The Negative Calorie Diet (Theory) has been used by many people, even unknowingly. This theory requires many foods containing very little calories being added into your diet with the feedback of your body actually burning more calories than what was consumed. Our bodies are constantly using energy or calories for fuel just to function in every day activities. This includes breathing, digestion of food, cellular interaction, and every other action or thought your body performs. Food digestion, which can take hours, uses many calories to complete the process of digestion. With that being said, eating foods that are very low in calories such as certain vegetables, salads, and fruit will actually burn more calories than what was ingested.
For example, if I were to eat an orange that contained only forty calories, it would take a number of calories to digest the nutrients in the orange. If it took forty five calories to digest the orange than in return you have actually lost five calories.
In order to loose more weight in this diet your body has to burn more calories in the stages of digestion than what is being consumed. Many of the foods included in the list of negative calorie foods are the vegetables and fruits that are filled with high contents of nutrients and vitamins(List of negative calorie foods found at the end of the article).
Let's take a greater look at the physiology behind our digestive system:
What Is the Digestive System and What Does It Do?
All the fragments of food that is ingested by our bodies have to be broken down into nutrients that can be absorbed by the body, which is why it takes hours to fully digest food. Our protein must be broken down into amino acids, fats into fatty acids, and starches into simple sugars. Also absorbed is the water in our drinks so that our bloodstream has fluid.
Digestion first begins in the mouth when we eat as our teeth chop through the food and our saliva moistens it for easy swallowing. Amylase is the digestive enzyme found in our saliva that begins the breakdown of sugars and starches (carbohydrates) before the food leaves the mouth. Our muscle movements enforces the food leaving from the tongue and mouth to our throat where we can then swallow while the food moves into our pharynx to our epiglottis.
Once the food reaches our throat it then begins to go through our esophagus. Peristalsis starts when muscle contractions began to force down the food into our esophagus so that it may reach our stomach. Once the food reaches the end of the esophagus, a muscular ring called a sphincter enables the food to enter our stomach. The sphincter also closes itself shut once the food has gotten below that point (GERD occurs in those whom sphincter fails to completely shut). The muscles in the stomach mix the food with acids and enzymes to break the food smaller into fragments that can be digested.
Once the food has left our stomach it has then been turned into chyme, a thick liquid. Our pylorus keeps the chyme in our stomach until it reaches the right consistency to go through our small intestine. Once the chyme is in its right form, it passes through our small intestine where digestion continues so that the nutrients can be absorbed to pass through our blood. From the small intestines it then goes through our large intestine where it comes out of the rectum.
So with the negative calorie diet theory you are eating away calories. Your body takes hours to digest food (as you can see from the information above). Eating certain foods will have a negative effect as your body will need more calories than what was ingested to complete the stages of digestion. Although this theory has had an impact on many individuals, you do need to keep in mind that your body still requires other nutrients.
Negative Calorie Foods:
Chinese cabbage,
chives,
corn,
cranberries,
cucumbers,
currants,
damson plum,
green beans,
honeydew,
huckleberries,
kale,
kohlrabi,
kumquats,
leeks,
lemons,
limes,
sauerkraut,
scallions,
squash,
strawberries,
string beans,
rutabagas,
salsify,
cantaloupe,
cherries,
chervil,
eggplant,
endive,
garlic,
grapes,
oranges,
parsley leaves,
parsnips,
peaches,
pears,
peas,
peppers,
pineapple,
tangerines,
tomato,
turnips,
watercress,
watermelon,
rhubarb,
apples,
apricots,
artichokes,
beet greens,
beets,
blackberries,
blueberries,
broccoli,
Brussels sprouts,
loganberries,
mangoes,
mushrooms,
muskmelons,
mussels,
mustard greens,
nectarines,
okra,
pomegranates,
prunes,
pumpkin,
quince,
raspberries,
red cabbage,
asparagus,
beet,
broccoli,
cabbage (green),
carrot,
cauliflower,
celeriac (celery root),
celery,
chicory,
Chile peppers (hot),
cucumber,
dandelion,
grapefruit,
garden cress,
garlic,
green beans,
lamb's lettuce
lettuce,
onion,
papaya,
radishes,
spinach,
turnip,
vegetable marrow (zucchini).
