Counting calories is one of those age-old tricks that people rely on when going on a weight loss diet. While it can be an effective strategy, a lot of people misunderstand the calorie-in calorie-out method. This method means upping your activity level so you can burn more calories than what you eat. Sadly, people choose to eat less and starve rather than exercise, which actually leads their body to hold on to fats more. Frustrations arise, and the journey to better health crashes.
This is where the idea of “negative calorie food” was born from.
How do negative calorie foods work?
In order to not starve, not exercise, and still burn more calories than consumed, these food items are eaten instead because they supposedly take more calories to process than their actual calorie content. For example, there are only 14 calories in celery per 100g. So little, right? The proponents of the “negative calorie food” idea suggest that our body uses up more than 14 calories to chew, digest, and absorb nutrients when we eat celery.
Food that are considered “negative calorie”:
- Celery (14kcal/100g)
- Broccoli (31kcal/90g)
- Carrot (52kcal/130g)
- Grapefruit (69kcal/230g)
- Lettuce (5kcal/35g)
- Watermelon (46kcal/150g)
- Apple (53kcal/110g)
- Cucumber (8kcal/50g)
- Tomato (32kcal/180g)
However, there are absolutely no scientific studies that prove this point.
The Truth Behind Negative Calorie Food
For those already planning on putting together a negative calorie food plan, unfortunately, there is no such thing.
As you can see from the list above, these foods are either a vegetable or a fruit, all of them rich in water (an average of 90% water content) and fiber. In reality, our body only consumes a percentage of the caloric value of the food that we consume. Here’s a breakdown by macronutrient:
- Carbohydrates:5 to 10%
- Protein:20 to 30%
- Fat:0 to 5%
Since the aforementioned food are mainly carbs rich in water and fiber, there is no way the mere act of consuming them would lead to a calorie deficit.
What about the calories burned while at rest?
BMR, or basal metabolic rate, is the amount of calories each person’s body burns to keep itself going even while the person is asleep or simply lying there. This number depends on a person’s height, age, and mass. On average, a person burns around 45kcal/hr at rest.
Taking this into consideration, sure, your body could burn more calories than what you consume, but you have to think about:
- Will you be satisfied by these food?
- How long before you get hungry again by eating only these food?
You probably have noticed but fruits and vegetables don’t keep you feeling full for longer. You’ll likely be hungry again after an hour, which could prompt you to eat more. Also, the calories mentioned above are for their raw forms, so if they’re cooked with fat or sauces or other things, then they’d contain way more calories than what’s written.
The bottom line is, you cannot and should not rely on your BMR and the “negative calorie” effect. This is a mindset that has lead people to starving themselves just to lose weight, which, as we said, produces the opposite effect.
What You Can Do
These so-called negative calorie food are no doubt all nutrient-rich and deserve to be part of your meals. But instead of being overly preoccupied with calorie counting that you don’t enjoy your food anymore, simply choose whole foods over processed foods, and limit your carbohydrates intake. Processed food contains a lot of toxins that hinder our cells from working properly. On the other hand, carbohydrates are converted into glucose (a form of blood sugar) during digestion. Too much sugar leads to inflammation, which is the root of terrible illnesses.
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