Negative calorie foods - benefits for weight loss

Foods with negative calories - what are they? It turns out that this is the same magic food that you eat and lose weight. That is, food that is not deposited on the sides, thighs and stomach, because the body spends much more energy on its digestion and absorption than it receives. This sounds like our dream menu - chicken breast with celery for lunch, cauliflower for dinner, and strawberries for dessert! And not a single extra gram on the waist - everything burned away without a trace.

Is it really? In this article we will talk about what negative calorie foods actually are, what foods have them, and most importantly, are all the statements true?

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Myths and reality

Myth one: if you eat high-calorie foods with negative-calorie foods, you can lose weight without dieting or exercising.
Only water and green tea without sugar have zero calories. These are clearly not the foods that should be taken as the basis of a diet. But broccoli, green beans and other low-calorie foods still do not waste more energy than they provide. So this method of losing weight is extremely doubtful.

Myth two: Negative calorie foods provide fewer calories than it takes to digest them.

During the digestion process, food can actually “eat” up to 40% of its own calorie content. But the remaining 60% is completely easily absorbed by the body. Not a single study has confirmed the myth about plant foods, which need more energy for their own processing than they ultimately give to the body.

Myth three: Negative calorie foods burn fat.

Let’s say it’s really possible to lose weight by eating such foods. But there are two options: either sit on a strict diet of only green beans, or eat a more varied diet, but add physical activity. There is no other way to get rid of excess weight.

Reality: Negative calorie foods help you lose weight faster.

Yes, eating such foods will indeed have an extremely positive effect on your figure. But at the same time, you need to understand that the effectiveness of the diet lies in giving up those foods that provide the body with a large amount of calories. That is, you will have to exclude fatty, fried, sweet, butter and flour foods from your diet. And if you want to achieve results as quickly as possible, then you should add physical activity to your diet, at least half an hour a day.

What cannot be combined with

Along with low-calorie foods, you should not consume fatty foods, smoked foods, baked goods made from white flour, sweets, lemonades and alcoholic drinks.

A large number of calories and the presence of harmful components in such food will negate all efforts aimed at losing weight.

It is not advisable to season a fruit salad with heavy cream, or vegetable dishes with mayonnaise. Adding sugar to berries and fruits does not help achieve the goal.

Melon is a difficult food to digest . It must be consumed between main meals, otherwise the stomach will feel heavy.

If you drink it with fermented milk products or cold water, diarrhea is possible.

Science experiment

Scientists at the University of Dortmund decided to test whether negative calorie foods really exist. To do this, they used agamidae lizards, which were consistently fed celery for ten days or not fed at all. The experiment gave a completely predictable result: a third of the calories consumed by the lizards went to digestion processes, another 43% went to the processes of eliminating processed foods, and the remaining calories were completely absorbed. That is, “negative calorie content” is a myth, and the body absorbs up to 50% of the energy value of any product, including extremely dietary cucumbers, celery and lettuce. Of course, no experiments were carried out on humans, but scientists are confident that the result will be exactly the same.

Citrus fruits: grapefruit, lemon, orange, tangerine, lime

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These fruits are recognized masters of burning the hated extra pounds. It is known that eating grapefruit daily for two weeks will reduce weight by approximately two kilograms. Citrus fruits contain a lot of fiber and vitamins - especially vitamin C. Citrus fruits have mild diuretic and laxative properties. The calorie content of each citrus fruit does not exceed 40 kcal.

What are these products?

As we have already found out, products with “negative calorie content” are just another invention of marketers. However, low-calorie foods do exist, and there are a lot of them. So it won’t be difficult to create your diet by choosing the most “light” food. In the list below you can see the calorie content per 100 grams of product:

• apples – 43 kcal;
• pears – 36 kcal;
• oranges – 35 kcal;
• low-fat kefir – 35 kcal;
• brown rice – 20 kcal;
• nori seaweed – 34 kcal;
• broccoli – 27.9 kcal;
• zucchini – 26.1 kcal;
• cucumbers – 14.3 kcal;
• squash – 18.1 kcal;
• Chinese cabbage – 11 kcal;
• arugula – 24.7 kcal;
• celery – 9.7 kcal;
• tomatoes – 14.8 kcal;
• cauliflower – 28 kcal;
• zucchini – 15.6 kcal;
• melons – 31.8 kcal;
• limes – 15.4 kcal;
• peaches – 42 kcal;
• mango – 58.2 kcal;
• watermelons – 24 kcal;
• chicken – 150 kcal;
• turkey – 180 kcal;
• veal – 90 kcal;
• red fish – 80 kcal.

And this is not a complete list of low-calorie foods. As you can see, you can create a complete and varied menu for every day from them. In this case, the amount of green tea or pure water can be up to 2 liters per day: this is not only necessary for normal water-salt balance, but also for rapid weight loss.

Product leaders

One of the best foods with minimal calorie content are mushrooms , which, unlike other plant foods, are rich in proteins.

Mushrooms saturate the body for a long time, despite the meager amount of calories they contain - about 22 kcal per 100 g.

Among other plant foods, such leaders can be distinguished by their minimum energy value. This table contains a list of leading foods with negative and minimal calorie content .

As mentioned above, it is advisable to consume foods that are low in calories fresh . This way they retain all the vitamins and microelements.

When snacking, it's helpful to eat something like a stalk of celery, an apple, or a peach instead of a handful of potato chips. It is much tastier, more enjoyable and healthier for maintaining a slim figure and health.

