Myths and truths about negative calorie foods. Negative Calorie Foods for Weight Loss - List of Low Calorie Foods

To achieve the maximum effect when losing weight, you must adhere to proper nutrition and eat as few calories as possible. There is such a thing as "minus calories", in which extra pounds are not deposited in the sides and even contribute to fat burning. Let's take a closer look at what it is and what products have negative calorie.

Truths and myths about negative nutritional value

It should be noted right away that there are no such products in which the number of calorie content would be negative. Any fruit or vegetable, even the most dietary, contains at least a few calorie units, since in any case it has nutritional value. But with the help of some products, you can really lose weight and burn excess fat, because the concept of “negative calorie content” still exists.


Negative calorie foods have the ability to give useful vitamins and trace elements to the body, stimulate metabolism and enhance metabolism

Negative calorie is a characteristic of a product that has fewer calories than the amount of energy that goes into processing it. During digestion, the body needs energy, so it burns the calories contained in it, but after processing it does not receive new calories and “goes into minus”.

For example, after eating a piece of cake that holds 550 kcal, your body will spend about 150 calories on its digestion, and the remaining 400 will go into body fat, which then needs to be “worked out” in the gym. And by eating a small piece of celery root, which contains only 5 kcal, the body spends more effort than the celery is worth, and therefore burns excess fat, turning it into energy for processing the product.

Products with the lowest calorie content: table

Below is a list of foods with nutritional value up to 50 kcal per 100 g in ascending order:

Product Number of calories
sea ​​kale 5
cucumbers 12
Celery 13
Cauliflower 14
Leaf salad 15
Tomato 16
Radish 20
Asparagus 20
Spinach 21
Cabbage 21
Pumpkin 22
green onion 22
Turnip 23
eggplant 24
Bell pepper 28
low-fat kefir 30
Carrot 33
Broccoli 34
Citrus 35
Melon 37
Watermelon 40
Strawberry 41
Apple 45
Apricot 47
low fat yogurt 50

Water has the lowest calorie content, as it contains 0 kcal. And although the body does not take much effort to digest it, it is water that can help to effectively satisfy the feeling of hunger and give a feeling of fullness for a while due to the filled volume in the stomach. For more variety, you can include sugar-free green tea in your diet instead of water, which also has a negative calorie content and promotes weight loss.


Problem excess weight- this is often a consequence of a violation of the water-salt balance in the body, which prevents the removal of water from the body

How to use for weight loss

Undoubtedly, negative calorie foods have a great temptation, as there is an opportunity to eat and not gain weight, and even lose weight. But you should not abuse such minimalism, because the body needs calories daily for normal functioning, so starving during any normal "democratic" diet is strictly prohibited.

It must be remembered that for normal life a person needs to consume at least 1200 kcal per day. Otherwise, there is a danger of provoking the appearance of gastritis, ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract, because the body will still continue to produce gastric juice, and if there is not enough food, then the rhythm and proper functioning of the organ are disturbed, which eventually leads to the development of pathologies. Also, malnutrition entails increased fatigue, lack of energy and can even lead to loss of consciousness. Negative calorie foods can be consumed as a supplement after the main meal to fill the remaining space in the stomach and not feel hungry.

It is not recommended to consume such foods on an empty stomach, especially fruits and vegetables containing acids, such as citrus fruits, since in combination with gastric juice they will provoke an even greater effect on the organs.


Negative calorie foods make up a variety of diets that promise significant weight loss.

Negative calorie foods are ideal for lunch after a heavy breakfast or a snack before bed, as they will help satisfy hunger and do not harm the body.

