# "negative-calorie" foods?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/negative-calorie-foods/251119 "2004-06-18T21:34:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![plushgrass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cab0a1/32.png) [@plushgrass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plushgrass)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/negative-calorie-foods/251119/1 "2004-06-18T21:34:47Z")
So I’m on this weightloss oriented group on yahoo. We trade tips and recipes and encouragement, it’s a good group. The other day this ditzy woman comes on and “helpfully” posts a list of what she called “negative calorie” foods. Someone asked what a “negative calorie” food was and she piped up: " it means they burn more calories during the eating and digestion process than the item has calories itself." Here is the list: apples apricots artichokes asparagus beet greens beets blackberries blueberries broccoli brussels sprouts buffalo fish cabbage cantaloupe carrots cauliflower celeriac celery cherries chervil chicory chinese cabbage chives clams cod corn crabs cranberries cucumbers currants damson plum dandelion greens eggplant endive flounder frogs legs garlic grapefruit grapes green beans honeydew huckleberries kale kohlrabi kumquats leeks lemons lettuce limes lobster loganberries mangoes mushrooms muskmelons mussels mustard greens nectarines okra onions oranges oysters papaya parsley leaves parsnips peach pears peas peppers pineapple pomegranates prunes pumpkin quince radishes raspberries red cabbage rhubarb rutabagas sauerkraut scallions sea bass shrimps sorrel spinach squash steaks strawberries string beans tangerines terrapin tomato turnips watercress watermelon So, I could gorge myself on a huge shrimp appetizer, followed by steaks (note the plural on the list), a half-dozen ears of corn on the cob, hig scoops of squash, and follow it up with a quart or two of peaches and pears and lose lots of weight? Where did this crazy idea come from and do people actually believe it? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/negative-calorie-foods/251119/2 "2004-06-18T21:42:19Z")
[The Master speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040507.html) ---
**Author:** ![plushgrass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cab0a1/32.png) [@plushgrass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plushgrass)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/negative-calorie-foods/251119/3 "2004-06-18T21:51:39Z")
> [@AbbySthrnAccent](#): > > [The Master speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040507.html) Thanks. I did read that and the [snopes.com](http://snopes.com) thing also. I guess my question is more "why on earth would anyone believe such a crock. STEAK is “negative calorie”?? ---
**Author:** ![plushgrass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cab0a1/32.png) [@plushgrass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plushgrass)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/negative-calorie-foods/251119/4 "2004-06-18T22:02:19Z")
In response to the woman’s “list”, someone posted this: "Wow, thanks! I think tonight I’ll have a 1/2 pound lobster tail (they’re pretty cheap here in Maine), a couple ears of corn and a big bowl each of broccoli and green beans. For dessert, I can gorge on all-you-can -eat fruit salad made from apples, mangoes, apricots, peaches, pears, strawberries, etc. Oranges are on there to, I looove OJ! I’ll get a quart of that too. How much wieght do you think I’ll lose with just tonight’s dinner alone? You think maybe a pound? I’m so excited!!" In response, the woman replied: “There is no need to be nasty. Or stupid. Of course it depends on quantity” How do people who believe in this figure that it “depnds on quantity”. In other words, if a 50-calorie apple is actually “negative calorie”, then that implies that I will burn more than 50 calories by ingesting it. Right? Let’s say for argument’s sake that the apple has an alleged “negative-calorie” value of -10. So I lose 10 calories by eating it. If I eat two apples, I’m down 20 calories. 10 apples, 100 calories, and so on. Hey, 100 calories is significant! If I could manage to choke down a whole bag of 20 apples, then by the negative-calorie crowd’s logic, I am now in the hole by a whopping 200 calories. Wow. :o) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/negative-calorie-foods/251119/5 "2004-06-18T23:57:10Z")
She missed out potatoes. No really, they are a negative calorie food if all you do is carry a huge sack of them them up and down a long flight of stairs.