Negative Calorie Foods: Found in Many Diets

By Stan Towers

If you've done much research on diets at all, then you've probably already run across the concept of negative calorie foods. The negative calorie food diet is one that has come under a lot of scrutiny, but despite this it's an idea that has created a lot of imitators based around the same basic principles. For a much criticized diet, it sure has a lot of imitators!

There are a large number of diets that revolve around a fruit or vegetable that appear on a negative calorie foods list. If imitation is still considered the top form of flattery, then eating plans such as the cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet, and pineapple diet are all paying fine tribute.

The pineapple diet has several different forms, but all revolve around eating a lot of pineapple. Pineapple is found on the negative calorie foods list, and is often mentioned as a healthy food that has enzymes that are hard for the body to break down, encouraging weight loss.

Of all the diet examples listed, perhaps the cabbage soup diet is the most well known, and also the eating plan that most firmly uses negative calorie foods. Aside from the three days where only certain types of fruits and vegetables are allowed (other than the soup), the base soup of this diet is made almost completely from ingredients that appear on the famous list of these foods. Compare the two and the similarities will jump out at you.

And the grapefruit diet is yet another example of an eating plan that could have been designed simply by picking out a person's favorite negative calorie food and just running with it. Grapefruit has enormous popularity as a diet food because it is high in water, fiber, and vitamins and low in calories. In addition to all this, grapefruit is notoriously hard for the body to break down and process, forcing your body to work and burn more calories to process it.

Vegetarian diets are going to have large portions that mirror foods found on the negative calorie list because all negative calorie foods are going to be fruits and veggies. The huge difference between the two is that a vegetarian eating plan will be complete and include grains and rice, while the list is there to supplement an eating plan, not be the end all be all of dietary restrictions.

Even beyond the ones mentioned in this article, there are many other diets out there which are based in some form or another on these foods. While not many of these diets are likely to admit to the truth, the evidence is obvious.

While the argument is likely to continue, it's hard to argue that the fruits and vegetables on this list are all very healthy and a key part of any eating plan designed to lose weight. No matter what the additional arguments are, imitations show that negative calorie foods are likely to remain popular. - 30414

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