Burn IT : Calorie Counting

With negative calorie foods, you really can have "all you can eat" without worrying about the effects on your waistline! If only every buffet would offer these foods bare and whole, instead of making them swim in mayonnaise, sugar or sauces, none of us would have a problem with eating in restaurants! So let's look at those wonderful negative calorie foods and what they can do for our weight loss.

'Negative calorie' means that you use more calories in eating and digesting the food than it contains, keeping in mind that we burn calories all of the time by simply living, even when we sleep. In practice the term is used for a lot of low calorie foods.

One of the best known negative calorie foods is celery. It is very low in calories and takes a lot of time and energy to eat, as long as you eat it whole and chew on all of those stringy fibers. If you ate celery in this way all day you would be sure of not gaining weight, but it wouldn't be good for you. You would not be getting the nutrients that you needed and you might even starve.

Negative calorie foods are very popular with anorexics, which shows us that it's not healthy to eat nothing but these foods. However, they make great snacks. To get the best effect for weight loss, be sure to chew them thoroughly and do not make them into soup or juice.

Eat them raw when possible. This is easy with fruits like apples, berries, pineapple and grapefruit which are all low calorie, high fiber foods. Be careful with other fruits because most fruits that are not on this list are more calorie-dense.

Eating vegetables raw is more of a challenge, and not always necessary. However, many foods can be grated or chopped very small in a food processor. Take a look at this list of negative calorie vegetables and you will see that most of them could be prepared for raw eating:

- asparagus (break it into bite sized pieces and add to salad)

- beets (grated)

- broccoli (throw it in the food processor with a couple of tomatoes as dressing)

- carrot (grated or whole)

- cauliflower (like broccoli)

- cabbage (used raw in coleslaw, but don't add the mayo!)

- celery stalks

- celery root (grated)

- cucumber

- lettuce

- red onions (sliced thin)

- spinach

- tomato

- zucchini (grate or use a spiralizer to create long pasta-like strings)

A big salad made from 5-7 of those ingredients would give you a super low calorie snack that would keep you munching and feeling full for a long time. You might also want to consider doing a raw or negative calorie detox for a few days - in consultation with your doctor, of course.

However, you will need to use caution when eating a lot of negative calorie foods. First, it is important to vary your diet and not eat too much of any one particular food. Many foods contain substances that can be damaging if consumed in excess, such as the acid in pineapples and grapefruits. Other negative calorie foods can cause allergies or diarrhea if eaten in large quantities.

I am a Fitness coach, I help people to lose fat and have a nice body, If you would like to learn more about burn fat naturally visit burnfatnaturally.atwebpages.com

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If you have already tried a wide array of diets in order to lose weight, you have most probably heard for a thousand times already about counting calories. On health forums, this seems to be quite a much debated issue, as they are plenty of people that claim to be of great help to count your calories in order to lose weight, and many others that say that calorie counting only leads to obsession and bad results. What is the truth? The following pros and cons of calorie counting may help shed some light on the matter.

Pro: Counting Calories makes you more responsible

Those that support the idea of calorie counting say that you are bound to become more responsible about what you eat if you start eating your calories. Because a major source of gaining weight is eating more calories than needed on a regular basis, this sounds like a valid argument. As long as you keep an eye on how many calories you eat, you will have more chances to lose weight.

Cons: It makes you obsessed

People that are striving to lose weight already have a love and hate affair with food. Counting calories, say those that are against such diets, does nothing but create a veritable neurosis in the mind of the person trying to lose weight in this manner. Creating an obsession is a nasty habit, and, in the long run, it cannot be sustained without taking its toll on a person's mental health.

Pro: Calorie counting teaches you about good and bad foods

Another argument brought forward by the supporters of calorie counting is that this habit serves as a great guide for learning about good foods and bad foods. Good foods are those that are low in calories, while still having great nutritious value, while bad foods are those that increase cholesterol levels and add fat to your diet. By learning about such foods, you are helped to make the right choices in your diet.

Cons: It prevents you from enjoying your food

Again, those against calorie counting, have their own arguments. Counting each and every calorie you put on your plate makes you think of nothing but numbers, and you end up not enjoying your food at all. There are plenty of people that claim to have become victims of this system and making an enemy out of food.

Depending on the type of person you are, you can include or not calorie counting in your dietary habits. As long as you keep a positive attitude and you do not grow obsessed over each and every detail, you will be able to lose weight in a healthy manner.

Susan is a full-time freelance writer. She is an avid traveler and reader and enjoys writing on health & fitness, travel, parenting, relationships and personal development.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_B_Ward

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