Negative Calories vs. Negative Calorie Balance

The popular Negative Calorie Diet is in fact a low-fat, low-energy-density diet, which becomes evident when you look at the food list. However, you should keep it in your mind that the words negative calorie refer to calorie balance because there's no such thing as negative calories -- all and any calories are positive. So what's the matter with those foods?

The term "Catabolic food" better describing the idea behind the diet was first used by Dr. Victor Lindlahr who practiced in Chicago and broadcasted his nutrition program. The term refereed to foods that had, what he called, "reverse calories" (now known as negative calories.) Dr. Lindlahr asked listeners of his radio broadcast to test his new diet and report back to him the results. Almost 26,000 listeners did report back with an average one pound of body weight lost per day for ten days.

Here are some of the foods on Dr. Lindlahr's list:

Artichokes
Celery
Parsley leaves
Sweet Potato
Asparagus
Cucumbers
Peppers
Tomato
Broccoli
Eggplant
Radishes
Zucchini
Brussels Sprouts
Leeks - cooked
Spinach
Carrots
Lettuce
Beans-green
Cauliflower
Endive
Peas
Beans-string
Chives - fresh
Garlic
Pumpkin
Beets
Corn
Onions
Red Cabbage
Cabbage
Dill
Pickles
Parsnips
Turnip
Blueberries
Limes
Pineapple
Cantaloupe
Grapefruit
Oranges
Plums
Strawberries
Lemons
Raspberries
Pears-Bartlett
Watermelon
Apples
Cherries
Honeydew melon
Peaches
Apricots
Grapes
Nectarines
Tangerines
Crabs
Lobster-cooked
Trevally
Flounder
Mussels
Clams
Shrimps
Prawns
Cod
Tuna

Low calorie diets, longevity, and health

Most very low calorie diets (VLCD) are ready liquid formulas of 800 calories or less that replace all daily food intake. Dieters can lose about 3 to 5 pounds per week. An average weight loss is about 44 pounds in 3 months.

Alternative VLCD are either crash diets (like the Hollywood diet) having only a short term effect, or complicated health systems like Paul Bragg's (http://bragg.com) or Dr. Shatalova's (http://dietandbody.com/Very_Low_Calorie_Diet.html)

A calorie restriction effect on life span is a very well documented topic of experimental biology. It is important to mention that only restriction as serious as 30 to 60 percent calorie restriction can cause significant improvement in health and longevity.

As to the human outcome, studies have reported evidence of reduced mortality in persons who have lost weight, regardless was it due to decreased calorie intake or increased energy expenditure.