Zero calorie food? Get real and follow a better, simpler concept to lose weight

I have known many people who focus much of their energy on staying thin or losing weight. For most of them, this involves incorporating “zero-calorie” or “low-calorie” foods into almost every meal.

Personally, I have never understood this “fad” because I think that those foods taste artificial, and I simply do not enjoy eating them. But a lot of people look past this unpleasant feature of the “low-cal” foods, and continue to substitute whole foods with this artificial “food stuff.”

A better strategy: if you simply replace your low calorie foods, man-made foods with whole ones, and add plenty of fruits and vegetables to your diet, you’re guaranteed to start feeling healthy and seeing results. Fruits and vegetables are what some experts call “nutrient dense”, which means that they pack a lot of punch (nutrients), and have a small amount of calories per serving.

The only true zero calorie beverage is water. This seems to be neglected all too often, being replaced by sports drinks and drinks that often contain sodium, sugar, or artificial sweeteners. Making sure that you are drinking the recommended amount of water per day will help to flush your body of toxins, and help you lose weight as well.

Eat whole foods, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly. You will lose weight naturally!

Another poor weight loss concept to avoid:

People have even suggested that you can lose weight by eating food “negative calorie” properties. Some say that if you eat enough celery, for instance, you will trick your body into burning calories while eating it, rather than gaining calories. There is so little caloric value in celery that it actually takes more energy to chew and digest it than the celery actually contains.

In order for this ill-conceived tactic to result in weight loss, you would have to eat a rather large amount of celery! I’m sure it wouldn’t be enjoyable, and it is probably not recommended by health professionals to seek weight loss in this way.

Eat celery, sure. But don’t go on some extreme celery diet, thinking you’ve found a way a dietary loophole. It will backfire!

Sources:

The Truth About Zero-Calorie Food – Weight Center – EverydayHealth.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/zero-calorie-food-myths.aspx