Negative Calorie Diet

In today's world, where everyone is health and fitness conscious, obesity is a major health problem that not only hampers your appearance but also your confidence. Not only this, obesity is also a root cause of various health ailments like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, etc. Hence, in order to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, people usually resort to various weight loss diets and strenuous exercise regimes. Though both these methods help in losing weight, they demand a lot of hard work and commitment. Hence, one simple and effective way to lose weight fast, that too without starving or spending hours in the gym, is to follow a negative calorie diet.

Negative Calorie Diet

It is a type of weight loss diet that involves consumption of foods which have negative calories, i.e., foods that require more calories to digest than the calories foods actually have. Since one of the major cause of weight gain is eating high calorie foods, this diet plan works by making the body burn more calories than it is consuming. Hence, the diet plan encourages intake of foods that are low in calories and require more time to digest. This results in more calories usage which is taken from the fat stored in the body, hence resulting in quick weight loss. Moreover, it claims to burn around 10 - 14 pounds in just a week, that too by just eating negative calorie foods.

How it Works

As you know the foods we eat contain nutrients like carbohydrates, fibers, fat, protein, and vitamin and mineral contents which stimulate the digestive enzymes to break down the calorie nutrients of the food. Hence, foods to be consumed while following a negative calorie diet, comprise sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals that not only stimulate the enzymes to break down the food calories but also use additional calories stored in the body for proper digestion. This mechanism that increases the body's metabolism to burn more calories is called negative calorie effect.

For example, a piece of cake comprising 500 calories, may require only 200 calories for digestion, Hence, there will be a net gain of 300 calories which will directly add to the body's stored fat. On the other hand, a raw piece of celery consisting only 5 calories, requires significantly more calories while chewing and digesting. Hence, consumption of this food will result in a substantial loss of calories in the body which will help in fast weight loss, that too without starving.

Negative Calorie Foods

After knowing how this diet works, you would probably like to know the foods that are supposed to have negative calories. Well, your diet list should include vegetables and fruits that are low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals. Asparagus, lettuce, broccoli, beets, onions, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, tomato, spinach, green beans, turnips, beets, chili peppers, endive, garden cress, garlic and radishes are some of the vegetables that have negative calories. Similarly, fruits that have negative calories include apples, oranges, pineapple, grapefruit, raspberries, pineapple, strawberries, lemons, limes, watermelon, tangerine, cantaloupe, mango, peaches, blueberries, cranberries and papaya.

Undoubtedly, negative calorie diet does help in effective and quick weight loss but whether it is a healthy way to lose weight is still debatable. According to some experts, the diet may cause calcium and protein deficiencies in people following it, as it limits the consumption of dairy products which are rich in calcium. Lack of calcium can lead to diseases like osteoporosis and rickets. Likewise, protein deficiency can also affect the body's immune system and reduce its resistance to fight certain infections. Hence, it is strongly recommended that before you opt for negative calorie meal plan, consult your dietician in order to gain long term benefits.

1. Prev:High Protein Low Calorie Foods
2. Next:Low-calorie Vegetables and Fruits