Celery is a good example of this. By most accounts it takes more calories to chew and digest it than it contains so there is a net expenditure of calories. My source (which has sources of its own) points out 2 things of interest. First, celery actually has tons of calories we just can't digest all the plant matter. And second that it isn't the chewing that consumes a lot of energy, but rather the digestive process.

It certainly doesn't hurt a diet, but eating only these types of foods is not healthy. Your body needs calories for everything and if it "wastes" them all just so you can chew this food you will essentially be starving yourself.

That being said, consuming fewer calories or increasing activity so that you burn more calories is the foundation of every diet. Therefore substituting celery for chips is a great way to satisfy your desire for a snack without consuming additional calories.
Source(s):
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/celery.asp

Permalink | Report