Bulk Up Your Diet with Negative Calorie Foods

Did you know that there are some foods, which require more energy to digest and metabolize than we obtain from eating them?

This result is usually referred to as the negative calorie effect. A simple example is water. It supplies zero calories, but requires energy to swallow and warm to body temperature.

Below is a list of other foods, which although they provide calories, the amount is less than we need to do nothing. We call this Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). That's the amount of energy we need to breathe, circulate the blood, remove the toxins and filter it. That doesn't count the energy we need to get out of bed, bathe, use the toilet and dress, let alone train hard and exercise. We call these foods negative calorie foods (N.C.F's). NCF's are a tremendous ally for someone wanting to lose weight.

...But only if used properly.

Healthy diet plans use items from all the main food groups. From these, we get the nutrients to make the building blocks which are necessary to maintain the body in a healthy state. A diet consisting of ONLY N.C.F's would result in us drawing our energy requirements from our muscles. This results in weakness and wasting of the body. Something we definitely don't want when aiming for health and physique goals. In fact, many anorexics have used NCF's to trick family and friends into thinking they are eating healthy, but in fact, they are using knowledge against them.

So how can we use N.C.Fs. without harming ourselves? The answer is quite simple. Use them as part of, and to bulk up a balanced calorie diet.

For example, 1/2 grapefruit (vitamin C+ fiber) 1 egg-white (protein) 2 slices toast (carbohydrate) pat of margarine (non-saturated fat) 1 cup of 1% milk (protein, carbohydrate, low-fat, calcium, vitamins) makes an excellent low calorie but nutritious breakfast.

Here is the full list of NCF's which can be incorporated into a healthy, balanced meal plan. Use it wisely, and in good health. * Apples * Asparagus * Beets * Blueberries * Broccoli * Cantaloupes * Carrot * Cauliflower * Celery stalk * Celery root * Cranberries * Cucumbers * Eggplant * Endives * Garden cress * Garlic * Grapefruit * Green beans * Green cabbage * Lamb's lettuce * Lemons * Lettuce * Onions * Papayas * Pineapples * Prunes * Radishes * Raspberries * Spinach * Strawberries * Tangerines * Tomatoes * Turnips * Zucchini