Negative Calorie Foods: The Key to Eating Without Gaining Weight
Have you ever heard of negative calories? Thanks to them, you can eat without gaining weight. It may sound too good to be true, but there are actually some natural foods that, rather than making us fat, actually make us burn more calories when chewed than they provide when we eat them. These foods are called “negative calorie” or “zero calorie” foods. Let’s find out together what they are and how they work.
Speaking of nutrition to lose weight or simply to maintain shape, negative calorie foods have an important advantage: they help us feel full thanks to their high percentage of water and fiber. Some of them contain less than 30 calories per 100 grams and include tea, coffee, vegetable or chicken broth, celery, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, chili pepper, fennel, courgettes, mushrooms, lettuce, cucumbers, spinach, radishes, grapefruit, strawberries, apples, watermelons, lemons, blueberries, bitter cocoa, and cocoa beans.
To maximize the benefits of these negative calorie foods, it is advisable consume them as mid-morning or afternoon snacks, such as fennel or celery, to obtain an adequate caloric intake and feel full. Plus, they can be integrated into main meal preparations to add volume without adding many calories. It’s important to pair negative calorie vegetables with carbohydrate-containing dishes to maintain a balance in the glycemic load.
Regularly incorporating these foods into your diet can benefit the body, promote a healthy diet, and contribute to weight loss. Furthermore, they can be part of a balanced dietary approach that includes a variety of nutrients essential for health.
To better understand, it is essential to clarify that negative calorie foods are not entirely calorie-free, but they contain so few as to be practically zero. Every time we eat, the process of chewing and digestion consumes energy, which means that some foods require more calories to process than they provide to our bodies.
It’s important though not to base your diet entirely on these foods. To lose weight healthily or maintain a healthy weight, it is essential to combine them with a balanced diet that includes a variety of nutritious foods to meet the body’s needs. In this way, you can obtain an adequate calorie intake and ensure the correct functioning of your metabolism. With the right approach, negative calorie foods can be a valuable tool in the quest for a healthy weight and lifestyle.