Food and Drink Direct

Andrew Bicknell asked:


Do negative calorie foods really exist? In reality no, there is no such thing as a food that contains negative calories; every food has some caloric value, even cardboard. But the theory and science behind the negative calorie food idea does make sense if you look at how it is supposed to work.

The diet is based on scientific research into the idea that negative calorie foods safely force your body to work harder during digestion thus turning your body into a fat burning machine. It is believed that certain foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, are more difficult to digest because of their cellular composition. Difficult to digest is not a bad thing, it actually means that it takes the body more energy to digest and extract the vital nutrients that are found in healthy foods.

If you eat a negative calorie food that has a caloric content of 100 calories, you will actually burn more calories than you ingest. 150-250 calories is the average caloric need when digesting any food. So you can see that if you eat something that is high in calories but low in nutrients any extra calories left over from the digestive process is moved to fat storage, as opposed to burning extra calories.

A negative calorie diet is probably one of the most effective ways to increase metabolism and burn calories.  Starvation diets are not, on the other hand, as starvation or skipping meals will only slow down the metabolism in the body, which holds on to its stored fat in times of food deprivation, but will not result in weight loss in the long run.

It comes down to the fact that eating a healthy diet consisting of nutrient rich foods has always been the best way to keep the human body running at peak efficiency. Negative calorie food offers great nutrition, as well as the possibility of helping you lose weight simply by eating.

The Bicycle Portal

Kevin Pederson asked:


The negative calorie diet is said to be food products and drinks that you intake that are said to have a negative calorie effect in our bodies. It provides few calories that the body needed for to digest, because there is a certain amount of calorie needed in our body. Fruit and vegetables consumption can also result to negative calorie diet, because there are fruit and vegetables that contain small amount of calories. So studies say that it may result to malnutrition when a certain amount of calories is not met by our body.

Celery is said to be a negative calorie food due to its low nutritional value. There are fruits and vegetables that have been studied to have negative calories such as; apple, asparagus, carrots, cranberries, lettuce, oranges, tomatoes and many others. The effectiveness of this fruits and vegetables are linked to their nutritional value.

Water is said to be a negative calorie source because water contains no calories.

Some sugar free juices and sodas have said to have negative calories. But is there such a thing as a negative calorie food? Maybe they do just have low calorie level and that is why there would be no effect on the human body just like water.

High fiber foods consumption has low calorie levels too. High fiber foods help maintain body weight. High fiber food consumption often needs more chewing before swallowing to avoid eating a large calorie intake. Once you start on high fiber food consumption in your diet you will be happy on how you have improved on your health.

So if you want to have a negative calorie diet,just check on foods that have low level calories and watch your diet. Have yourself do dome exercise too cause you need to burn all those calories on your diet.

The truth is there have been debates on such thing as a negative calorie food or food containing negative calorie. Aside from this debate of negative calorie food existence, there are just foods that really have low nutritional value and it results to malnutrition. These foods that have low nutritional value or low calories can not be blamed for it is just the way it is. It is on how we managed our well balanced diet that defines our way of life and our health. So lets eat the right food and know if it has enough calories for our body.

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Andrew Bicknell asked:


Burning more calories then you eat has always been the way to lose weight. For many years the idea was to eat less which reduced caloric intake and allowed the body to burn excess fat. While this worked for short periods of time the problem that arose was trying to keep the weight off. Eating a low calorie diet for any extended period of time can be difficult and most people put the weight right back on once they are done with their diet. With new evidence that there are foods that speed up metabolism it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.

First let’s take a look at how our bodies use calories. Without calories the body would be unable to function as they are the fuel that gives us energy to live our daily lives. What many people don’t understand is that without adequate caloric intake everyday the body will actually slow down its metabolism as it goes into starvation mode, hoarding every last bit of energy and storing it as fat. In fact if there is enough of a calorie deficit the body will begin to break down muscle tissue in order to provide the energy it needs.

The key to any weight loss program is increasing metabolism while keeping the intake of calories in the normal range. But how can you do this? The answer may well be negative calorie foods that speed up metabolism.

