Zero Calorie Foods

It is necessary to maintain your weight at the normal level if you wish to lead a healthy and active life. As we follow a sedentary lifestyle and tend to avoid exercising, blaming the tight schedule; we gain weight and suffer from various disorders. Dieting has therefore become an invariable part of modern life. Regular exercises and healthy diet help avoid obesity and other health problems. Low-calorie foods are included in every weight loss diet. This usually leads to curbing the cravings all the time. But, if you include zero or negative calorie foods, you can eat as much as you want and these foods can offer a feeling of satiation too. Those who find it difficult to diet should know that dieting can be made easier, by incorporating calorie-free foods in diet.

Foods that Contain Zero Calories

Some foods naturally have zero calories while some are converted into zero calorie foods during digestion, so that you can call them calorie-free. The foods which require more calories to digest them than the calories they have through their nutritional content are known as negative calorie foods and thus they become calorie-free foods during the process of digestion. You can consume calorie-free foods in as much quantity as you wish, without feeling guilty! These foods can be included in all types of weight loss diets. Here is a list of foods that provide zero calories.

List of Calorie-free Foods

A: Asparagus, Apple, Apricots, Artichokes, Aubergine
B: Beetroot, Broccoli, Blueberries, Blackberries, Brussels Sprouts, Bitter Gourd
C: Cranberries, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Chile Peppers, Cucumber, Clams, Chives, Crabs, Cantaloupes
D: Dandelion, Damson Plum
E: Endive, Egg Plant
F: Frog Legs, Flounder, Fennel
G: Garlic, Green Beans, Garden Cress, Grapefruit, Guava
H: Huckleberries, Honeydew Melons
K: Kumquats, Kale
L: Lettuce, Lemon, Leeks
M: Mango, Mustard Greens, Muskmelon, Marrow
N: Nectarines
O: Oranges, Oysters, Onions, Okra
P: Pineapple, Papaya, Peaches, Parsley Leaves, Pomegranates, Parsnips, Pears, Prunes
Q: Quince
R: Raspberries, Radishes, Rhubarb, Red Cabbage
S: Strawberries, Spinach, Shrimp, Sauerkraut, Sea Bass, Sorrel, Scallions, String Beans
T: Tangerine, Turnip, Tomato
W: Watermelon, Watercress and WATER!
Z: Zucchini

Precautions

Remember, these foods would exhibit the 'negative calorie effect' only when you consume them without adding butter, sugar or dips. While on diet, majority of what you consume can be negative or low calorie foods. Remember, if you go on eating only calorie-free foods, then you may eventually have to face health problems. So, it is better to opt for some other ways of losing weight, like drinking lots of water or liquids (skim milk, juices and soups) to suppress the craving for food, reducing fat intake (include good fats like that provided by olive oil), increasing physical activity to burn more calories, etc. A very low-calorie diet can cause vitamin deficiency which can put your body at risk. Nutritional deficiency can lead to weakness, fatigue and illness. If you are interested in losing weight, then the number of calories burnt should be more than the number of calories consumed, for which you need to exercise regularly. Thus you need to plan well and eat wisely, while opting for zero calorie foods.

While incorporating calorie-free foods in diet, you should also include lean meat and fish for good proteins, foods high in complex carbohydrates (for example, all bran cereals, whole grain breads, whole wheat spaghetti), vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, etc. The diet should always be rich in all types of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, etc.). A low-calorie but nutrient rich diet can help you lead a healthy life.

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