You’ve probably been told at some point that eating celery actually burns more calories than it contains. While celery is low in calories and makes for a refreshing snack, there are no foods out there that count as negative calories.
In this video from the SciShow YouTube channel, host Michael Aranda explains what’s really going in your body when you eat a so-called “negative calorie food.” The reality is all food has calories, and the process of eating it won’t instantly burn it off. This is by design. Your body wants to gain as much energy as it can from the food you eat, and it tries to use as little energy as possible to digest it—even with a super low calorie food like raw celery. The high water and fiber composition of celery makes it easy to digest, so your body actually needs to burn less calories to process it.
For example, a full stalk of celery is about 10 calories worth of carbohydrates, sugar, and protein. Your body burns about two calories digesting it, leaving you with a net gain of around eight calories. That said, celery and other super low calorie foods, like carrots, grapefruit, cucumbers, and apples, make for great snacks when you’re trying to optimize your diet. These snacks can make you feel full without feeling guilty, and help keep your goals on track.
Do Negative Calorie Foods Exist? | YouTube