We bring to your attention a table of products with a negative calorie content. Mostly vegetables and fruits. Their calorie content is minimal, but the body has to spend more calories on their processing than is contained in the product itself. It is on these principles that Tatyana Malakhova's diet is based. It not only takes into account the net calorie content of foods, but also takes into account how many calories the human body spends on their digestion. For example, the calorie content of 100 grams of white cabbage is 28 calories. But the body will spend about 130 calories to digest 100 grams of cabbage. Thus, by eating cabbage, we are not so much gaining as we are losing calories. But there is one important feature - cabbage should not be exposed heat treatment or this processing should be minimal. Below is a table of negative calorie staples. You can independently supplement this table with other low-calorie fruits and vegetables. You can also include mushrooms in your diet for weight loss. The body also spends more calories on their processing than it receives. But mushrooms are not a staple in our diet, and besides, they are not easily digested and absorbed by the body.

Using the products from this table, you can not only eat deliciously, but even spend calories. It is for this reason that these products are not suitable for people with initially low weight or for those who want to get better. But for weight loss - this is an ideal option.

Negative calorie food table

Name Calorie content, kcal
Apricot 48
Quince 38
cherry plum 30
A pineapple 48
Orange 38
Watermelon 25
Artichoke 28
Basil 27
eggplant 24
Bamboo 10
Barberry 29
Broccoli 28
Cowberry 40
Swede 37
Blueberry 37
Grapefruit 35
Oregano 25
Melon 32
Blackberry 33
Honeysuckle 30
Green tea 0
strawberries 41
Zucchini 27
viburnum 26
White cabbage 28
red cabbage 31
carambola 31
Kiwi 48
Dogwood 44
Strawberry 30
Cranberry 28
Coriander 25
Gooseberry 44
Lime 16
lettuce salad 17
Lemon 24
Lemongrass 11
Green onion 22
Onion 40
Raspberry 41
Mandarin 38
Carrot 33
Cloudberry 31
Mint 49
Sea ​​buckthorn 30
cucumbers 15
Dandelion 45
Papaya 48
Pattison 19
Sweet pepper 25
Chilli 40
Peach 44
Parsley 45
pomelo 32
Rhubarb 16
Radish 20
radish 34
Turnip 28
Rowan 44
Salad 14
Beet 48
Celery 10
Plum 43
Currant 40
Asparagus 20
tomatoes 15
Turnip 28
Pumpkin 28
Dill 40
green beans 32
Cauliflower 29
Chicory 21
zucchini 16
Ramson (garlic) 34
Blueberry 40
Spinach 21
Sorrel 25
Endive 17
Tarragon 25
Apple 46

Oh, this cherished dream of all women on the planet Earth about how to eat and lose weight! Probably, such a desire, no, no, yes, is guessed under the sound of chimes or blowing out candles on birthday cake every representative of the fair sex at least once. How wonderful the world would be if you could uncontrollably consume some products whose calories are negative, and watch how kilograms melt before your eyes, old skirts and jeans converge on the waist and hips, and dresses from student and school days outline slim figure. Guided by a bright guiding star, women buy all kinds of supplements that are advertised on TV and in magazines, order miracle products and ... do not see the result. They begin to actively count the calories of the food they eat, and then they stumble upon the strange and alluring phrase “negative calorie”. And instantly the subconscious gives rise to a logical chain, saying that the fulfillment of a dream is closer than it seems. It is enough just to find a list of products with a negative calorie content, eat them constantly, and the weight will decrease. So what is this most mysterious phrase actually fraught with? Is it really possible to overeat all day, and after eating something from the list of products with a negative calorie content in the evening, lower it in the daily menu and not see an increase on the scales in the morning?

The essence of the concept

It is worth immediately disappointing those who have already drawn castles in the air for themselves: only water has zero calories, moreover, it is empty. Even green tea already produces numbers other than zero, but there is no question of various compotes at all. Any product, no matter how easy and useful it may be, has a certain calorie value, and none of them can boast of a minus sign in front of the calorie content. Then what is its notorious "negativity"?

In the literal sense, of course, for food, not water, there are no negative calories, and zero too. And in order to understand the reasons why some products have been dubbed this definition, it is worth understanding what exactly happens to food when it enters the body, and why excess fat appears at all. After all, it does not always depend on the percentage of fats in the energy value of a particular product: even pure carbohydrates or proteins can form hated kilograms.

