The issue of ‘negative calories’ has attracted its fair share of champions and sceptics; professionals and lay people alike are torn on the issue of whether you can really eat yourself thin. Nevertheless, despite the complicated nature of the matter, no one can argue that eating more of certain kinds of foods will invariably cause the pounds to drop off. We take a closer look at the various claims surrounding the subject, and the foods that most commonly appear on ‘negative-calorie’ lists.
While the evidence found floating around the internet was contradictory to say the least, the theory behind using negative calorie foods to lose weight is essentially that certain foods require more energy by your body to break down than their starting calories. For example, by eating a stick of asparagus that is roughly seven calories, one is in fact burning up more fuel to digest the food. Basically, the mathematics of the equation should theoretically cause you to eat yourself thin.
One of the biggest issues that many dieticians have with the negative calorie theory is the ‘all-you-can-eat’ aspect. A large part of most successful diets today puts a strong emphasis on controlling your portions, according to your gender, age and weight. If people are allowed to run amok with their portions, in the long run, this could cause some serious health problems.
We spoke to Abeer Hoballah, the senior dietician at Health Quest, about the varying issues surrounding the slimming foods controversy.
Are negative calories a myth?
There is no food in existence that actually contains negative calories; every food has some caloric content, however minute it may be. But certain foods, when eaten, require more energy from our body to digest than the calories that they contain. Negative calorie foods offer great nutrition, as well as the possibility of helping us lose weight simply by eating, but this is only if you are eating them instead of very unhealthy snacks high in calories.
A negative calorie diet is based on the idea that certain foods, mostly plants, are difficult to digest because of their cellular composition. Everything that you do, such as sleeping, breathing and moving, requires a certain amount of energy, and eating is no exception. This energy is created by burning calories.
Your body requires, on average, 150-250 calories to digest your food, depending on your weight, gender and activity level. If you eat something that has a caloric content of 100 calories, you will actually burn more calories than you ingest. Because negative calorie foods are harder to digest, your body will require more than the average 150-250 calories to digest it.
What kinds of foods are considered to be negative calorie foods?
Some of the most common negative calorie foods are apples, celery, blueberries, beetroot, asparagus, green cabbage, spinach, oranges, strawberries and grapefruit.
So, is it actually possible to eat yourself thin?
The theory that negative calorie foods help you lose weight simply by eating them has fallen under harsh criticism, as have most ‘too-good-to-be-true’ diets. Some contest that people who practice this diet will overeat, according to the notion that you can eat however much you want without gaining weight.
The diet is also criticised because it is often not accompanied by exercise. There is no conclusive proof that negative calorie food works the way they are believed to.
Does that mean eating these foods won’t help at all?
Don’t despair! There is research which has been conducted that supports the claim that eating these foods assists in some weight loss. Regardless of whether this diet helps the user to effortlessly lose weight, negative calorie foods are packed full of vitamins and minerals. Many of them contain antioxidants and some are believed to prevent disease. Even if these foods don’t make up a miracle diet, it is still a very healthy way to eat. But, on the other hand, we have to keep in mind that a diet limited only to these foods could lead to malnutrition, because it will be poor in other important nutrients and minerals that are necessary for our health such as proteins and essential fatty acid. However, come snack time, these healthy, negative calorie foods sound like winners.
Health Quest is a nutrition centre offering weight loss schemes and catering solutions located on Airport Road. info@healthquest.ae (02 443 3449).