What is a negative calorie food? On the surface it sounds like foods that have negative calories. Unfortunately all foods have at least some calories but it is the way they are digested and used by the body that denotes whether they are negative calorie or not. The thinking behind how these types of foods create a calorie deficit is actually quite simple. Some foods actually require more energy during their breakdown and digestion for cellular energy then they contain.

Here’s a quick example of what we are talking about. One night for desert you eat three chocolate brownies. Sounds good doesn’t it? Total calories for those three brownies equal 275 calories, mostly from the sugar they contain. You body uses 75 calories digesting those three delicious brownies leaving you with 200 extra calories that have to go somewhere, which in most cases is directly to fat storage for future use.

Now let’s say you eat a grapefruit, a known negative calorie food (remember all the grapefruit diets over the years). Said grapefruit has 35 calories and it takes 90 calories for your body to digest and metabolize that grapefruit. It has actually taken 55 extra calories to eat that grapefruit. This is rather simplified but you get the picture.

The question now is why do these foods work this way and speed up your metabolism? Fruits and vegetables make up a majority of the negative calorie foods. These types of food have a nigh nutrient value made up of vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates and fiber. It takes a lot more energy to extract these components from a healthy food then it does to digest the processed foods full of refined sugars we find on the grocery shelves today. In particular digesting high fiber foods is one of the most calorie intensive processes when it comes to metabolizing the food we eat.

By simply changing your eating habits and increasing the amount of healthy foods you eat while cutting back on the processed and refined foods so predominate today you can speed up metabolism, lose weight, and live a more healthy life.

Newborn Baby Site

Rando Meresmaa asked:


A lot of people talk about calories: “do calories really count, why should I count my calories, is it better to measure portion sizes, than count calories,” etc. But the truth is that most people have no idea what a “calorie” means. If you have no idea what it even means than it is very hard to understand why they are important. So what is the definition of a “calorie”?

The technical definition a food calorie (kilocalorie) is the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram (1 liter) of water 1 degree Centigrade. It is a measure of heat energy. The more calories there are in foods the more heat (energy) is released. The word calorie is also used to describe the amount of energy stored in the body as bodyfat and glycogen. A 25-minute jog burns about 210 calories and an average doughnut contains 210 calories.

If you are overweight then it means you have a lot of energy stored in your body as fat. And if you are inactive then this energy is not released because there is no need for it. But if you are active then this energy is needed and you burn the fat to get energy you need.

It was very important for people to store extra fat a long time ago, when food was not available. But nowadays hunger and famine are not big problems and extra fat is not needed. That is why fat is stored very easily and why it is so hard to get rid of it.

To lose fat you need a calorie deficit. In other words you have to burn more calories then you consume and use your reserve energy, which is fat. You can accomplish that in two ways. Reduce the amount of food you eat or burn more calories with exercise. Either way you will create a calorie deficit. But in order to create a deficit of calories you have to know how much calories you consume. So it is very important to count calories. There is no way around it.

If you don´t pay any attention to calories then you can easily consume more than you need. You will have too much unwanted body fat and we don´t want that to happen. It does not matter even what foods you eat. You can get even get fat eating healthy foods, if you consume too many calories. And you can lose fat eating junk food if you are below your maintenance level. It is not wise to eat junk food but you get the point.

All Uniforms Online

Andrew Bicknell asked:


Many people are surprised to learn that they can lose weight simply by eating certain types of foods. How is this possible, you ask? Everyone knows that if you burn more calories then you take in you will burn excess body fat. The problem is most people go about this the wrong way by cutting to many calories only to find out that their metabolism begins to slow down because of the lack of caloric energy.

One of the best ways to increase your metabolism is by eating a negative calorie diet that consists of healthy foods. Look at it this way, the more nutritious the food you eat the better off your body will be. Kind of like your mom used to tell you when you tried to hide those peas in your napkin.

The Negative Calorie Diet works because it uses your body’s metabolism to burn all that excess body fat you’ve been trying to get rid of. If you understand how the body digests and processes food and the types of calories those foods provide you’ll begin to see why this type of diet works so well.

