The number of calories in a certain food is the food's energy content measured in units of heat. A calorie is a unit of heat, and can’t be negative in and of itself. When a food contains so few calories that it takes more energy to eat and digest it than the food contains, it is said to have negative calories. All foods with negative calories are fruits or vegetables.
Negative Calorie Fruits
Many fruits have negative calories. Those fruits are apples, cranberries, grapefruits, oranges, papayas, pineapples, raspberries, strawberries and tangerines.
Common Negative Calorie Vegetables
More vegetables contain negative calories than fruits. The most common negative calorie vegetables are asparagus, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, chili peppers, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, green cabbage, eggplant (also known as aubergines), various types of lettuce, onions, radishes, spinach, turnips and zucchini.
Less Common Negative Calorie Vegetables and Herbs
Other, less common vegetables contain negative calories. Some herbs are also negative calorie foods.
Celery root, also called, ceriac, is more common in French cooking. Celery root has a distinctive flavor that is similar to celery.
Chicory is an herb. In the United States, it is used interchangeably with curly endive. Endive, too, is on the negative calorie food list.
Dandelion greens may be easily found in your yard, but are probably not as common on your table. They are quite bitter and less palatable than more common salad greens. But they can make a nutritious and negative calorie addition to a garden salad.
Garden cress is another herb that has negative calories. It has a somewhat peppery and tangy flavor and scent.
Strike a Balance
Celery is often considered the quintessential negative calorie food. It is low in calories. However, although celery contains 10 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, it is not a food that is rich in nutrients. Two large stalks of celery contain only 18 calories. Of those celery calories, there is 1 gram of protein, 4 grams of carbs and no fat. Like all negative calorie foods, eat them as part of a balanced diet, but be sure to get enough calories to support a healthy lifestyle.
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