The best way to lose weight is by selecting the correct food for a diet and consuming fewer calories than you would burn. In other words, burn more calories than you eat. Experts have discovered that if you pick the right food for a diet, you can actually lose weight without the hassle of strict dieting or an exercise plan. These foods are known as negative calorie foods.

However, many of us employ a bad habit of putting thses extras on these foods such as cheese, sour cream, butter or other calorie-laden flavor enhancers. This causes the weight loss effect to be lost. It may be difficult to not add extra calories to these foods but with a strong will power it can be done.

A negative calorie food can be defined as a food that results in a slimming effect for the body. In other words a carrot (without anything else) will cause your body to use an increased amount of energy when digesting it and other foods, this can lead to an overall reducing effect on the body. This is partly from the amount of energy it takes to digest the carrot or other negative calorie food and partly from the elevation in metabolism that these foods naturally create. The overall effect is a net loss of energy, which is measured in calories. It should be understood that ‘negative calorie’ doesn’t mean that the food has zero calories in it, nor does it have an anti-calorie or a negative calorie.

Here is a partial list of negative calorie foods:

Apples, cranberries, grapefruit, lemon mango, oranges, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, tangerines, asparagus, beets, cabbage (green), carrots, cauliflower, hot Chile peppers, cucumbers, endives, garden cress, garlic, green beans, lettuce, onion, papaya, radishes, spinach, turnips and zucchini.

There are more and you can learn about them from a medical doctor’s very popular book.

In his book, Foods that Cause You to Lose Weight, Dr. Neal Barnard explains the effects these foods have on the body. A quote from Dr. Barnard’s book reveals some startling facts, “They found that those who ate foods that were very low in fat and high in carbohydrates, lost weight steadily, without limiting how much they ate. But those on high-fat diets could not effectively lose weight even if they ate skimpy portions.” Dr. Barnard is referring to the published results of an experiment conducted at Cornell University and published in the May 1991 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

There are a few people who claim that after reading this book, they were able to lose up to 30 lbs. But you must try not to go to extreme when dieting because there are certain things that your body needs to remain healthy including proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are necessary for the body to function at its optimum level. It is difficult to keep up a good level of health just by eating negative calorie foods.

And remember, these words are for informational purposes only. This page is not meant to diagnose, treat or prevent any weight related health condition. It is always advised that you consult a medical professional before dieting.