Everyday your body needs a certain number of calories to function all the way down to the cellular level. If you don’t get enough calories during the day your metabolism will actually begin to slow down as your body begins to conserve the energy it needs to function properly. If you have enough of a calorie deficit your body will begin to hold onto its fat stores as it cannibalizes its own muscle tissue to supply the energy it needs. This is the worst thing that can happen if you are trying to lose weight.

So what is a negative calorie food and how does it work?

It’s not a food that has a negative amount of calories because all foods have calories; there is just no way around that fact. What is known is that thee are many foods that actually cause a caloric deficit because of the amount of energy it takes to the body to digest and process these foods. It takes more energy to digest a nutrient rich food then food itself contains.

Here’s a simplistic snapshot of how this works. Let’s say you eat a piece of chocolate cake that comes in around 300 calories. Your body uses up 125 calories digesting that piece of cake leaving 175 calories that for the most part is stored as fat. Now let’s see what happen when you eat an apple that has 35 calories. If it takes your body 70 calories to digest that apple you’ve just burned an extra 35 calories simply by eating.

By increasing your metabolism you burn extra calories which results in a loss of bodily fat. One way to bring about that metabolism boost is by eating a negative calorie diet consisting of healthy food choices and by making the necessary lifestyle changes needed to live a long and healthy life.

Triumph Over Language

Ishak Iman asked:


Calorie shifting diet is one of the hot topics of discussion in the diet industry. And what is the calorie shifting? It is a weight loss diet plan that created to against the natural slowdown that happens in your metabolism whenever someone is limiting his or her calorie intake. The calorie shifting is related to foods. The types of foods that someone eat in the weight loss program are different. By using this way, someone shifts the calories intake in his or her body. When this process is completed, the metabolism moves more quick without getting stuck in the same routine.

How does it work? The shifting program mainly keeps his or her metabolism from becoming complacent. For example, a 1,000 calories diet for the beginning of a month, a body system get shocking that the metabolism system supposes the same calories every day. If you usually eat foods that contain 3,000 calories daily. Then you try to eat foods that contain 1,000 calories in a day. So the shifting system is feeding a body foods that have different calories each day. This way can shocks the metabolism system and make the weight loss to happen. With this program, you will ask that “how can I eat the same portion of the foods and get weight loss?”.

So the shifting system is feeding a body foods that have different calories each day. This way can shocks the metabolism system and make the weight loss to happen. With this program, you will ask that “how can I eat the same portion of the foods and get weight loss?”. That is how it works, by decreasing the amount of the calories and using the different types of calories in foods daily. This diet program works that you will be neither reducing the foods nor getting more physical exercises.

This system requires a patient to eat proper foods on couple of times of days and rotating particular foods so that the metabolism system doesn’t adjust to the specific diet regime. This program requires changing of the eating pattern few times in days: types of foods, the nutrients of the foods and number of the calories.

You will eat the foods in different calorie values, this way can causes the metabolism system works in the different ways. If you are following a low carb program in order to boost calorie shifting process, you can increase the low carb consumption several times in months. Foods of the low carb plan have low in calories and carbohydrates and higher in protein. Many diet programs requires a zig zag of carb plans so you need to focus the low carb for few days before back to the high carb. This way helps prevent your stomach become hunger. You can try the zig zag pattern for several days to lose weight.

Drinking more water as long as the calorie changing helps to boost the process and getting the weight loss more effective. Because the more water can flush out the foods and helps keep metabolism system. This way help you to get weight loss in few months.

The Bicycle Part

Cathy Wilson asked:


You are at the grocery store shopping for foods only on your diet. You review every food label for the best choice to promote your weight loss. Even though you check the labels, is it a healthy choice? You’re taking charge of your health and losing weight. Know what the food labels mean and what you’re getting (and not getting) in your food choices.

The first thing to remember in learning the language of labels is that you want to make your calories count. Your goal is to obtain the most nutrition for your nutrition calories. Essentially, you are spending your calories for the most nutrition possible.

