The Negative Calorie Diet - Part II

What Foods Have Been Designated as Having “Negative Calories"?

The following foods are considered to have these characteristics, although this is mainly in the raw (or very lightly cooked) state:

Vegetables:

Asparagus, Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Chicory, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Hot Chili, Cucumber, Garlic, Green Lettuce, Onion, Radish, Spinach, Turnip, Watercress, Zucchini

Fruits:

Apple, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Cranberry, Grapefruit, Honeydew, Lemon/Lime, Mango, Orange , Papaya, Peach, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tomato, Tangerine, Turnip, Watermelon

Conclusions

Whatever else is true, it is clear that “all food calories are not equal" and the composition of your diet can have a significant effect on your weight loss/fat loss progress. To loose weight successfully in the long term your body has to burn off some of its fat deposits. This will require the establishment of a daily calorie deficit in terms of the energy balance of the body. This deficit is created when the calories of food energy ingested are less than the calories of body energy expended (in the form of the energy needed to maintain BMR plus the energy expended in daily physical activity: a must!!).

In other words:

Calorie Deficit (Replaced by burning fat) = Energy In (Food Calories) – Energy Out (Heat Calories)

In this equation however “Energy In" must be expressed as Net Food Calories, which are the calories obtained from food NET of the calories (i.e after subtracting them) burned in digesting/metabolizing the food eaten. Most food energy values are expressed (in calories) as their gross energy value (i.e. total heat energy value per gram or oz) and therefore make no allowance for any thermic effect. Therefore, regardless as to whether you fully believe in the concept of Negative Calorie Foods, you can be sure that the food choices you make CAN and WILL have an impact on your weight/fat loss program. This is particularly true in relation to the proportions of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) in your diet when a diet that has a higher proportion of protein (which raises BMR by 25%-30%) will contribute a smaller quantity of NET calories than a diet which gets its calories from quantities of either fat or carbohydrate (which only raise BMR by 4%-6%). Do keep in mind that a proper ratio of macronutrients is approximately 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% healthy fats. This ratio can vary slightly for different individuals, but this is a good place to start.

Therefore, it makes sense to carefully evaluate the make up of your diet and to have some understanding of the proportions of protein, fat & carbohydrate. A diet that obtains a higher proportion of its calories from protein rich foods (such as lean white meat or fish) will tend to be more effective at promoting fat loss. Whatever you believe about the claims made, the list of “Negative Calorie Foods" is principally made up of healthy complex fibrous carbohydrates and including many of these into a diet that is skewed towards more protein (30% of the diet) is likely to prove to be a winning combination for promoting steady weight loss, provided an overall calorie deficit is maintained by a program of modest calorie restriction combined with regular aerobic exercise. Please see my other articles, or visit my website, for more on this.

Please visit http://www.ultimatehealthynutrition.com for more free articles, ideas, and products on how to eat healthy, be healthy, and feel better for life. Remember, nothing tastes as good as fit and trim feels!

Reprint Guidelines

(c) 2007, Howard Jaros, Clinical & Sports Nutritionist. WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? Yes, you can, provided you make all links live and include this copyright and by-line at the end of my ezine.

Side Note: Click Here For More Help