Finding food with negative calories is a dieter’s dream. Instead of dieting, you’d eat that food all day as your waistline and weight magically shrunk. It may exist, but it’s not as simple as just eating the food. There’s more to it than meets the eye. Scientists say that it is possible to find food with negative calories, they just haven’t found one that fits the theory. Some foods come close due to digestion. It’s estimated that, on average, food uses about 10% of its calories during digestion.
What type of macronutrient is it?
Is the food protein or fat? Is it a simple carbohydrate? The cost of calories during digestion is called the thermic effect. Digesting food makes the body do work. It takes calories to provide the energy for that effort. Foods high in fiber and water often take more calories to digest. Celery is one of those foods. A rib of celery provides approximately 6 calories. Take out the water and subtract the calories used for digestion. That leaves between 4 and 5 calories. That’s pretty low, but it’s not negative calories. High-fiber foods like celery use 20% of their calories for digestion. Protein uses 30%, and fat uses only 3%. Carbs use 5 to 15%, depending on their composition. Simple carbs digest faster and use fewer calories.
Besides celery, spices are also close to having negative calories.
Cayenne pepper has 17 calories per tablespoon. When you eat it, it raises your body temperature and increases your metabolism. That causes the body to burn more calories. However, like most spices, you aren’t going to eat a full tablespoon of cayenne pepper unless you’re eating a serving size for a large family. Other spices boost metabolism, like cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin. Cinnamon also helps maintain blood sugar levels, which can prevent insulin resistance that causes weight gain.
There are no foods with negative calories.
Sadly, there are no negative-calorie foods, but some are low in calories and even lower when considering the thermic effect or how they increase your metabolism You can lose weight easier by focusing on whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and quality protein. Add spices to your meals for flavor and nutrients without adding extra calories. You’ll feel fuller and eat less when you include protein and healthy fats.
- Celery juice may help you lose weight in another way. It acts like a diuretic and helps eliminate bloating and water retention that pack on the pounds.
- Beets, kale, and spinach make a great fat-burning salad with a high thermogenic effect. It also helps lower blood pressure and improve health. Asparagus is another vegetable with a high thermogenic effect.
- There are two types of cinnamon: Cassia and Ceylon. Cassia is high in coumarin, which can interact with warfarin, a blood thinner, so if you’re on a blood thinner, keep your cinnamon intake lower and use Ceylon cinnamon.
- You can lower your calorie count and boost the thermogenic effect by using alternatives to pasta like spaghetti squash, zoodles, or other noodles made by spiralizing vegetables. They add more fiber and reduce calories.
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