Food labels were created to give consumers nutritional information to be of assistance in making decisions on which food choices are best for them. Sounds simple right? You can make the information work for you. There is a wealth of information on the labels for you once you know how to make sense of it all.

Let’s look at the food label for a certain product we are considering to purchase. Know your nutrition facts when it comes to food labels. At first glance, it looks fine. Only 250 calories for this one item, right? Not so fast! There are three items to consider before placing this particular item in your shopping cart.

1. Check the serving and calories.

2. What’s in it for you?

3. Does it fit your nutrition goal?

1. CHECK THE SERVING AND CALORIES. Only 250 calories for this item from your daily caloric intake? Look at the serving size on this item and how many servings it contains. In our example, there are 2 servings at 250 calories PER EACH serving. In this item, there are a total of 500 calories and not 250 as it may first appear.

2. WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? Next, look at the rest of the nutritional facts such as how much total fat, total carbohydrates, sugars, fiber and protein are contained in this product. Back to our example, there are 12 grams of fat, 31 grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugars and 5 grams of protein PER SERVING which is 2 servings for the entire item. Since the item has 2 servings total, if you eat the entire package, you would double the calories, fat, carbs, sugars, fiber and protein for the day.

Also, check the saturated fat, sodium and other nutritional information such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron that are contained in this item.

For our translation of this food label, our nutrition information is for the entire package:

Total Calories: 500 calories, Total Fat: 24 grams, Total Carbohydrates: 62 grams, Total Sugars: 10 grams, Total Protein: 10 grams, Total Saturated Fat: 6 grams, Total Trans Fat: 6 grams, Total Cholesterol: 60 mg., Total Sodium: 940 grams, Total Dietary Fiber: 0 grams.

Remember, it is more than just calories; it is the big picture of all nutrients that count too.

3. DOES IT FIT YOUR NUTRITION GOAL? Now that you have deciphered exactly what’s in this product, you get to decide if it fits your nutrition program. Compare the calories on the label and the nutrients you’ll be getting to decide if this food is worth eating? Can you eat only one serving or would you want to eat the entire package? Put all the information together and decide if this is a smart choice that promotes your nutritional program of health. Do you put it in your shopping cart and take home or do you leave it on the shelf?

Other tips to remember would be to determine the number of calories derived from fat, protein and carbohydrates as follows:

Each gram of fat: 9 calories

Each gram of carbohydrate: 4 calories

Each gram of protein: 4 calories

Multiply the number of grams contained in a product by these calories per gram and you’ll see how the total caloric breakdown shakes out.

A common pitfall, especially with small packages, is to assume there is only one serving because the package is small. As an example, if you were to eat a bag of pretzels from a vending machine, you might find it contains 2.5 servings. You would need to multiply the numbers by 2.5 to see what’s really in that small bag.

The FDA regulates the use of phrases and terms on product packaging. Here’s what they really mean:

Sugar free: Less than .5 grams of sugar per serving.

Calorie Free = Less than 5 calories per serving.

Low Calorie = 40 calories or less per serving.

Light or Lite = 1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat than the referenced food.

Fat Free = Less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving.

Low Fat = 3 grams or less of fat per serving.

High Fiber = 5 grams or more of fiber per serving.

By translating the label language information, you know exactly what it all means and can make the smart choices for yourself on your journey to health. Knowledge is power and now, YOU have that power!

Do It Yourself World

R. Adam Shore asked:


The all too familiar story: no time to cook, kids are late for soccer practice and McDonald’s is on the way. Since it won’t take more than a few minutes to shoot through the drive through we’ll do the fast food stop. Or all too familiar story number 2: lunch hour at work and I need to pick up my dry cleaning, fill a prescription, and take the car to get gas and find time to eat. Sure enough Taco Bell is on the way and they have a drive through as well. These real life situations play out for all of us, millions of us, everyday. Since time has become one of our most precious commodities the sacrifice we make is often in our diet.

And yet it does not need to be this way. By following a few healthful practices you can still go to your favorite fast food chain and, 30 years from now, live to tell about it. The key is knowing what to select from the menu and balancing that meal with the rest of the day’s food intake.

