7 ‘Negative-Calorie’ Foods That Help You Stay Satisfied While Dieting

Could the key to weight loss be eating more? Dieters who eat “negative-calorie” foods can supposedly eat as much of these foods as they want without worrying about overdoing it. That’s because the foods that make this list are said to contain fewer calories than the body burns by eating them. But are negative-calorie foods the easy diet miracle you’ve been waiting for — or are they too good be true?

What are negative-calorie foods?

The term “negative-calorie foods” is used to describe foods that contain fewer calories than your body needs to burn to digest them. To be clear, a negative-calorie food isn’t a food that contains no calories on its own; the amount of calories in the food is simply nullified by the food’s “caloric cost,” aka the amount of calories it requires to digest. (Caloric cost is different for everyone because it depends on your individual weight and metabolism.)

The truth, however, is a little more complicated. Experts have pointed out that the term “negative-calorie food” is misleading, because no scientific evidence exists to prove that these foods actually burn more calories to digest than they contain. The good news? Eating foods from the negative-calorie food list can be an effective way to lose weight, because these foods satisfy hunger by filling the stomach with nutrient-rich, whole foods that are not calorically dense — so you’ll eat less of the higher-calorie, less-healthy foods and therefore drop pounds.

Negative-Calorie Food List

Foods that are known as negative-calorie foods are real, whole foods from nature, and they contain a variety of vitamins and nutrients as well as significant water content to help keep the body healthy and hydrated. When starting a new healthy eating program, it can be hard to curb cravings and minimize portions, but negative-calorie foods can help because you can add them to just about any meal for extra satiety without worrying about overeating. Scroll down for a list of negative-calorie foods that can help you lose weight and feel like your most vibrant, healthy self.