In the process of digestion, when splitting into trace elements and absorption of the necessary substances into the blood, the body synthesizes enzymes. At this point, a certain amount of energy is expended, due to which some of the fat is burned. If the heat generated is not enough, the remains are converted into fats, which are deposited in problem areas. If the amount of energy exceeds the value of the calorie content of the food taken orally, causing its deficiency, the consumed product will not turn into an "emergency reserve" of the body, which is reflected on the scales by no means in a pleasant way. This is where the name "zero" or "negative" caloric content came from, since when subtracting the amount of energy necessary for its processing from the "weight" of the product, the result is either zero or a minus. And it is these products, the assimilation of which requires more heat than they "weigh", are marked with a "negative calorie" stamp. If we summarize them, we can say that this group includes foods high in fiber, which are difficult to digest, green vegetables, spices, and those foods whose calorie content does not exceed 30 kcal per hundred grams. That's just contrary to the utopian female dream, the combination of something harmful with it will not be able to level the "gravity" of the latter completely and completely. Although, no doubt, it will make it a little easier.

List of negative calorie foods

The list of those products that belong to the "negative calorie" group should be remembered by every person who wants to keep or achieve harmony, and include them in every meal. Moreover, these are the very foods that you can eat during the night with acute hunger without fear for the figure. True, without adding anything outside the list to them, otherwise all efforts will go down the drain, and there will be no point in looking for food with negative calories. If one eaten cucumber does not give out a night impulse in the morning, then, alas, with a piece of baked pork, it will meanly betray a starving person, and the scales will help him with this.

So, fresh vegetables, the use of which will not harm the process of losing excess weight:

  • Cucumber
  • vegetable marrow
  • Squash
  • Eggplant
  • Pepper
  • Celery
  • Cabbage
  • Pumpkin
  • Tomatoes

Among the greens and herbs, the following stood out as negative calories:

  • Asparagus
  • Rhubarb
  • Salad
  • Radish
  • Green onion
  • Dill
  • Parsley
  • Spinach

As for spices, here you don’t even have to enumerate: they all belong to the “negative calorie” category. Particular attention should be paid to cinnamon, which speeds up metabolism, turmeric, mustard, black and red pepper. Another reason to use spices, again playing on the “negative calorie” team, is that there is no need to use salt when seasoning is available. Considering the fact that salt is excluded in all weight loss methods due to the ability to retain water and thus slow down the process of losing weight, the use of spices instead of it, as well as instead of sugar, is ideal for a diet menu.

Fruits, by the way, also have a “negative calorie content”, but a little differently than the previous groups. Let's say that the same grapefruit has a calorie content of at least 30 kcal per hundred grams, but it holds the palm among the lightest and most dietary fruits. On a par with orange, lemon, tangerine and even pineapple, mango and papaya. Melon and apples, by the way, also belong to them. And it will be strange to hear this, but one should not forget about avocados either. Among the berries, raspberries, cranberries, red currants, viburnum, gooseberries stand out. The bottom line is that in chemical composition These fruits contain special substances that actively break down fats, as a result of which even the presence of a certain amount of sugar in them goes unnoticed by the body and weight in particular. And in avocados, melons and apples, there is a high proportion of fiber that cleanses the intestines and is quite difficult to digest, as a result of which there is a calorie deficit during their processing. And that is why they call negative calories in them.

Protein food - meat and fish - cannot be called the one that belongs to this group by right, unfortunately. Nevertheless, their calorie content can be close to “zero” rather, but, alas, it will not work to get a “minus” sign in the case of mathematical operations with the “weight” of the product and the energy expended on its processing. Nevertheless, when choosing protein foods that are minimally deposited in problem areas, you should pay attention to white poultry meat, naturally devoid of skin, low-fat fish - cod, haddock, flounder, pike, pollock, pollock, bream. The only "but" that haunts protein foods in general is the need for physical activity for maximum effect and reaching zero when subtracting energy from calories. Without muscle work, even such a light piece chicken breast will become a good ballast, pulling to the bottom.