Choose Your Menu Items With Care

Choose a main dish item that is low in fat. As an example, when faced with the choice of a bacon cheeseburger or a regular hamburger, the regular hamburger wins every time. In the battle of the regular hamburger or the grilled chicken ****** sandwich the chicken wins hands down. Why? Here’s an example:

Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich has 360 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 0 trans fat. Compare that to the Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic which has 580 calories, 29 grams of fat and 1.5 grams of trans fat. Put either choice with a medium fry and you have added another 440 calories and another 21 grams of fat. Choose, instead, the Baked Potato with Sour Cream and Chive and you add 320 calories and 4 grams of fat. Still a great lunch or dinner and a much more nutritious choice indeed.

Choose side salads and salad bar vegetables as these provide extra vitamins and add dietary fiber. In addition they fill you up without adding lots of extra calories. Be sure to use low fat or non-fat dressing or, better still, a simple vinaigrette dressing. More dietary fiber can be found in the choice of whole wheat or whole grain buns and rolls.

If your sweet tooth kicks in have fresh fruit or frozen yogurt. Or go for the reduced fat ice cream versus the shake. Again an example, this time from McDonald’s: 16 oz. Triple Thick Vanilla Shake has 550 calories and 13 grams of fat. The Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Cone has 150 calories and only 3.5 grams of fat. Granted the lower calories alternative is not as decadent but it also will not clog your arteries by increasing your cholesterol intake and it will satisfy the sugar craving.

Watch Your Portion Size

Portion control is also a key element to successful fast food dining. Although many restaurants have discontinued the super size trend, most portions are simply more than we need to consume. These large portions look like real value when viewed in the monetary sense but when measured by way of their contribution to weight gain and its complications they are simply not worth it.

Choose the smallest size possible especially if you are having hamburgers or fried foods.

Share large or high fat items with someone else.

Eat half your order and take the rest home. Yes, I know we are supposed to clean our plates because there are children starving in China. At least that’s what many mothers over the years have been heard to say. The fact is being a member of the Clean Plate Club will also get you entry into the Fat Club, the High Cholesterol Club, and if your really fortunate the Heart Disease Club.

Remember These 3 Key Points

1. Reduce total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium

2. Increase intake of whole grains

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables

Fast food is one of the great innovations of the 20th century. Here in the 21st century we need to manage how we take advantage of its limitless access. To do so will maintain a balance between food as satisfying fuel that keeps our human engine running and toxic waste that will eventually lead to shorten life spans.

Body Mind Boutique

Joey Atlas asked:


calories can work - if done properly. When combined with calorie shifting - everything can be easier and the fat loss happens like clock work. Here is how to start calorie shifting your way to better nutrition and a better body.

Now, depending on the time you get out of bed - kicking your day off with breakfast might not be the best way to begin meeting your daily nutritional needs - if your focus is on calorie management. Now, I know this goes against traditional advice, but read on to fully understand this approach as it applies to counting calories.

I’ve worked with clients in the past who have tried to eat breakfast (in many forms and variations) first thing in the morning, and they would find that doing this made them hungrier the rest of the day and it usually led to increased daily caloric intake - enough to cause long term weight gain.

I’ve worked with many people who wake up fairly early and start the morning with breakfast and continue to eat ‘healthy’ well throughout the entire day. Its quite easy for these types of people to consume too many calories in a whole day and find it nearly impossible to lose body fat and acheive fitness success.

And now its time to reveal the ‘insider’s tactic’ of calorie shifting. We will talk about meal shifting (instead of calorie shifting) to keep matters simple - but understand, a meal is made up of calories.

A simple strategy for those who find that keeping a lid on daily caloric intake is a challenge - is to push back the time that the first meal is eaten. Lets call this meal breakfast, even though some people may find it strange to call a meal eaten at 10:30 or 11 am, breakfast.

Rather than having breakfast at 6:45:30 or 8 am, you don’t skip it, you just push it back a few hours - toward your normal lunch time. In effect, you are moving, most likely, 300 - 500 (maybe more) calories and taking them in at a later time, maybe 3 or 4 hours later than normal.

