Negative Calorie Foods: What’s the Problem?

There’s a lot of buzz in the diet world about negative calorie foods and whether they are for real. The negative calorie phrase refers to a small group of foods which contain so little energy that the body uses more energy to digest and absorb the nutrients. If this is true there would be a net loss of calories from the body resulting in a negative calorie balance, which is required in order to lose weight.

Are Negative Calorie Foods for real?

In our world of high technology scientists are finding it hard to calculate the energy cost of digesting and absorbing various foods. This makes it difficult to prove or disprove the theory. However, many experts do believe the theory to be incorrect. No matter whether negative calorie foods are true or not, I think sometimes experts should look at the bigger picture and learn to keep quiet in some cases. Let me explain.

Do we want to lose weight or not?

Let’s look deeper into the potential of eating more “negative calorie foods”. Most of the foods on a negative calorie list are fruits or vegetables, and we all hear that people in the US and UK are not eating enough fruits and vegetables. For this reason alone any way of encouraging people in this part of the world to eat more of these healthy, natural foods must be a good thing, surely?

Also the fact is that these foods ARE often very low in calories and a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables should ultimately mean a lower calorie intake which WILL result in weight loss.

Another point I think is important is the psychological edge that one may develop from eating more negative calorie foods. If one believes they have the key to their weight loss goal it can boost them and lead to a higher degree of motivation. A greater motivation leads to increases in effort and consistency, and these are two essential ingredients to success in losing weight.

What are the potential benefits of negative calorie foods?

Increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables = good move for most people!

A natural decrease in calorie intake = a must for losing weight!

A possible boost to motivation = pushes up consistency which is essential for weight loss.

Therefore even if the experts are wrong with the theory of negative calorie foods, the fact is, eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables could help some people on the road to weight loss success. And we say good luck to them!

Wayne Mcgregor has written hundreds of articles on ways to lose weight. His website provides tons of free weight loss information and help.
http://www.weightlossforall.com/negative-calorie-foods-list.htm

1. Prev:Low Fat Diets : Not as Beneficial as Once Thought
2. Next:Hoodia Diet Pill: Hoodia Gordonii or Voodoo to You and I