4.1 out of 5 (8 Votes)

Those who struggle with overweight know firsthand how difficult it is to get rid of extra pounds. Strict diets, sports, restrictions on your favorite goodies - what you just don’t have to go to achieve your cherished goal. And just recently there was wonderful news. It turns out that some foods have a negative calorie content, and with their help you can lose weight without worries. Is this really so or is it just another sensation that is not supported by scientific data? Let's try to figure it out.

Negative Calories: Expert Opinion

So what is a negative calorie? Let's say right away that in dietology such a term does not exist. The most low calorie by the water. As you know, the vital fluid contains 0 kcal, but products with a calorie content below zero simply do not exist.

However, in women's glossies and on the Internet, you can find information that negative calorie foods contain a minimum amount of calories, but require a lot of energy to digest them. According to this theory, the difference between calories consumed and spent is significant - receiving a minimum amount of energy, the body spends twice as much, which allows you to actively burn body fat.

If so, then you need to eat as many negative-calorie foods as possible, and those extra pounds will leave us at the speed of light. But any information requires confirmation - an expert opinion is needed.

In this matter, nutritionists are in solidarity and unanimity. According to them, the negative calorie theory is nothing more than fiction. Yes, there are foods with a minimum amount of calories, but there is no such food, the absorption of which requires more energy than was received. Calorie consumption for digestion different types food:

  • Protein food - 30-40% of calories from the energy value of the product;
  • Fats - 5-10%;
  • Carbohydrates - 4-7%.

Protein foods include meat, meat and sausage products, poultry, fish, seafood and dairy products. The body spends the maximum amount of energy on the assimilation of protein, however, the calorie content of protein products is very high. Their value for weight loss is in the accelerated metabolism that protein foods provoke. By speeding up the metabolism, the body spends a lot of energy and burns a lot of calories, but they do not apply to negative calorie foods.

The highest amount of fat is found in vegetable oils(this is almost 100% fat), however, in other products they are present in varying amounts. A lot of fat in nuts, seeds, fatty fish, lard, fatty meat, etc.

The third group evokes associations with the most forbidden and high-calorie foods - cakes, pastries and other sweets. Indeed, all confectionery products, as well as sugar, honey, jams and syrups contain the maximum amount of carbohydrates. But, oddly enough, it is in this group that there are products that are extremely close to the unscientific theory of negative calorie content.

The thing is that sweets are simple carbohydrates, which are very harmful not only for the figure, but also for health. Confectionery contain so-called trans fats, which, if consumed regularly, can contribute to the appearance of various diseases. However, there are healthy (complex) carbohydrates. These include cereals, cereals, legumes. Healthy carbohydrates, albeit in small quantities, also contain fruits, berries, vegetables and greens. It is these foods that are called negative calorie foods. Nutritionists are against this formulation, as it is obviously erroneous, and prefer to call them products with a minimum calorie content.

List of negative calorie foods

What foods contain the minimum number of calories and contribute to weight loss? Here is a detailed list of negative calorie foods:

  • Vegetables: white cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, beets, asparagus, green beans, radishes, zucchini;
  • Fruits: apples, all citrus fruits, apricot, cherry plum, plums, pineapple, mango, peach;
  • Greens: spinach, lettuce, arugula, fennel, celery root and leaves, parsley, dill, basil, etc.;
  • Berries: strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, blueberries, currants;
  • All kinds of spices, as they speed up carbohydrate-fat metabolism. However, you should not abuse it, since food generously seasoned with spices can help increase appetite;
  • Green tea and plain water. The first promotes a good metabolism, and the second does not contain calories, but promotes cell regeneration and rejuvenation of the body.

