Zero Calorie Foods

Truly Zero Calorie Foods

Water is the only true zero calorie food that occurs naturally. Water is a great addition to your diet in a variety of ways. Eight 12-ounce servings of water every day are suggested as a healthy part of any diet. However, it has an added benefit when you're trying to diet to lose weight: it helps fill you up!

Water can be frozen into ice and crushed or shaved in order to add a different consistency to your diet.

In addition to water, diet soda pop is found in zero-calorie versions. It comes in name brands and generics and is typically sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Quite a bit of debate surrounds these beverages and whether they are healthy additions to your diet because of the artificial sweetener aspect. Experts offer conflicting claims that artificial sweeteners cause health problems or contribute to obesity.

Negative Calorie Foods

There are several fruits and vegetables that occur in nature that while they have calories when consumed, actually result in negative calories to the body after digested. It is because these foods cause the body to extend more calories to digest them than they have through their nutritional content that they become zero calorie foods.

These foods can basically be consumed in whatever quantity you want without feeling guilty. They are healthy and provide nutritional content your body needs. Keep in mind, however, that these foods only have this negative calorie effect when consumed without extras added to them like butter, sugar or dips.

Eat Healthy

Any time you go on a diet, it's advisable to consult your doctor first. That way you can receive an expert opinion based on you medical history and health conditions.

Even though you are attempting to lose weight, it's still important to maintain a certain number of calories in your diet. Typically, a normal, healthy diet consists of approximately 1,200 calories for an average-sized person. A diet that consists of too few calories will put your body at risk. You won't receive enough vitamins, minerals and nutrients on a diet that consists of too few calories. Plus it leaves your body at risk to falling ill. Additionally, a diet that consists of too few calories won't give your body enough energy to go through day-to-day life.

Common Diet Tips

Here are some common tips to keep in mind when dieting:

• It's important to exercise. Three 30-minute sessions weekly is a good way to establish a healthier lifestyle.
• Eat five small meals instead of three larger ones. This stretches your calories out and increases your energy levels throughout the day.
• Reduce your fat intake. Attempt to eat foods low in fat. The nutritional content you receive from them is higher.
• Eat slowly. Chew each bite several times. Don't do anything else when you're eating. In this busy world we live in, it's easy to try to multi-task. It's a common thought that you can do something else while eating lunch, for example. Don't do this. When you do this, you're not focused on how much you're eating, but on the other task. This can cause you eat more than you intended or need.
• Stay committed. Don't be willing to break your diet "just because." Keep your goals in mind at all times.
• Plan ahead. Don't let being in a rush cause you to stop in at your favorite fast food restaurant for a value meal. It's not worth it. Plan ahead by portioning out left-overs to take for lunch. Or, plan quick, convenient meals for when you're on the run.

Dieting can be a difficult task, but when eating wisely and taking advantage of zero calorie foods and negative-calorie foods, it gets much easier..