Negative Calorie Foods - What They Can And Can’t Do For You
If you’ve been looking to lose a few lbs of weight, you’ll no doubt have come across the idea of so-called negative calorie foods which help you shed weight.
In this article, I’m going to tell you the truth about these foods; what they are, and what they aren’t. What they can do for you, and what they can’t do.
First of all, consistently eating less calories per day than your maintenance level, over a sustained period of time is the absolute crux of your diet; and quite often this fact is conveniently overlooked when these foods are talked about. Some make it out to be a case of the more you eat of them, the more weight you lose; and that’s simply not true. Everything must be measured and done in moderation, in accordance with your own unique calorie needs.
Every food, barring water, has a calorie value. Calories are basically the measurement used to determine how much energy the food contains. And you may be surprised to learn that these negative calorie foods are in fact positive calorie foods: it would be impossible for any food to contain minus calories.
The term negative calorie foods is pretty misleading, but basically the premise is that these foods contain few calories, and some contain other substances which cause the digestive system to work hard – burning calories in the process. So, it is perfectly possible to eat, say, a grapefruit, and rather than give your body more energy by consuming the food, you actually burn more energy in the eating and digestion process, resulting in negative caloric activity.
If you are interested in more details of negative calorie foods, as well as a big list of these foods, you may wish to take a look at my article on fat burning foods.