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For example, if I were to eat an orange that contained only forty calories, it would take a number of calories to digest the nutrients in the orange. If it took forty five calories to digest the orange than in return you have actually lost five calories.
In order to loose more weight in this diet your body has to burn more calories in the stages of digestion than what is being consumed. Many of the foods included in the list of negative calorie foods are the vegetables and fruits that are filled with high contents of nutrients and vitamins(List of negative calorie foods found at the end of the article).
Let's take a greater look at the physiology behind our digestive system:
What Is the Digestive System and What Does It Do?
All the fragments of food that is ingested by our bodies have to be broken down into nutrients that can be absorbed by the body, which is why it takes hours to fully digest food. Our protein must be broken down into amino acids, fats into fatty acids, and starches into simple sugars. Also absorbed is the water in our drinks so that our bloodstream has fluid.
Digestion first begins in the mouth when we eat as our teeth chop through the food and our saliva moistens it for easy swallowing. Amylase is the digestive enzyme found in our saliva that begins the breakdown of sugars and starches (carbohydrates) before the food leaves the mouth. Our muscle movements enforces the food leaving from the tongue and mouth to our throat where we can then swallow while the food moves into our pharynx to our epiglottis.
Once the food reaches our throat it then begins to go through our esophagus. Peristalsis starts when muscle contractions began to force down the food into our esophagus so that it may reach our stomach. Once the food reaches the end of the esophagus, a muscular ring called a sphincter enables the food to enter our stomach. The sphincter also closes itself shut once the food has gotten below that point (GERD occurs in those whom sphincter fails to completely shut). The muscles in the stomach mix the food with acids and enzymes to break the food smaller into fragments that can be digested.
Once the food has left our stomach it has then been turned into chyme, a thick liquid. Our pylorus keeps the chyme in our stomach until it reaches the right consistency to go through our small intestine. Once the chyme is in its right form, it passes through our small intestine where digestion continues so that the nutrients can be absorbed to pass through our blood. From the small intestines it then goes through our large intestine where it comes out of the rectum.
So with the negative calorie diet theory you are eating away calories. Your body takes hours to digest food (as you can see from the information above). Eating certain foods will have a negative effect as your body will need more calories than what was ingested to complete the stages of digestion. Although this theory has had an impact on many individuals, you do need to keep in mind that your body still requires other nutrients.
Negative Calorie Foods:
Chinese cabbage,
chives,
corn,
cranberries,
cucumbers,
currants,
damson plum,
green beans,
honeydew,
huckleberries,
kale,
kohlrabi,
kumquats,
leeks,
lemons,
limes,
sauerkraut,
scallions,
squash,
strawberries,
string beans,
rutabagas,
salsify,
cantaloupe,
cherries,
chervil,
eggplant,
endive,
garlic,
grapes,
oranges,
parsley leaves,
parsnips,
peaches,
pears,
peas,
peppers,
pineapple,
tangerines,
tomato,
turnips,
watercress,
watermelon,
rhubarb,
apples,
apricots,
artichokes,
beet greens,
beets,
blackberries,
blueberries,
broccoli,
Brussels sprouts,
loganberries,
mangoes,
mushrooms,
muskmelons,
mussels,
mustard greens,
nectarines,
okra,
pomegranates,
prunes,
pumpkin,
quince,
raspberries,
red cabbage,
asparagus,
beet,
broccoli,
cabbage (green),
carrot,
cauliflower,
celeriac (celery root),
celery,
chicory,
Chile peppers (hot),
cucumber,
dandelion,
grapefruit,
garden cress,
garlic,
green beans,
lamb's lettuce
lettuce,
onion,
papaya,
radishes,
spinach,
turnip,
vegetable marrow (zucchini).
Article Source