Negative Calorie Foods for Weight Loss Fact or Fiction?

All foods have calories, however, the so called negative calorie foods are mostly low calorie, high fiber vegetables and fruits that take more “calories” (energy) to chew and digest then the calories contained in the foods.  This is a nice theory, but in my opinion what is at work here is that vegetables and fruits are low in calorie, they fill you up, and therefore you are eating less calories overall.

It is certainly a healthy approach to making food choices to include more veggies and fruits.  However, for me it isn’t worth paying for an ebook or a paperback book to put this theory into practice when I can use my common sense.

Book Review: Foods That Cause You to Lose Weight: The Negative Calorie Effect, cost $6.99 (paperback) The book promises to boost metabolic rate, burn calories more effectively, lower dangerous cholesterol levels, improve health and eat the delicious foods you love–in the quantities you want, all while watching the pounds disappear–without stressful dieting or the temptation to binge, it even includes recipes. Those are some big promises to keep, and any time something sounds like “hype”, it usually is.

Book Review: The Negative Calorie Diet (TM) ebook, cost $24.95, makes similar claims, as well as claiming 14 lbs can be lost in only 7 days, includes an exercise component (claiming that “three exercises will firm up and tone 85% of your body’s muscles” if they are performed three times a week, 15 minutes per day).

In my opinion the “diet plan” is way to much hype and fiction wrapped around a few facts, and is playing into what every dieter wants – a quick fix.

Fiction: quick fix, rapid fat loss, over the top promises.
Fact: negative calorie foods (a.k.a. vegetbles and fruits) are good for you.

There is a free list on Wikipedia you can check out.  It is a fairly comprehensive list of negative calorie foods and won’t cost you cent.

An example of a negative calorie food is an apple, contains 65 calories and may take 100 calories to digest, which creates a net loss of 35 calories from your body fat. The calories “lost” by eating an apple, are not a significant number when you remember that to lose a pound you have to eliminate 3500 calories from the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight through dietary changes or exercise. But compare the apple with the option of a 400 calorie piece of cake, and the apple is a better choice – it has lower calories, no fat, lots of natural healthy nutrients, and will help control your appetite because of the fiber (whereas the cake is only empty calories with no vitamins or minerals, can increase your cravings and spike your blood sugar levels causing increased hunger).

Negative calorie foods are all healthy choices, so there is no harm in including more of these foods in a healthy eating plan. I suggest using common sense, choose foods that will fuel your body, and include at least 9 servings or more of veggies and fruits every day (along with some lean protein).

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