What are negative calorie foods?
Theoretically negative calorie foods are those, that help in burning more calories while eating and digesting than they actually have. These claim to improve metabolism and help in weight loss. These foods are usually plant-based, high in water content, and rich in fiber. List of these foods is long, but few examples are- Broccoli, Cabbage, Lettuce, Apple, Celery, etc.
Does is work the same way in body?
When we eat a meal, every time our body use calories to digest and absorb it. This effect is known as the “Thermogenic effect of food”. But the calories consumed is not enough. Our body spends only 5 to 10 percent of its total energy expenditure on digesting food. Therefore, theoretically, to keep our body in a negative calorie state we have to limit the amount of these negative calorie food too, to keep food’s calorific value below the calorie consumed by the body. But do you really think our system understands these?
Each of us has our own set of metabolisms and that decides our calorific need. Eating these negative calorie foods most of the time can make many of us feel tired and exhausted for no reason.
Why we lose weight after eating good amount of negative calorie foods?
These foods are excellent sources of fibre and low in calories and, if you prefer these in place of calorie-dense food you will lose weight, for that you don’t need to be in a negative calorie state.
Reasons not to eat negative calorie foods all day long-
These foods will deprive us not only of calories but from many vital nutrients including proteins. It can be a part of a healthy meal plan but eating it the majority of the time will not support a strong and capable body, which is much needed for health and fitness.
The focus should be on improving lifestyle, which will include the right food choices, portion control and regular exercise.