When trying to decide on what diet is right, there are many things to take into consideration. A person’s tastes, schedule, and personality are all factors that play into whether or not you will be able to stick with your diet. There are so many diets out there today it’s sometimes difficult to figure out which one is right.
What Is the Negative Calorie Diet?
The Negative Calorie Diet, in theory, sounds pretty good. Although no food actually contains negative calories, the diet suggests that eating certain types of foods actually burns more calories than the amount of calories in the food itself, making it so you lose weight by eating. For example, let’s say you eat 20 calories worth of celery. Your body uses a certain amount of energy in order to digest and process the celery itself. As it does this, it burns more than the 20 calories in the celery itself, so for every serving of celery you eat, you burn off about 20 calories.
Does It Really Work?
If you can stick to it, the Negative Calorie Diet works simply through calorie deprivation. The foods you can eat are limited, but really, the only weight that is likely to be lost is water and muscle rather than fat.
This diet has come with a fair amount of controversy as well in that its findings have not been scientifically proven. The diet itself is very restrictive and is mostly limited to fruits and vegetables, making it difficult to stick with unless you’re a vegan anyway. In addition, since most of the weight lost will be water and muscle, the weight is likely to return when you go back to eating regular food.
What Can You Eat?
The Negative Calorie Diet is a fruit and veggie lover’s dream come true. The foods that are considered negative-calorie foods consist mostly of fruits and vegetables and include:
Apples
Asparagus
Beets
Blueberries
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chicory
Chili Peppers
Cranberries
Cucumbers
Garlic
Grapefruit
Lemon
Lettuces
Mango
Onions
Oranges
Papaya
Pineapples
Potatoes
Raspberries
Rice
Spinach
Strawberries
Tangerines
Turnips
Watermelon
Zucchini
The Negative Calorie Diet comes with recipes such as soups to help add variety to the diet.
Our Rating:
On a scale of 1-5, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, we rate the Negative Calorie Diet in the following ways:
Health – 4. Most of the foods on the diet are rich in nutrients and antioxidants.
Cost – 5. This is an expensive diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be expensive, especially when not in season.
Ease of Implementation – 4. This diet is quick and requires no special tools to start.
Ease of Adherence – 2. Many people who go on the Negative Calorie Diet find themselves craving meat or carbs.
Speed – 2. Strict adherence to the negative calorie diet can result in a 14-pound weight loss in 2 weeks, but This is mostly water, not fat.
Long-term potential – 1. The diet is severely limited in what can be eaten, making it difficult to stick with.
Busy lifestyle rating – 4. It’s easy to grab fruits and veggies on the way out the door. In addition, many fast food restaurants provide salads that contain all the ingredients needed for the Negative Calorie Diet, making it easy to grab something when you’re pressed for time.
Family Friendly – 2. While the fruits and veggies are great, growing children will need a more balanced diet.