The Negative Calorie Diet

This is really less of a diet and more of a diet helper. It is a theory which has been known about for a long time, and basically consists of a list of foods whose net calorie contribution is less than the amount of calories taken to digest them. These foods are all low fat, high roughage foods, mostly vegetables and some fruits, and the roughage content is the key to understanding the phenomenon.

Negative Calorie Diet plan

Roughage is the major obstacle the body faces in breaking down foods, and the more roughage, the more energy has to be expended in chewing and other digestive processes. So for instance, if you take a small piece of cake and a carrot and compare the amount of calories in them, they may both have 20 calories,but if you could measure the amount of calories the body uses in digesting them you would see a big difference in the net calories gained. The amount of difference depends on personal metabolism.

The main problem in making this theory work as a diet is that virtually all negative calorie foods contain small amounts of carbohydrates and no protein or fats at all. So in order to make up a balanced diet, even a low calorie diet has to include some positive calorie foods. However, knowing which foods are negative calorie foods is valuable when you are dieting because these can be used as no guilt snacks. Because of their high roughage content, they fill the stomach for longer than processed food, and reduce hunger pangs,while at the same time not adding calories! In addition, they generally contribute good amounts of vitamins and trace elements, important in any diet.

Negative Calorie Diet food list

Here is a list of negative calorie foods:

Vegetables:carrots,broccoli,beets,cucumber,chili peppers,chicory,celery,endives,lettuce,cabbage,green beans, garlic, asparagus,turnip, spinich, radish, onion,zuccini,and bean sprouts.

Fruits:oranges, apples, strawberry, watermelon, raspberry,pineapple, peach,blueberry, cranberry,cantaloupe,grapefruit,honeydew melon, lemons, lime and mango.

Note that juicing or mincing can tip the scales and make a negative calorie food into a positive one! Where possible, the skin should be eaten too.