Have you heard about “negative calorie” foods?
They are foods that supposedly contain fewer calories than your body burns while digesting them.
So, for example, if you eat one cup of a food that contains 25 calories and your body burns 28 calories while digesting it, you have a negative calorie effect.
Many people misinterpret this to mean that they can eat unlimited amounts of these magical “negative calorie” foods and shrink down to a size zero, but there is a little more to it than that.
First of all, how many calories you burn during any activity depends on a few factors, including your current weight, your activity level, and your rate of metabolism as it is right now.
Secondly, weight loss is not JUST about calories – sugar content, carbohydrate content, fat content, fiber content – all of these things come into play and affect the way your body handles the food you eat.
Finally, all of us are different, so what works well for one person may not work as well for you.
However, these so-called negative calorie foods do have one thing in common: they are all nutritious and encourage weight loss when eaten in moderation (and combined with a good exercise program)… so there is no harm in including them in your diet if you want to!
Below is a partial list of foods that are often considered to be “negative calorie”:
– Broccoli
– Cucumber
– Carrots
– Cauliflower
– Spinach
– Turnips
– Tomatoes
– Tangerines
– Honeydew Melon
– Apricots
– Clementines
– Raspberries
– Peppers
– Grapefruit
– Strawberries
– Watermelon
– Blueberries
– Apples
– Celery
– Zucchini
– Radishes
Don’t forget to round out your diet by also including whole grains, lean protein, low fat dairy products, and healthy fats like olive oil, nuts and seeds, and omega-3 fatty acids like those found in salmon and tuna.
These few tips we’ve shared over the past few pages are just small pieces of the puzzle…
Next, we’re going to help you pull it all together into a beautiful, complete picture – and that picture is of YOU, looking and feeling lean and happy!