Negative Calorie Foods -How It Affects Your Weight Loss

First of all, you must understand that when the term “negative calorie foods” is used, it means a food that takes more calories to digest than the food actually contains.

Lets use water for illustration purposes. Water doesn’t have calories. When drinking cold water, the body actually has to expend a certain amount of energy to warm it up to body temperature. So the cold water is considered a negative calorie food because your body burns up a couple of calories when you drink it.

As a side note, people who suffer from anorexia actually use negative calorie foods as a method to keep thin. Regrettably, this results in them having nutritional deficiencies. Much of the calories that are expended comes from their muscle tissue.

A better way of using negative calorie foods is as part of a fasting or detox program. You can do this for a period of one to three days to flush your system. For example, after Christmas season or after you have eaten an overly rich diet. But it is recommended to get medical advice before trying to attempt such a program.

If you are thinking of starting a negative calorie fasting or detox program, you will need to take note of the following points:

1. You shouldn’t concentrate on eating only one particular food. Foods, in fact, comprise of substances that although natural, can have adverse effects when taken in large amounts. As an example, consuming huge quantities of the acid contained in grapefruit can do much damage to your stomach lining. And other foods might result in diarrhea. Thus, if you can, consume as many of the various different negative calorie foods as you can.

2. To prevent yourself from becoming bloated and feeling sick, you should not constantly eat during the whole day. It is sufficient to have four or even five salad meals throughout the day. Then allow your digestive system to rest.

3. Eat slowly and make sure to thoroughly chew your food. This actually releases enzymes and you end up using more calories by doing so. So if the negative calorie foods can just be taken raw such as carrots and tomatoes, it would indeed have more benefits than cooking them.

4. Schedule a time when you will be free of any important commitments. This is because during your fast or detox period, you may suffer from fatigue, headaches, and irritability. Also, If these symptoms persist, stop the diet immediately and visit a doctor.

5. Once your detox ends, make sure you return very gradually to your normal eating pattern.

Having considered the details explained above, below is a listing of 20 negative calorie foods for you to consider.

* Apples
* Blueberries
* Broccoli
* Cantaloupes
* Carrot
* Cauliflower
* Celery stalk
* Cranberries
* Cucumbers
* Grapefruit
* Green beans
* Green cabbage
* Lettuce
* Papayas
* Pineapples
* Prunes
* Raspberries
* Spinach
* Strawberries
* Tomatoes

It should be pointed out again that seeking the advice of a medical expert before you use negative calorie foods for fasting or in a detox programme is recommended.