Can Foods Like Celery Have Negative Calories?

If your eyes lit up at that thought of food with negative calories that would slim you down the more you ate, you aren’t alone. It’s the perfect dream for many people. Don’t get too excited. These foods have been on every list of healthy foods for ages. It’s all about food that takes more calories to digest than it contains. It’s called the thermic effect. When you eat, approximately 10% of the calories go toward digestion. If the food is higher in fiber, that number increases to 20% and if it is protein, it takes about 30% of the calories to digest it. Fat only burns 3% and simple carbs burn less, too.

Food with a high water content can also require the body to burn more calories.

The amount of water a food contains affects the calorie count and the digestive process. Watermelon has almost no calories because of its high water content. It also has a thermogenic effect since it’s also high in fiber. Leafy greens are another option high in water and fiber.

Few foods have a negative calorie count, but many are close.

Look for foods with fiber like fruit and vegetables. Celery is the most noted negative calorie food. It’s high in fiber and high in water content. The digestion process may cause more calories to burn than it contains. One rib of celery has approximately 6 calories. The process of digestion requires many of those calories and the diuretic quality of celery increases its ability to lose weight.

Increasing the herbs and spices can increase thermogenesis.

Herbs and spices contain few calories and also contain almost negative calories. Hot spicy foods burn more calories because they interact with the body and cause it to sweat. Hot peppers can increase body temperature, which boosts metabolism. That causes the body to burn more calories than normal. Adding spices to food increases the thermogenetic effect. It’s not just hot peppers that increase the calories burned. Turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin also improve weight loss.

• Make a thermogenic snack by steaming baby asparagus lightly. Add salt, lemon juice, and pepper, then chill. These low-calorie snacks can burn many calories while providing nutrients and filling fiber. Kale, beet, and spinach salad also fight fat.
• Other zero or almost zero-calorie foods include mushrooms. However, the way you prepare the mushrooms makes a difference. Raw mushrooms have super low calories, but the same isn’t true of deep-fried ones.
• If you’re adding cinnamon to help burn more calories and lose weight, use Ceylon cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon is less expensive but is high in coumarin, which can be toxic in higher doses.
• Fresh shredded cabbage is almost a negative-calorie food, but it’s not at its best without dressing. Grate cabbage, carrots, and a few onions, and top with a low-calorie dressing. It’s not negative calories, but pretty close to it.

For more information, contact us today at Thrive Fitness!