contain! For most people, men and women alike, losing weight can seem like an impossible dream. People who have a tough time trying to lose weight are often those who cant control their eating habits. Eating negative calorie foods is a natural and healthy solution for those of you who want to lose weight but have insatiable appetites.

Foods like eggs, rice, chicken, and pasta and even cereal are all common healthy foods, but all these foods contain very high amounts of calories. So, even though these foods are very healthy, eating too much of them will make you gain weight over a period of time. The secret to burning unwanted body fat and losing weight is by creating a calorie deficit, which means that you would have to consume less calories than your body can burn so as to stay fit and maintain a low level of body fat – it’s like not eating at all!

Citrus fruits generally contain high acid levels that can increase your body’s metabolism naturally, helping you burn your calories faster. Also, there are a vast variety of veggies that can help burn more calories than they contain. How’s that for healthy eating?

The List of Negative Calorie Foods
Here are some negative calorie foods that are just as healthy as they are non-fattening:

• Apricots, apples, asparagus, artichokes.
• Beets, beet greens, blueberries, blackberries, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, buffalo fish.
• Cantaloupe, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery, Chinese cabbage, clams, chives, corn, cranberries, crabs, cucumbers.
• Dandelion greens, damson plum.
• Endive, eggplant.
• Frog legs, flounder.
• Grapefruit, garlic, green beans, grapes.
• Huckleberries, honeydew.
• Kumquats, kale.
• Lemons, limes, leeks, lobster, lettuce.
• Mushrooms, mussels, mangoes, mustard greens, muskmelons.
• Nectarines.
• Oranges, okra, oysters, onions.
• Parsley leaves, peaches, peppers, papaya, parsnips, pears, pineapple, peas, pumpkin, pomegranates.
• Quince.
• Raspberries, rhubarb, radishes, red cabbage.
• Sauerkraut, sea bass, sorrel, scallions, shrimps, steaks, spinach, string beans, strawberries.
• Tomato, tangerines, turnips.
• Watermelon, watercress.

Negative Calorie Diet
To the best of my knowledge, there is indeed a diet called the cabbage soup diet that is entirely based on the negative calorie foods concept. However, this diet should only be done for not more than a week. The basic idea of this diet is to detoxify your system, which will help you lose weight easily.

I know a couple of people who had success with this negative calorie diet, but they all followed the directions carefully. They did not in any way extend the length of the diet.

Is it Okay to eat nothing else other than Negative Calorie Foods?
Looking at the list from above, I would have to say that is not entirely safe to just eat negative calorie foods. But, the majority of what you eat in your meals can be negative calorie foods. After all, we can’t do without whole grains in our daily diet, as they are very important for our overall health and for our heart. They provide us with energy as well.

Don’t forget about the fats, we can’t do without them – not too much, just a little. So add a dash of butter to your green beans, and your meal is set!

No, there is definitely nothing wrong with eating negative calorie foods, but you could face problems if you only had to eat these foods. Studies are being undertaken to show whether sticking to only a negative calorie diet is unsafe or not. Until then, it would be wise on your part to follow a diet that is well balanced.