Here is what happens to most people who I coach with this method. They find they are not starving for a big lunch (which also gets pushed back a few hours - to about 2pm (give or take 30 minutes). Also - these people are not ready to ‘eat a horse’ just before dinner - and can calmly wait until its served instead of taking in a few hundred, self destructive, pre-dinner, warm-up calories.

So, a result of this meal shifting is a reduction in ‘overactive appetite’ - not a bad reduction, but a healthy reduction - one that is very helpful in preventing one from over-stuffing the stomach and going beyond their daily caloric needs.

Lets back up a little - if dinner time food raids are a challenge, then this meal shifting can help you reduce that eating urge after work and put you in a better position to control the volume of food you put on your plate and the number of calories you put in your body.

So, ‘the calorie shift’ is also helpful for people who snack every few hours once they do start eating. By delaying when you start eating in the morning - you also delay the snack intervals you enjoy - and in effect you may reduce your total daily snacks to 2 or 3 instead of 5 or 6 (including your after dinner snack). If you’ve shifted your calories properly - you will have eaten less of them by the end of the day.

Common ’side effects’ of this strategy are increased energy, less bloating and stomach discomfort, better sleep patterns and a few others. Hmmm - I wonder why?

There are several factors inside of this calorie based fat-loss strategy to be aware of. The types of foods you choose, the volume of foods you choose and the realization that you need less calories than you think you do to function optimally on a day to day basis.

I also realize that this may go against the “You’ll shut down your metabolism, by starving yourself!” crowd. But believe me, this is far from starving yourself, very far. Please note - this is a personal strategy that I’ve given to many people who were unsuccessful with mainstream fat loss dieting methods. Most importantly - it’s something you can do too.

Games Web Guide

Monica Kosann asked:


Fast food is one of the most common food choices for an average busy individual.  This will hardly come as a shock to anyone, that fast food calories are perhaps the biggest health offenders. It is easy to blame fast food for many of our miseries as most of them are high in calories, fat, carbs and sodium. There was a consumer survey recently which showed that most people considerably miscalculated the fast food calories, especially in restaurant foods.

When nutrition information is available it has an influence on the consumer’s food choices. After going through the nutrition facts of fast food you may be able to order foods which do not have too many calories. The problem of fast food calories has gained a lot of importance nowadays.  The era of fast food has distorted our tastes resulting in poor health and weight gain. There are an ever increasing number of overweight individuals and thousands of people are suffering from other conditions like diabetes, cancer and heart problems. People have a longer life span today but they aren’t necessarily living healthier.

Nutrition is a multifaceted and fast developing science which deals with the different aspects of food and its composition. In fact nutrition plays a very important part in every family’s health. It guides us in the food we consume as well as supplements for health, development growth and energy. It is true that fast food calories are harmful but that does not mean depriving yourself of the foods you love. You can eat all you like if the calories consumed balances the calories eaten. The question is how does one know the nutrition and calories present in the foods we eat.

There are several devices which help in calculating the amount of calorie and nutrition present in the food and drinks we consume. CalorieSmart Mini is a handy nutrition calculator which will allow you to know the nutritional value of the food you plan to eat immediately. It helps make better choices and you may even be able to have some of your favorite fast food calories! CalorieSmart Mini is a tiny nutrition calculator aiding you to achieve your health by knowing the nutrition details.

It is also ideal for monitoring diabetes as well as weight loss. It is possible to get calorie details anytime, anywhere and you won’t have to guess the facts with CalorieSmart Mini. There are nutrition details of more than 50,000 foods.  You can personalize it by adding up to 500 of your favorite food items. It has an LCD screen for viewing convenience. The best part it, it is easy to carry and can fit in your purse or pocket.

Healthy eating is all about feeling good, having more energy, and staying healthy. You can achieve all this by getting to know the basics of nutrition and integrating it in your diet.  Select the foods which better your health and stay away from empty fast food calories. Take the help of nutrition calculators to create a satisfying and healthy diet.

Some Great Gifts