This content has been Fact-Checked by a Certified Nutritionist in our Publishing Team. Learn more here. Always consult a medical professional before commencing any diet.
Negative calorie foods, have you heard of such thing?
Your weight loss journey might have led you to discover all sorts of equally tasty and nasty discoveries that you can add to your diet.
Some worked and others just plain didn’t.
This doesn’t mean that you should quit getting rid of your love handles and finding foods that will provide the perfect calorie balance that will accelerate weight loss.
Have you ever tried negative calorie foods for a change?
What are Negative Calorie Foods?
Every kind of food you eat has its own punch of calories.
This is what most people look at when they want to lose weight.
However, they often miss considering an important part of the weight-loss equation, the number of calories the body burns in order to digest food.
If you’re able to eat low-calorie foods and at the same time burn more calories while digesting them, you’ll be way ahead of the pack as far as weight loss goes.
Negative calorie foods take both of these factors into consideration.
They can simply be described as foods that require more calories to metabolize than they provide for the body.
Not only do these foods leave your body depleted of extra calories, many are actually full of healthy nutrients and fiber.
Although you won’t expect to find a zero-calorie burger on this negative calorie foods list, you’ll find a selection of pretty tasty and healthy foods you can incorporate in your low diet eating regime.
#1 The Citrus Family
Packed with a healthy dose of vitamin C and a host of other nutrients that are great for overall health, citrus fruits can actually help get rid of unwanted body fat.
According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, having high vitamin C levels can lead to a lower waist to hip ratio.
Add a little cardio to your daily oranges, grapefruit or tangerine intake and you will oxidize 30% more fat compared to someone who doesn’t have a high amount of vitamin C in their body.
This is according to researchers at the University of Arizona.
#2 Apples
Apples contain a host of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals which make them a good addition to any weight loss diet. Interestingly, it contains the highest calorie content on this list.
A medium-sized apple can dump up to 95 calories into your body.
Apples also contain metabolism-boosting compounds called pectin and folic acid.
It also has a lot of other great benefits such as lowering cholesterol levels, fighting cancer, improving memory, and strengthen immunity.
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#3 Green Leafy Vegetables
They might not count as your taste buds’ favorite acquaintance but leafy greens in your diet will make weight loss easier.
Take watercress for example. This peppery green is loaded with an assortment of vitamins including A, C, and K as well as lutein and beta-carotene.
One cup of watercress only contains 4 calories.
Spinach is another popular alternative that contains an assortment of vitamins and minerals and, only contains about 7 calories per cup.
According to Rutgers University research, spinach also contains a compound named phytoecdysteroids that accelerates muscle repair which comes in handy after workouts.
#4 Apricots
These fruits are true guardians of health being rich in beta-carotene, the one carotenoid found to help protect against various forms of cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration.
It’s also rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals which can help boost the body’s metabolism.
Research published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that 36% of people who ate 3 or more services of vitamin-rich fruits such as apricots per day were less likely to suffer from these conditions.
#5 Radish
Besides having low-calorie content, radish belongs to your diet simply because it’s all edible.
Containing high amounts of vitamin C and packing a peppery punch, radish makes a good addition to most salads.
The leafy tops are also quite edible so make sure to add them to your low-calorie recipe every once in a while.
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#6 Mushrooms
Cooked, mushrooms will challenge your palate seducing you with textures that tickle your taste buds.
A single cup contains less than 20 calories and you can prepare it using the countless recipes available today.
Besides being low calorie, different mushroom species offer unique servings of nutrients and minerals.
If you fancy trying out new recipes, mushrooms are a good food to try out and besides, they always leave you full even after eating a small serving.
#7 Cabbage
A low-calorie diet that includes green leafy veggies wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t include cabbage.
A single cup carries about 22 calories. Eaten raw, cabbage is crunchy and makes a good addition to any salad.
Its high fiber, vitamins, and minerals content also make it a healthy choice for any weight loss enthusiast.
To make a good fat-busting and healthy salad, toss in some cabbage leaves with carrot, some spices and a splash of vinegar.
#8 Celery
Celery might not be featured in many weight loss enthusiasts menu due to the fact that it isn’t that packed with vitamins and nutrients like its fellow vegetable kale is.
However, if you’re looking for a high volume negative calorie veggie, it should be among your top picks. One cup of celery contains about 16 calories.
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#9 Watermelon
A tasty fleshy red slice of watermelon dotted with dark brown seeds is always welcome on a hot summer day.
Not only are watermelons refreshing, they only contain 30 calories per 100 grams.
This might seem a bit high compared to other negative calorie foods on this list.
However, it requires more calories to completely digest watermelon.
This makes it a perfect choice if you’re looking for a healthy and tasty treat after a workout without risking adding on weight.
It also can make you feel full quickly because of its high water content, 100 grams of watermelon contain 91.5 grams of water.
#10 Cucumber
A single cup of cucumber contains about 16 calories. No wonder the cucumber diet is so popular!
Rich sources of dietary fiber, cucumbers are also a rich source of vitamins and minerals including potassium and magnesium.
Counting calories can be difficult especially if you love to indulge in high-calorie foods every once in a while.
But what if you actually ate negative calorie foods for weight loss?
It would mean that your body would actually burn more calories as it digests food.
Add some light exercise to your routine and losing 5lbs of unwanted body fat will not only be practical but possible.
Some of the foods mentioned might not top the list of your favorite food.
However, many actually make great salads and ingredients for tasty healthy recipes.
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This content has been Fact-Checked by a Certified Nutritionist in our Publishing Team. Learn more here.