"Negative Calorie" Foods?
Is it true that some foods take more calories to digest than they have in them? If so, does anyone know of a list of these foods? Thanks,
Melissa |
Opps, I didn't know someone had already made a thread about this! Appreciated the links in that thread. I'm going to add some that I just found, in case anyone else is interested.
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http://my.webmd.com/search/search_re...&go.x=0&go.y=0 I like webmd and trust it to be a good source. I looked up the doctor from the university of CA and he has his own little page on webMD.. http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/9/3068_9408.htm I'll be checking out what that's all about tomorrow, too. Right now I am too tired to concentrate anymore! |
No - there is no such thing as a 'negative calorie food'.
I googled the term 'negative calorie food' and ended up with a ton of advertising and spam type links - selling ebooks, etc for their 'negative calorie diet'. Hoo boy... ...the thing is, this is not a new 'concept', if that term can be used for fad diets. The "Grapefruit Diet" which basically claimed the same thing - that grapefruit had some sort of 'fat burning enzyme' or what have you and that all you had to do was add grapefruit to your diet and the fat would just melt off - is the same concept. I put the "Negative calorie" food myth in the same trash bin as "drinking ice cold water burns calories" or "eating hot/spicy foods will burn fat". None of which are true, or even if they DO burn calories, not enough to make a big difference. I found this Q&A that pretty much sums it up IMO (check out the last paragraph): Quote:
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Great reply, MrsJim :) I cringe every time I see the reference to negative calories. It's all wishful thinking. The foods on the lists ARE low in calories and high in other types of nutrition, so we should all eat more fruits and vegetables. But the idea that they can burn more calories just by eating them is a joke. The way I understand it, foods such as celery contain so few calories that you may well burn an extra calorie or two by eating them, but you would have to eat nonstop, massive quantities to gain any benefit. You should plant celery in your yard instead of grass :lol:
Melissa, I also trust WebMD and refer to them frequently. But there is nothing on their website to support negative calories. That search term just showed results that included the words negative and/or calories, but not "negative calories". Plus Dean Ornish is a well respected cardiologist and I've followed some of his advice for years, but his plan is most definitely not related to the negative calorie myth. It is very restrictive in fats and calories, and that is what causes the weight loss. I agree with MrsJim that the negative calorie idea is just another spammy gimmicky fad diet and should be avoided, like the cabbage soup diet. However, eating fruits and vegeables are always going to be recommended for any diet because they are full of nutrients and don't pack a lot of calories. But like many old diet fad ideas, the myth will continue to perpetuate, and the glimmer of hope that we all have that leads us to buy informercial junk in the middle of the night, or believe that our philandering boyfriends really will change, will also keep fad diets on the tips of our tongues and keep us from ever realizing long term weight loss success. Ok, I'm off my soapbox for now :D |
The negative calorie diets are simply low calorie diets. Anytime you eat a good portion of fibrous green veg you are doing yourself a favor - high in fiber and low in cals. However there are plenty of people who are "believers" in the negative calorie concept. I think it's probably nonsense.
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Well, I read the Abs Diet Book, and although there is no such thing as a negative calorie food, the author provides a different way of looking at it. Your Basal Metabolic Rate is how many calories your body burns breaking down the food you eat, which is far more than any calories you could burn by walking or jogging. There are certain foods that are harder for your body to digest, and therefore up your BMR. He talks about power foods that are good for this. If this type of eating approach interests you (and exercise) I highly recommend the Abs Diet book.
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Who is the author of that book, btw? |
David Zinczeco or something like that. The book is called "The Abs Diet". It seems like you are on your way with the good choices.
Good luck! |
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