What is a Negative Calorie Food

What is a negative calorie food? It sounds like a dieter's dream, doesn't it?

Well, actually- it is! Negative calorie foods are foods that burn more calories during digestion then they actually contain. Pretty sweet, right?

So you may ask yourself, 'What are these foods and why don't people only eat negative calorie foods to lose weight'?!?! While negative calorie foods are generally high in fiber, they are not what the average person is going to be able to consist on. In theory, you could eat negative calorie foods alone and lose weight, but in reality you are probably going to crave some pasta, protein, or sweets along the way. And also, you need a wide variety of foods to make up a nutritious diet. Since negative calorie foods are fruits and veggies, you would not be getting any protein, enough iron, and no whole grains.

The fruits that are considered to be negative calorie are: apples, cranberries, grapefruit, honeydew, lemons, limes, mangos, oranges, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, tomato, turnip, papaya, Peach, watermelon, tangerines, Cucumber (yes cumcumber is a fruit) and hot peppers (which surprise, surprise are fruits too).

The vegetables that are negative calorie are : lettuce, onion, broccoli, garlic, green beans, cauliflower, radish, carrots, cabbage, spinach, turnip, zucchini, chicory, garden cress and asparagus.

Now some people think the whole idea of negative calorie foods is hooey. I personally, think that its true. In my personal experience, I always become hungry again much fast after consuming an apple or some carrots, than I would after eating some toast. This would lead me to believe, that this is happening because of the negative calorie effect of the apple or carrots. And in the case that it is not true, these fruits and vegetables are so nutritious and vital to a healthy diet- that it doesn't make too much of a difference. Either way, you are going to lose more weight eating fruits and vegetables, rather than if you were carbo-loading like a mad woman.

I hope I answered that question of what a negative calorie food is. If you are new to the concept, that it is just another great reason to load up on fruits and veggies! Tasty, nutritious, AND a negative calorie food- doesn't get much better.

Weight Loss Benefits

While I believe that results are the best motivation- I also believe that knowing the benefits of said results are also decent motivation. Because of that, I am going to outline the main weight loss benefits.

First off, lets try not to think of weight loss as 'dieting' or restricting yourself from everything good and lovely and eating only carrots for the rest of your life. Let's try to think of weight loss as restoring your health to the best it can be and ensuring a long and energetic life with few sniffles.

If you are having trouble conjuring the image I suggested, here are some known benefits of losing that pesky weight:

You will lower your blood pressure. I know, it's a little annoying when people tell you that, because high blood pressure doesn't really bother you until it actually causes a problem. But the kinds of problems it causes are strokes and heart disease. So obviously, these are problems you are going to want to avoid.

You can prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Folks, you don't want to get diabetes. While anyone can get type 2 diabetes, you are twice as likely to get it if you are overweight. Do whatever you can to PREVENT disease- I promise it is so much better than treating an existing disease and you will have such a higher quality of life and happiness.

You will reduce your risk of various cancers. Again, prevention is key here. I realize that is hard to think about- because if you take great care of yourself and live a long, healthy life- you will never know what you prevented. So there is no tangible benefit. But I promise you, that you ARE preventing diseases by maintaining a healthy weight and healthy body. And you surely don't want to find out the hard way exactly what you are preventing.

You will have more energy. And who doesn't want more energy?! Just losing 5 pounds of extra weight will give you more energy. Why? ..because its EXTRA weight, and you are carrying around needlessly and its slowing you down. But also because people at a healthier weight, get better sleep. Better sleep = more energy.

And as an added plus, you will feel better about yourself. Every single woman deserves to look in the mirror and LOVE what she sees. You should feel great about your body, you are the only you out there! That sounds cheesy, but I'm serious. I think you should love your body no matter how much extra weight you have- but I also think that you will have a ton more self confidence if you feel like you look your very best. And losing weight, not only builds confidence because it is a hard accomplishment to achieve- but because you will love the way you look. And you really deserve to!

Well ladies, Thank you for reading about the benefits to losing weight and happy dieting!