When you're trying to lose weight, eating foods that reverse your calorie count may seem like an effective way to cheat the system. Although some foods, like celery and cabbage, are relatively low in calories, they aren't medically or scientifically proven to actually contain negative calories. Talk to your doctor before making any changes in your diet, especially if you have health conditions or allergies.
Significance
The negative calorie diet is a fad diet touted as a quick way to lose weight. The origins of the diet are not known, and it is not approved or recommended by doctors as a healthy or effective way to lose weight. The concept of the negative calorie diet is that some fibrous, low-calorie fruits and vegetables are so low in calories, your body will use more calories to eat and digest the food than the food actually contains.
Directions
There are no specific meal plans associated with the negative calorie diet. The only recommendation is to eat as many so-called negative calorie foods as possible. Purported negative calorie foods include broccoli, asparagus, celery, zucchini, cauliflower and cabbage. Examples of dishes that include low-calorie foods include a cabbage salad with celery and shredded carrots, or a bowl of steamed broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus with a drizzle of soy sauce as dressing.
Results
Although eating mostly foods that are very low in calories will probably cause weight loss, following the negative calorie diet is not a sustainable or healthy way to lose weight. There are no sources of lean protein or whole grains on the negative calorie list, and vegetables that are higher in calories, like avocados, are high in healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. When you limit yourself to only negative calorie foods, you put yourself at risk for developing malnutrition. Unless you're prepared to eat only very low-calorie foods forever, you'll eventually gain the weight back when you resume your normal diet.
Healthier Weight-Loss Options
The negative calorie diet is considered a fad diet because it recommends eating one type of food every day in order to lose weight. Stay away from fad diets and opt instead for a variety of lean protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables in moderation. Although eating foods that are so-called negative calorie foods as snacks and with meals is perfectly healthy, eating only these foods is not recommended nor effective for weight loss.
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