DALLAS, May 31 (UPI) -- Some foods have a good reputation for being low on calories -- even negative calories -- but a U.S. dietitian warns toppings can be a dieter's downfall.
Information on Web sites and in some diet books can be misleading when it comes to the facts about metabolism, according to Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian at University of Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
"You hear about how eating celery actually burns more calories than are present in the vegetable itself, but this is not true," said Sandon.
"Most people don't just chew on raw celery sticks, they dip them in ranch dressing or put peanut butter on them. Those kinds of additions cancel out any benefit you might get from eating a low-calorie food."
The same goes for coffee and spicy foods, according to Sandon.
"Both have been shown to raise the resting metabolism rate of the body slightly, but in the long run, milk, sugar and recipes with spices tend to add on more calories."
