We all know that calorie intake is directly related to weight loss or gain, but have you ever wondered if there are more concrete steps you can take towards your weight loss goals? Well wonder no more because we've got one of the simplest, most effective ways to cut down on calorie intake right here: zero-calorie foods.

What is a zero-calorie food?
A zero calorie food is a food whose digestion burns more calories than the food itself contains. In the simplest terms, you burn more calories than you ingest when you eat zero-calorie foods, and who doesn't want that?

How can zero-calorie foods help me get lean?
There are roughly 3500 calories in one pound of fat, so you lose 1 pound of fat when you burn 3500 more calories than you ingest. This may sound daunting, but cutting your calorie consumption by 250 calories per day can actually put this goal well within reach. You can expect to lose about 1 pound a week by cutting your daily caloric intake by 200-300 calories.

What are the benefits of zero-calorie foods?
Replacing one snack a day with a serving of a zero-calorie food can decrease your daily calorie intake by 100 calories, which decreases the risk for adult-onset type 2 diabetes, reduce the risk for heart disease, and can even ease joint pain.

Top 43 zero-calorie foods:

1. Apples

2. Apricots

3. Asparagus

4. Eggplant

5. Beetroot

6. Blackberries

7. Blueberries

8. Broccoli

9. Butternut Squash

10. Cabbage

11. Cantaloupe

12. Carrots

13.Cauliflower

14. Celery

15. Chili Peppers

16. Cranberries

17. Watercress

18. Cucumber

19. Endives

20. Garlic

21. Grapefruit

22. Green Beans

23. Green Tea

24. Honeydew Melon

25. Kelp

26. Lemon

27. Lettuce

28. Lime

29. Mango

30. Mushrooms

31. Onion

32. Papaya

33. Peach

34. Pineapple

35. Radish

36. Raspberries

37. Spinach

38. Strawberries

39. Tangerines

40. Tomatoes

41. Turnips

42. Watermelon

43. Zucchini