There's a good chance you've come across lists of so-called "negative-calorie foods," which are said to contain fewer calories than it takes your body to digest them. We hate to burst your bubble, but it turns out this concept is a myth.
Your body does use energy to digest foods and store the nutrients they contain, Dr. Donald Hensrud wrote on the Mayo Clinic website, but it requires only about 5 to 10 percent of your energy intake to do so each day.
In other words, the foods often cited in these kinds of lists, like celery and other non-starchy vegetables, do require energy to digest, but not so much that their calories are negated completely.
"It is theoretically possible to have a negative-calorie food, but there are no reputable scientific studies to prove that certain foods have this effect," Hensrud says.
However, this doesn't dismiss the benefits naturally low-calorie foods can have on your diet. Asparagus, broccoli, greens, beats, and watercress all have relatively few calories and contain plenty of healthy vitamins and fiber. Hensrud advises sticking to a balanced, plant-based diet.
"Following extreme diets that promote eating only a few foods can cause you to miss out on important nutrients," Hensrud wrote.
All in all, while there's no reason to avoid these so-called "negative-calorie foods," know that your body needs nutrients beyond those found in iceberg lettuce and cucumbers in order to thrive.
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