By and large, we have not discovered anything new. It turns out that foods with the so-called negative calorie content (minimum) are ordinary plant foods that are advised to be consumed by people with obesity and many concomitant diseases.

Vegetables and fruits contain a lot of pectin and fiber, which contribute to satiety, active bowel function and effectively cleanse the body of toxins and toxins. Greens are a supplier of trace elements and vitamins, and the value of celery is not in negative calories, but in the abundance of dietary fiber, which reduces appetite and cleanses the body.

Diet for weight loss based on products with a minimum calorie content

In order for the weight loss process to take place without undesirable health consequences, the daily diet should not consist only of negative calorie foods. It is necessary to provide the body with all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.

So, an example of a menu for weight loss.

Breakfast (optional):

  • Oatmeal on the water with pieces of fruit;
  • Cottage cheese with prunes;
  • boiled egg, vegetable salad with olive oil and greenery.

Lunch (optional):

  • Fruit salad;
  • Vegetable cocktail;
  • A glass of kefir or natural yogurt.

Lunch (optional):

  • Boiled meat without fat, vegetable salad;
  • Broccoli soup;
  • Vegetable stew with celery root, boiled liver.

Afternoon snack (optional):

  • Fruits;
  • Any vegetables or light salad;
  • sandwich from bran bread with cheese.

Dinner (optional):

  • boiled fish;
  • Grilled shrimp;
  • Turkey fillet baked in foil without fat.

During the day, you should drink at least 1.5 liters of pure water and 2-3 cups of green tea with ginger or cinnamon (no sugar). It is advisable to take fresh ginger and cut off a small piece into tea, use cinnamon in sticks, breaking off the right amount. Natural spices retain the qualities of products with a negative calorie content, while minced 50% lose their beneficial properties.

Try to avoid drinking fatty foods from meat and fish, sweets, white bread, dough products, soft drinks and alcohol. Eat simple, natural, short-cooked foods, drink freshly squeezed juices, and try to eat plenty. fresh vegetables and fruits.

Do not forget about physical activity. In order to burn body fat, it is not enough just to eat negative calorie foods, you must train muscles and expend calories through active exercise.

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Everyone knows that in order to lose weight, you need to spend more calories than you get them from food. The ratio between intake and expenditure of calories should always be in favor of expenditure. But for this it is not necessary to torture yourself with hunger. Using negative calorie foods for weight loss, following the rules for their preparation and intake, you can eat hearty, tasty, varied and healthy.

Negative calorie food: expert opinion

The energy value food is determined by the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in it. There is only one human consumption product that is truly calorie-free. This is water. Water contains no proteins, fats or carbohydrates.

All other foods and drinks contain one or another amount of energy, since they consist of these same carbohydrates, proteins and fats in their various combinations. Therefore, in reality, there are no negative calorie foods.

Negative calorie foods - what are they?

A "negative calorie" food is when the body spends more energy to digest it than it receives calories from the product itself.

For example, if you eat 100 g of lettuce, you will get 15 calories, but for its complete processing and assimilation, the body will have to spend at least 27 calories. As a result, you spend 12 calories.

If in one raw carrot contains approximately 33 kcal, but about 43 kcal is needed for its digestion. Therefore, by eating one medium carrot, you can lose 10 kcal. However, in fact, this does not mean that carrots contain minus 10 kcal. Just as a result of its use, additional calories are expended.

This applies to all foods high in indigestible fiber. However, just like the digestion of protein foods, the body spends more calories than, for example, foods high in fat or “fast” carbohydrates.

It turns out that we eat food with a low calorie content, but at the same time we spend much more calories on its assimilation due to the fact that digestion requires energy costs from the body that are somewhat larger than those contained in the products themselves.

It is a mistake to think that the negative calorie content of a product is its ability to burn fat.

The benefits of such products are that they bring the digestive system back to normal, speed up metabolic processes and do not contribute to weight gain.

What other foods are "negative calorie"?

