Question of the Day

There has been a lot of buzz about the so-called "negative calorie foods." In fact, a book and specific diet program both exist that focus specifically on these foods as a means to lose weight. Has someone really found the magic bullet that will allow you to eat all long but still shed unwanted pounds, or is this just another gimmick?
The premise is simple: all foods have calories, and when you consume those, the majority of those calories are processed by your body (some are simply passed through — for example, fiber has calories but because the body doesn't digest fiber, those calories are passed through your system). Digesting foods also requires energy, so the foods you eat not only add calories to your system, but take calories away as you expend calories breaking down the foods. Negative calorie foods are foods that supposedly require more calories to breakdown and digest than what they provide.

It all sounds exciting, doesn't it? Give me my special "negative calorie" menu, and I'll either eat all of those foods or eat enough to offset my other foods and I'll kick back and watch the fat burn food melt my waistline away.

The reality, as you may have expected, is quite a bit different.

The first thing to note is that most "negative calorie" foods don't have a lot of calories to begin with. The list of foods is debatable because there hasn't been a lot of research into this and there are a lot of factors involved with trying to determine just how much energy the body truly requires to digest a given amount of food. Digestion itself is a very complex process and changes when you combine foods, so the net effect may be different when these foods are consumed with other foods, which is often the case.

A sample list of negative calorie foods include most leafy green vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, etc), citrus fruits (grapefruit, possibly oranges), berries, and some other vegetables such as carrots.

Consuming a diet of only these foods would not provide adequate calories nor nutrition, so they must be combined with other foods to create a complete nutrition plan. Unfortunately, the amount of "negative calories" these foods produce are so minimal that they'll have little to no impact on the other foods you consume. So while they make great "side items" to add to your existing meals, the addition of these foods is hardly going to tip the scales and suddenly cause you to start losing fat if you aren't doing so already.

The fact is, I'm a big fan of the "negative calorie" foods. They all are very nutrient-dense and contain lots of good vitamins, minerals, and fiber. I think they should be integrated into any eating program. However, I also don't fool myself into suggesting these are somehow magic and will tip the scale.

In fact, what I consider one of the best "negative-calorie" foods is something most people would argue with me doesn't belong on the list, and that's healthy fats. What? Fats are HIGH in calories, right? The fact is, many people have far too few fats in their diet, and the introduction of healthy fats can actually raise their metabolism to the point that I've had many clients start losing fat despite increasing their calories. This doesn't mean more is better, however, it's only effective to the extent that the normal balance is restored to the diet.

If you are looking for the best way to build your nutrition around foods that help you burn fat, consider these easy guidelines:

• Incorporate a food with high levels of healthy fats, protein, or fiber in every meal, as all three of these help increase your overall metabolism and slow the rate of digestion of foods
• Don't fear fats - keep a healthy level between 20 - 30 percent of total calories
• Incorporate plenty of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables in your program. You can brag to your friends that you are eating negative calorie foods but you also receive the benefit of quality vitamins, minerals, fiber and more
• Take a quality multivitamin (not a cheap $5 one-a-day knockoff) so your body has the nutrients it needs to effectively burn fat

All of these foods are listed in our Healthy Shopping Guide as well as our exclusive Lose Fat, Not Faith Nutrition Guide.

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