Negative Calorie Food – Benefits and Diet Plan

Some foods have now become popular as ‘negative-calorie’ foods to aid in weight loss as consumption of these foods will help in reducing weight. These foods tend to have all the benefits that work cohesively with your diet plan to reduce weight and provide ample nutrition. Nutrition experts now prescribe diet plans that are high on the consumption of negative calorie foods to help in reducing weight and also maintain a healthy lifestyle in challenging times today.

What Are Negative Calorie Foods?

Negative-calorie foods are foods that take more calories to eat, digest and process than its contents to give your body the healthy balance it needs. Such foods tend to use more calories to process, thereby reducing the weight gain owing to the calorie content. Fruits and vegetables are considered as negative calorie foods because they contain a large amount of water and fibre which takes less energy to digest.

How Do They Work?

Replacing your foods with ‘negative-calorie’ foods is a great choice in the long run as they contain fewer calories and as an extra boost provide the body with the necessary nutrients, minerals and fibre for health benefits. High in dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals, negative calorie foods expend more calories to digest. Before unravelling the benefits of negative calorie foods, it is important to how they work.

1. Low-Calorie Content

Food sources that are low in calorie content are loaded with nutrients that help in weight loss. They do not have high-calorie content that causes weight gain; on the other hand, they help to lose weight or control it because of their low-calorie content. However, avocados are high on calorie content but nutritious with healthy fats that aid in weight loss. A can of diet Coke with zero calories could probably seem a negative calorie food but is not in reality. Other additives in the drink render it a harmful food for the human body.

2. Need More Chewing That Help Burn Calories

Negative calorie food is high on fibre and requires more chewing and mastication to move into the gut. The act of chewing burns calories and prolongs digestion making you feel full for longer.keep the body hydrated

3. Needs More Time and Energy to Digest

Foods like negative calorie foods are rich in fibre, making the stomach work overtime to digest it and in turn use more calories to absorb the nutrients for better effect on health.

Health Benefits of Negative Calorie Foods

Negative calorie effect foods are not foods that do not contain calories. They are foods which contain calories that are helpful for weight loss and at the same time are nutritionally rich. A stalk of celery contains approximately 6 calories but since it is rich in fibre the body will burn more than 6 calories to digest and process the celery. These foods essentially help you burn calories even without hitting the gym.

It is quite natural that negative calorie foods have a range of health benefits. It is a great way to lose weight and bring one’s BMI to normal. Take a look at the health benefits of negative calorie foods:

• Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases
• Enhances digestion and reduced constipation
• Lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome – if someone has a low metabolic rate, these foods enhance metabolism and aid in weight loss
• Helps in weight loss
• Reduces the risk of diabetes
• Prevents and also fights various kinds of cancer
• Helps to improve mood

List of Negative Calorie Foods

So the pertinent question that all those who wish to make the switch will have is- what foods have negative calories? Well, as mentioned before, fruits and vegetables are a great source of foods with low calories that can substitute the portion of chips, fried snacks, sugary treats, canned or frozen food. Here is a specific list:

1. Celery

With barely 16 calories per 100 kilograms, celery is one of the top negative calorie foods. Rich in fibre, celery is also high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and folates.

2. Berries

These tangy and sweet treats could be substituted to your guilty dessert pleasures. Raspberries, strawberries and blueberries contain 32 calories per half cup. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory in nature, berries are great for the heart too.

3. Grapefruit

With just 40 calories per 100 grams, grapes are a powerhouse of folic acid, potassium, Vitamin C along with soluble fibre, pectin. Foods rich in Vitamin C help in reducing the severity of asthma.

4. Carrots

Carrots have 41 calories per 100 grams are a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, manganese and potassium. They are low in cholesterol and saturated fats, thereby helping with lifestyle illnesses like hypertension.

5. Tomatoes

This sour delight has 19 calories per 100 grams with potassium, Vitamin C and dietary fibre in adequate quantities. It contains lycopene that is an antioxidant and protects from harmful UV rays.

6. Cucumbers

Not just a summer vegetable to maintain a water balance in the body, with 16 calories per 100 grams, these juicy vegetables are full of minerals, vitamins and electrolytes.

7. Watermelon

Another summer fruit, watermelons have just 30 calories per 100 grams and are rich in lycopene. The citrulline in the skin and the flesh are good for healthy blood flow and increase immunity.

8. Apples

With 50 calories per 100 grams, apples are fibre rich and ideal to snack in between meals. Even if you snack on them, they do more good than any harm. The pectin content aids in weight loss and releases sugar gradually to regulate the blood sugar levels.

9. Zucchini

Zucchini contains 18 calories per 100 grams and are excellent to promote bowel movement and the high water content helps to keep the body hydrated.

10. Broccoli

With barely 34 calories per 100 grams, broccoli is a super food packed with fibre and anti-oxidants with anti-cancer properties.

11. Lettuce

Lettuce is rich in fibre, Vitamin B, manganese and folic acid and a great source of taste to your salads.

Simple Negative Calorie Diet Chart

A basic negative calorie diet chart would look somewhat like this and would be an ideal way to incorporate it into your diet regimen:

Source: https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/negative-calorie-foods-list/

Negative Calorie Food Recipes

If you are someone who cannot salad it out every day but still want to try something with these negative calorie foods, then here are a few recipes you could try:

1. Negative Calorie Apple Chips Treat

These apple chips are great to munch on when you have snack cravings.

Ingredients

• 2 large apples
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• coconut oil spray

How to Make

• Slice the apples thinly crosswise.
• Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking tray.
• Sprinkle a light coating of coconut oil.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the apple slices.
• Bake in the top or the third shelf of the oven until apples are crisp and dry (this will take about 2-2.5 hours)
• Make in large quantities to have as a snack and accompany it with some almond butter for protein.

2. Cucumber Chips and Salsa Snack

What better than low-calorie chips and salsa to cut through those snack-time cravings?

Ingredients

• 2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced diagonally
• 3 ripe diced tomatoes
• ½ onion diced
• ¼ cup of finely chopped cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves thinly minced
• 1 jalapeno diced (optional if you do not want spice)
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make

• Mix all the ingredients except the cucumber in a bowl.
• Place the cucumber slices on a plate and top it with some salsa for an evening snack or even dinner.

With very low calories, negative calorie foods only aid in weight loss, enhance digestion and increase immunity. By eating these foods you don’t contribute to your calorie surplus and curb your weight gain.

Also Read:

Foods That Boost Your Metabolism
Best Foods for Strong Bones
Effective Fat-Burning Foods for Weight Loss