List of negative calorie foods for weight loss

Negative calorie foods usually include fruits and vegetables. Such food, consumed regularly, stimulates digestion, regulates the endocrine system, cleanses the blood vessels and liver, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and helps to reduce and normalize weight.

Greens, vegetables, some fruits and berries are low-calorie, contain a small amount of carbohydrates and a lot of fiber. In addition, fiber entering the gastrointestinal tract, due to its volume and slow digestion, provides a long-lasting feeling of satiety, which also contributes to weight loss.

What foods take a lot of energy to process and assimilate? We give examples of vegetables and greens with a negative calorie content in the table below.

Green vegetables are especially useful, they spend a lot of energy in the process of digestion.

Moderate use of spices in the diet helps to accelerate fat and carbohydrate metabolism.

Also, the list of products with a negative calorie content includes other representatives of the plant world - fruits and berries.


Protein products must be added to the listed vegetable products, because proteins are bricks for building our body. Do not be afraid to eat meat, despite its calorie content.

Protein food is the most labor-intensive for the body. Digestion takes a lot of time, which means that a lot of energy will be spent on it. And if you combine it with green vegetables, then energy costs will be even higher. Therefore, the diet should include: fish, seafood, white chicken meat, turkey, lean beef, mushrooms.

Mushrooms - extremely healthy high in protein and dietary fiber - are also on the list of negative calorie foods.

Using the above list and a table of products with a negative calorie content, you can create a menu for every day so that you do not feel hungry during the diet, eat well and at the same time get rid of extra pounds.

Negative calorie drinks

Among drinks, you should also give preference to those that can take more energy from the body than they give in return. You can drink them throughout the day in large quantities.


During the day, you should drink at least 1.5 liters of pure water and 2-3 cups of tea with the addition of ginger or cinnamon. For weight loss, green teas are ideal for improving metabolism. When making tea, it is advisable to take fresh ginger. Cinnamon is best used in sticks, breaking off the right amount.

Natural spices retain the qualities of products with a negative calorie content, while dry and chopped by 50% lose their beneficial properties.

Drink also freshly squeezed juices from grapefruit, sour varieties of apples, beets, carrots, diluted in half with water.

How to enhance the effect of the negative calorie content of the product

If vegetables and other negative calorie foods are not properly processed, enzymes or their original structure can be destroyed. This will lead to the fact that they will lose their valuable properties. It is not recommended to subject them to excessive heat treatment and long-term storage.

In order for the body to have to expend even more energy on the digestion of food, one should:

  • eat chilled foods;
  • ice can be added to drinks or dishes from products with a negative calorie content;
  • eat fractionally, in small portions, so that the metabolic activity does not decrease, forcing the body to spend maximum energy on the assimilation of the foods eaten;
  • you need to chew food slowly, do not drink it down for 30-40 minutes;
  • the main amount of food should be consumed mainly in the morning.

Grilling, steaming, or microwave cooking can improve flavor without sacrificing value. ready meals. Salads are best dressed natural yogurt or quality olive oil combined with lemon juice.

The opinion of experts on the issue of proper nutrition and the use of fat-burning foods is similar in one thing - you cannot ignore proteins and eat only vegetable crops seasoned with a lot of spices. Nutrition should be balanced and carefully thought out.

In the absence of allergies, even adding fresh herbs to the diet will be a great incentive for the body to burn calories faster. It is important to remember that a serving at each meal, even foods with a negative energy balance, should be no more than 500 grams, and a combination of vegetables or fruits in salads should be no more than 3-4 types.

Products with the so-called negative (minimum) calorie content are basically ordinary plant foods that nutritionists advise overweight people to use to lose weight and get rid of various concomitant diseases. So now you know what you can eat, drink and lose weight!

Author of the article: Sergey Vladimirovich, an adherent of reasonable biohacking and an opponent of modern diets and rapid weight loss. I will tell you how a man aged 50+ to remain fashionable, handsome and healthy, how to feel 30 at his fifty. about the author.