Negative calorie foods?

crystallayne

I understand the concept, but has anyone experimented with these foods? I'm sure most of us have upped our vegetable and fruit because they are lower calorie, but negative?

zoeluiisa

Celery? Or is that a myth?

crystallayne

Yes celery is one, apples, carrots, broccoli, radish, peach and many others. Does our body really burn more calories digesting these foods than they have?

darklord48

I would doubt that Apples or Peaches fall into this category due to the amount of natural sugars, but it could be possible for the vegetables. I've just been trying to eat more vegetables because it is something else taking up space in my stomach.

chuckyp

I think crab falls in that category because you have to work for an hour to get like a 1/4 cup of meat. Hahaha

kellybean14

I've heard that raw carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower work as "negative" calorie foods.

Even if they technically add calories, they're excellent for you and can boost your metabolism! Eat awayyyyyyyyyyy!

sarglava

I don't think anything is negative calories. It's something like... everything has calories but your body works harder to process things with higher cellulose (which is undigestible). So if you're looking for extra "calorie burn" eat food with high cellulose (like celery, leafy greens, broccoli, etc.). And fruits are usually not high in cellulose...

Di3012

I understand the concept, but has anyone experimented with these foods? I'm sure most of us have upped our vegetable and fruit because they are lower calorie, but negative?

There are no negative calorie foods. Digestion of food is significantly less than even the lowest calorie food. Water is the only substance that contains zero calories.

People are just going to have to accept the fact that they need to watch their calorie intake if they are after losing weight, instead of trying to find shortcuts all the way down the line.

Nerdy_Rose

There is no such thing as negative calories foods. It is a myth.

legmotor

Soooooo since meat is so hard to digest (according to what I've read in these forums) does that mean a big ole piece of lean steak is also negative?

I joke, I joke, I kid, I kid.

jenguhl

I think crab falls in that category because you have to work for an hour to get like a 1/4 cup of meat. Hahaha

I swear this must be true!

luvmylittles

I found this, thought it was interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_calorie_food

and this

http://lifehacker.com/331319/fifteen-foods-that-burn-more-calories-than-they-contain

Lesa_Sass

There is no such thing as negative calories foods. It is a myth.

^^^^^this
Although celery is said to be a food that it takes more calories to digest than it has. Apples for sure are not negative calories, nor are carrots, they are the reasons that I am over on sugar too.

Simple fact of the matter is, you eat foods that are nutritious and do not worry about it. We need calories, we need sugar, we need fat. What we do not need is a bunch of processed crap, fast food or drinks with empty calories in them.

UponThisRock

I think crab falls in that category because you have to work for an hour to get like a 1/4 cup of meat. Hahaha

lol

katejkelley

It's a myth - as much as we''d like to believe it, there is no such thing as negative calorie food. :sad:

TeaBea

There is no such thing as negative calories foods. It is a myth.

^^^^^this
Although celery is said to be a food that it takes more calories to digest than it has. Apples for sure are not negative calories, nor are carrots, they are the reasons that I am over on sugar too.

Simple fact of the matter is, you eat foods that are nutritious and do not worry about it. We need calories, we need sugar, we need fat. What we do not need is a bunch of processed crap, fast food or drinks with empty calories in them.

This^^

Well said - Thank you!

Di3012

I found this, thought it was interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_calorie_food

and this

http://lifehacker.com/331319/fifteen-foods-that-burn-more-calories-than-they-contain

It is a total myth and a myth that is dangerous for people desperately trying to lose weight. People eat those things and think they can eat unlimited amounts because they are supposedly negative calorie foods.

Oranges at 70 calories apiece if they are the large oranges, I can guarantee that it does not take more than 70 calories to digest one, the same goes for all the other foods in that list.

People don't be fooled, you just have to accept there are no easy-peasey foods to eat that will give you a shortcut to your goal weight, only hard work and dedication will get you there and if you don't want to lose weight properly, they just admit it and stop looking for these ridiculous wormholes.

SofaKingRad

lizard053

It is a myth that foods have negative calories. Foods that are super high in fiber and water and little else tend to be what people put in this category, because sometimes it feels like chewing them burns more calories than they contain! Celery, iceberg lettuce, watermelon, etc. They are usually unlimited on a lot of food plans, because they contain very few calories. But all foods contain calories!

Quasita

most of the "negative calorie foods" aren't particularly nutrient dense... In my opinion, I'd rather eat something that is rich and beneficial, then waste time eating things I hate with the hopes that I burn it off.

I could believe that some foods that are super low in calories would be easily burned off by daily activities... but if this concept were true, it would mean that people who eat very little would be able to lose weight easily instead of gaining after a while.

QuintinV

It is a myth that foods have negative calories. Foods that are super high in fiber and water and little else tend to be what people put in this category, because sometimes it feels like chewing them burns more calories than they contain! Celery, iceberg lettuce, watermelon, etc. They are usually unlimited on a lot of food plans, because they contain very few calories. But all foods contain calories!

Agreed! @lizard and if you think about it, you would calculate around 10% towards digesting your food in a TDEE calculation so if you eat only celery for the day, it won't really help at all.
With a BMR of say 1800 cals, you would guestimate 180 for digestion and would be able to eat 1.3kgs of celery, but that is never enough to eat for one day so naturally you would need to eat other foods and this would cancel out the so called benefit, but it might be worth it for some people if you want to stuff yourself with celery to assist marginally... not really worth it though...