Negative Calorie Foods - Aiding Weight Loss and Increasing Metabolism

While all foods contain at least some calories, there are some that are classified as negative calorie foods due to their overall affect on the body. This simply means that these particular foods use more caloric energy to eat and digest than they actually contain to begin with. The calories from these types of foods are more difficult to breakdown and process, making the body work harder to digest them, thus burning more than the food's original caloric content.

If we gain weight when we take in more calories than we expend, it only stands to reason that if we take in less calories than we burn, we will then lose weight. Roughly ten percent of our total daily caloric intake is actually used to process and digest the foods that we've eaten. If we decrease the calories we ingest, add more negative calorie foods to our diets while increasing our level of physical activity, the result is healthy weight loss and an elevated metabolism.

A perfect example is a piece of cake that contains roughly 400 calories, but that also uses up 150 of those calories to eat and digest it. This then leaves a net gain of 250 calories, which of course turn into fat. Now, if instead you decided to eat a salad that contained 250 calories, but uses 400 calories to completely digest, you will have actually burned 150 calories simply by eating the salad. If you ate a piece of fruit that contained 100 calories but used up 200 calories worth during the digestion process, you will have burned an extra 100 calories just by eating the fruit.

The more negative calories that you can incorporate into your diet while maintaining a regular exercise program, the more fat you will ultimately burn. Negative calorie foods should always be prepared fresh and naturally without any added ingredients such as butter or salt, which would only counteract the food's negative caloric affects. Negative calorie foods generally have a high fiber content, which is essential for dieters as it allows the body to feel fuller longer. Fiber also causes the body to work harder to process and breakdown the foods we've eaten.

Although water isn't considered a food, ice cubes can be used as a negative calorie source. Water contains no calories at all, but the body must put forth energy to consume the ice, and also to compensate for the decrease in body temperature. Many dieters use frozen sugar-free juice cubes as healthy treats that also require the expenditure of more calories than they actually contain.

When following a diet rich with negative calorie foods, it's important to remember that these foods are comprised mostly of water and fiber, and while they are healthy, they also lack key nutrients, proteins, and certain vitamins and minerals that the body needs to thrive.

Some vegetables that are considered to be negative calorie foods are:

Asparagus


Beets


Broccoli


Cabbage


Carrots


Cauliflower


Celery


Chili peppers


Cucumbers


Endives


Garlic


Leeks


Lettuce


Onions


Peppers


Radishes


Spinach


Turnips


Zucchini

Some fruits that are considered to be negative calorie foods are:

Apples


Blackberries


Blueberries


Cranberries


Guava


Grapefruit


Honey dew melons


Lemons


Limes


Mangoes


Oranges


Peaches


Pineapple


Plums


Raspberries


Tangerines


Tomatoes


Watermelon