Negative Calorie Foods - Fact or Fiction
You might have heard this one: It takes more calories to digest celery than you get from eating it.
Most things that seem too good to be true usually are - except this one. This is True. So let me explain why.
Humans cannot digest cellulose in plants, so vegetables and fruits with a high cellulose content are not efficiently digested. Think of a cows or horses that eat grass. They can thrive by eating grass, but as humans we would starve to death.
All foods have calories in them. An 8 inch celery stalk has about 6 calories that we can digest. When you subtract the amount of energy that our body takes to digest the celery, the net caloric effect may turn out to be nothing at all. This is why celery has turned out to be a dieter’s staple food.
By eating a sensible diet that includes several of the “negative calorie” foods, you can lower the net amount of calories that you are eating. As well, if you are eating a calorie reduced diet and are finding that you are not satisfied with the amount of food that you are eating, you can eat more of these “negative calorie” foods to add more bulk to your food, and this should help you feel a little fuller from your meals.
Keep in mind, in the same way that you can’t survive on grass, you can’t survive on just these foods alone. You still need to be eating other quality foods for the nutrients, minerals, vitamins and calories that your body needs.
Here is a list of some of the more common “negative calorie” foods.
Vegetables - asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage (green), carrots, cauliflower, celery, chicory, chili peppers, cucumbers, endive, garlic, lettuce, onions, papayas, spinach, turnip, and zucchini.
Fruits - apples, cranberries, grapefruit, lemons, mangos, oranges, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, and tangerines.
I’m sure that I left some out. If you know some more, leave us a comment and let us know.
Comments
2 Comments on Negative Calorie Foods - Fact or Fiction
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Fat Guy Radio » Blog Archive » Negative Calorie Foods - Fact or Fiction on
Mon, 17th Dec 2007 3:54 pm
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Carrie on
Sun, 20th Jan 2008 6:42 pm
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Hello! I just found your podcast this past week and I LOVE it…thanks for all your hard work!
Question on this whole “negative calorie food” thing (forgive me if you covered it…I’m only on week 4 of the podcast) do you need to count these foods in your calories for the day? Thanks so much! ~Carrie
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