Daily Food Myth

Myth #14: Certain foods, like celery, have 'negative' calories

Truth: The idea that there are negative calorie foods--foods that are so low in calories that simply digesting them burns more calories than they contain--is nothing more than wishful thinking. Certain low-calorie, water-rich foods like celery or cucumbers are often touted as negative-calorie foods. However, digesting and absorbing everything you eat each day uses just 10% of your total calorie intake each day (about 180 calories for someone who eats 1,800 calories per day). It is great to include low-calorie, high-fiber, and water-rich foods in your daily diet; these foods add nutrients, bulk, and volume to your diet and can help keep you full, but they still contain calories and should always be included in your calorie count. No food is a "free" food. Eating too much of any food can cause weight gain or inhibit weight loss.

Myself: Not much to say about this except celery sticks with peanut butter are pretty great! No, joking aside, make sure you include every bite of food you take in when you are thinking about how many calories you are eating each day. They all count! Even the celery!