The promise of zero-calorie foods is a deeply appealing one. It comes across like a cheat code or loophole to eat food without any calories. Such foods can be helpful in losing or maintaining one’s weight and even satisfy snack cravings without any caloric consequences. However, the label of zero calories is a misunderstood one. In reality, most zero-calorie foods are actually very low in calorie count and typically require more energy to digest them than they provide in consumption. If consumed in excess or out of proportion, such foods can lead to utter confusion and chaos when you are trying to lose weight. For guidance on this, it can be helpful to be in a medical program that can help you lose weight sustainably and in a healthy manner. 

Also called negative calorie foods, such foods provide other benefits to the body and mind. Some of these are:

1. Such foods are often healthy from being nutritionally dense. This means that they are low in fat or have healthy fats. 
2. Physically and psychologically, eating such foods can make you be and feel full for longer. They may contain fiber, protein, and micronutrients that complement your diet.
3. They cause a drop in your calorie intake. Whether as substitutes for other foods or by giving you the feeling of being full without the equivalent caloric consumption, zero-calorie foods help you get closer to a caloric deficit or a recommended daily caloric consumption. For example, people replace sugar with jaggery, or wheat roti with ragi, or biscuits and crackers with cucumber. 

With these benefits in mind, let’s unpack a few statements about zero-calorie foods. Some of them are misrepresentations and some are exaggerations. However, the truth of each of these matters lies in the details:

Myth or fact: I can function well while eating only zero-calorie foods

Myth. The body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) is between 12-1300 calories. This is the smallest amount of calories one requires for your body’s functional processes to occur. Consuming only zero-calorie foods like apples or celery or cucumber all day will definitely hamper the efficient systems that keep us going through our days. Zero-calorie foods work well as part of what we eat, and are best complemented by foods with energy sources in them. They are at their best as parts of a snack or as a way to transition into a lower-calorie lifestyle.

Myth or fact: Zero-calorie foods should form a large part of my meals

Myth. Zero-calorie foods are excellent inclusions in your snacks or suitable substitutes for the richer part of your meals. They also carry other benefits, like protein, fibre, assorted nutrients and vitamins. However, if they form a bigger part of your meals, you run the risk of feeling physically and psychologically full without providing your body with enough fuel to maintain its functioning. What’s more, on seeing a meaningful or sustained cut in calorie consumption, your body slows down your metabolism as well. After centuries of food being a scarce and unpredictable resource, our body’s remain primed for storing fat to carry us through food scarcity.