Negative Calories

            One eats food to get energy (Calorie) and required daily nutrients. Food level indicates the daily value of food including vitamins and other nutrients. All human activities like thinking, doing physical works, and body parts inside doing metabolism etc need energy. After the food is eaten chewed particles go to the stomach. It is then undergone a process called metabolism. The carbohydrates then break down to produce energy. The nutrient is then carried through blood stream to supply energy to body tissues. Body tissue does the work as guided by the brain control system. During the process of metabolism body components need energy to convert food to energy. Thus the total gain to the body as calories is the algebraic sum of food calories and calories expended by body during metabolism. If the sum is positive body can expend energy to do physical and mental work. If there is excess energy left after expended body energy the energy is generally converted to fat; this cause overweight and other body problems. On the other hand if the sum is negative then body expended its stored energy in excess of intake food calorie. Any food has low to high calorie values. It is always positive. But if the sum for a food is negative then it is referred as Negative Calories. Weight-loss programs take advantage of food item that has negative calorie. 

            As per definition above it is possible to have food items that have calories less than calorie needed to convert it during metabolism. For example grape fruit is a low calorie food with negative sum. Also grape fruit tales more space in stomach denying high calorie food to participate in metabolism. Thus it helps weight control in two ways; needing more stored energy from body for daily work.

                        Negative Calories

                        Vegetables – Asparagus, Celery, Lettuce, Beets, Chicory, Onions, Broccoli, Chili Peppers, Papayas, Green Cabbage, Cucumbers, Spinach, Carrots, Endive, Turnip, Cauliflower, Garlic, Zucchini

                        Fruits – Apples, Mangoes, Raspberries, Cranberries, Oranges, Strawberries, Grapefruit, Pineapples, Tangerine, Lime, lemon

            It is to be remembered that metabolism process of low calorie food item is good. It is food that needs more calories to breakdown during metabolism. Study shows that low calorie helps to reduce weight. Some middle-aged persons were given only negative calorie foods consisting of vegetables and fruits. The DV calorie value was given and was not allowed to do any exercise. After a while it was observed that the group lost weight.