Negative Calorie Diet - Diet Review

The Negative Calorie Diet is based on the idea that certain foods use more calories to digest than they actually contain. By eating a diet consisting only of these "Negative Calorie Foods", you will lose weight.

To use the example on the official website, a piece of cake may have 350 calories and only use up 100 calories to digest. That leaves you with 250 calories that you need to burn, or it will be stored as fat.

An apple, however, may contain only 65 calories, but also use 100 calories to digest. That means that your body uses an additional 35 calories to burn off the apple.

"Negative calorie foods" include:

    * apples
    * asparagus
    * beets
    * blueberries
    * cabbage
    * cantelopes
    * carrots
    * celery
    * chicory
    * chili peppers
    * cranberries
    * cucumbers
    * dandelions
    * endives
    * garden cress
    * garlic
    * grapefruit
    * green beans
    * lemons
    * lettuce
    * mangos
    * mangos
    * onions
    * oranges
    * papayas
    * pineapples
    * prunes
    * radishes
    * raspberries
    * spinach
    * strawberries
    * tangerines
    * tomatoes
    * turnips
    * zucchini

The term "negative calorie food" is a bit misleading as all foods contain some calories. However, "negative calorie foods" are low in calories and may use more calories to digest than they actually contain. There is much debate over whether "negative calorie foods" really exist or not.

It also should be noted that while the above-listed foods may indeed be "negative calorie", this also depends largely on their preparation. Making a salad and then loading it with high fat dressings doesn't do the dieter much good. To properly do the Negative Calorie Diet, you must prepare the foods in their natural form.

The Negative Calorie Diet may be based on questionable science, but it essentially encourages you to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Frankly, nobody ever got fat eating too many carrots. It can provide a lot of vitamins and minerals, and as long as you prepare the foods without added fat, you can lose weight.

However, the Negative Calorie Diet represents a "diet" mentality rather than a lifestyle change. Few people who practice this diet plan to eat this way for the rest of their lives. If they do not continue a healthy eating plan after losing weight, they will probably regain the weight they lost with this diet.

Additionally, while you can technically eat as much as you want, the Negative Calorie Diet is still going to be low calorie. This can slow down your metabolism on a permanent basis, making it even more likely that you'll regain your weight later on.

That said, it is a good idea to base your eating habits around fruits and vegetables and you may do well to incorporate some of the Negative Calorie Diet ideas and recipes into a more inclusive healthy eating plan.