What diet is prescribed for pancreatitis of the pancreas? Find the answer to your question in our article.

Read about the health benefits and harms of cherries in another publication.

And here are foods that contain large amounts of vitamin B 12.

How to lose weight without ruining your health

To prevent your diet from causing harm, you can take suitable dietary supplements. You can lose weight with benefits, for example, using “Cell Activator” from Herbalife Nutrition, which helps the body better absorb nutrients. And “Cell-u-loss” will help to gently remove excess water from the body. The product is enriched with potassium and magnesium, so its use does not lead to cramps associated with the leaching of these substances from the muscles. And for those who want to support the health of the cardiovascular system, Herbalifeline Max is a product with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Tocopherol and omega-3 are necessary for any body: they ensure the health of the brain, heart, blood vessels and muscles.

Fruits and berries: raspberries, blueberries, blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, currants

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These berries contain useful complexes of microelements and vitamins, as well as healthy fiber and pectins. Berries strengthen the immune system, remove toxins from the body, and have a diuretic and laxative effect. Lingonberries and cranberries are very useful for any inflammatory, colds - they strengthen the immune system, have anti-inflammatory and even antimicrobial effects.

These berries are very good for treating genitourinary infections in women and men. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries have a beneficial effect on vision; these berries can improve vision; they should be eaten by people suffering from myopia and eye diseases. Berries from these groups have a fairly low calorie content - no more than 50 kcal per glass of berries.

Diet for losing weight

Proper nutrition - in the fight against excess weight

The menu discussed above is truly universal, as it can be organized to maintain body weight, to lose it, and even to build muscle. To use this diet for weight loss, it is enough:

• Reduce its calorie content to 1,600-2,200 calories.
• Break up meals up to 6-8 times a day.
• Prepare all dishes only by steaming, boiling or baking.
• Drink 2.8-3.5 liters of fluid daily (preferably green tea and water).
• Limit your sugar intake as much as possible.
• Consume any sweets, cookies and baked goods in very small quantities.
• Additionally, exercise (at least light exercise to speed up metabolism and speed up the process of losing weight).

Adhering to these principles, the optimal menu for maintaining weight can be easily converted into a diet for losing weight. As practice and people's reviews show, the effect of such a diet is quite significant.

Rating of food products with negative calorie content

Rating of the most popular low-energy foods:

1. Green vegetables: cucumbers, zucchini, celery, onions of all kinds, white cabbage, radish, garden spinach, green beans.
2. Red root vegetables: beets, regular and cherry tomatoes, carrots, radishes, bell peppers, pumpkin.
3. Fruits: orange, lemon, tangerines, nectarines, pineapples, plums, quince, pears.
4. Berries: blueberries, wild strawberries, red and black currants, cranberries, serviceberry, blueberries, watermelon.
5. Mushrooms of any variety.

6. Seaweed.
7. Greens and herbs: dill, arugula, cilantro, basil, parsley, lettuce, mint.
8. Any spices that help digestion: cinnamon, saffron, nutmeg, oregano, curry, black pepper.
9. Drinks: still mineral water, green tea, coffee, freshly squeezed juices.

Particular care should be taken when adding seasonings, as they have the ability to stimulate appetite. You should not be on a low-calorie diet all the time. Nutritionists strongly recommend a gap of at least 40 days. In addition, a purely vegetable diet is contraindicated for people with gastrointestinal problems.

Cruciferous vegetables

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This group of vegetables that are useful in a weight loss program includes white cabbage, savoy cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, black radish, radishes, and green peas. These vegetables can give you a feeling of quick satiety and control blood sugar levels. In addition, these vegetables serve as a kind of “broom” for the intestines, helping to remove toxins, waste, old mucus, and pathogenic microflora from it. Thanks to these vegetables, the body accelerates metabolic processes and burns fat much faster.

Green tea

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Nutritionists call green tea the most beneficial drink that can help burn fat. This drink must be drunk without sugar and milk, it can be hot or cold, it depends on the time of year. It is known that each tea cup of real green tea, drunk within one day, helps burn up to 60 kcal, and you can drink up to five of them per day. In addition, green tea has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart, blood vessels, and digestive tract organs, tones and is a “beauty drink.”

A pineapple

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Scientists have discovered a special substance in this amazing and tasty fruit that helps burn fat in the body - bromelain. It has been proven that regular consumption of pineapple normalizes metabolism, it serves as a good source of vitamins, and helps normalize your weight even faster. Not only does pineapple significantly dull the feeling of hunger, but this fruit, eaten at lunch or dinner, helps break down complex lipids found in meat, fish, legumes, and dairy products.

It must be remembered that pineapple greatly increases the acidity of gastric juice and should not be consumed on an empty stomach. It is also contraindicated for gastric ulcers.

Zero-calorie fruits also include apricot, mango, apple, and plum.

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Spicy cinnamon

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Cinnamon has long been known for its ability to break down fats. This spice helps digestion, normalizes blood sugar levels, and reduces cholesterol levels. Nutrition experts recommend eating cinnamon with every meal, adding just half a teaspoon (teaspoon) to dishes or drinks.

“Fat-burning” spices also include ginger, cumin, coriander, curry, and pepper - they must be included in the diet daily.

Vegetables that help you lose weight

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Everyone knows these vegetables with minus calorie content - zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, beets, spinach, carrots, turnips, eggplants, pumpkin. I would especially like to mention onions and garlic - these products help speed up metabolic processes, and also cleanse the kidneys and intestines of a person, and serve as natural antibacterial agents.