Fat Burning Foods Overview
The general consensus among many people is that the only way to burn fat is through physical activity (i.e. by burning more calories than you take on), as too many people don’t realize the importance of fat burning foods.
While it’s true that eating just about any food (in a large quantity) can result in an increase in body fat, some foods can actually help you to burn fat or to reduce the amount of fat your body stores.
There are several reasons for this:
Firstly, some foods contain certain properties that can speed up your body’s metabolism and as a result your body’s ability to burn fat. An example of such a food is the chili pepper, which contains a fat-burning component known as capsaicin.
Secondly, some low calorie foods can satisfy your hunger even when consumed in small quantities because they contain monounsaturated fats. An example of such a food is almond butter.
Finally, some foods cause you to expend a lot of energy during digestion because of their complex makeup. This means they naturally burn calories as your body digests them.
There is no doubt that eating the right foods in the right quantities will (over a period of time) reduce your level of body fat and leave you feeling healthier than ever before.
Here is a list of fat burning foods that will help you effectively:
1. Hot Pepper
Capsaicin, the ingredient that gives chili peppers their fiery spice also warms up your body and causes you to burn calories. Unlike some foods, chili peppers are good however you eat them, whether you like them cooked, dried, raw or powdered.
In addition to this, peppers are abundantly rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, fiber, magnesium and iron, and are low in sodium and fat free, this considered to be one of the best fat burning foods.
2. Egg whites
Egg whites are one of the healthiest foods a person can eat, as they’re essentially pure protein, meaning they’ll help you to feel full for longer.
3. Salsa
Salsa is a great food to eat if you’re looking to lose weight as it’s one of the best fat burning foods, with the medium spice chunky salsa that contains beans being the best kind of all.
Like chili peppers, salsa contains a natural compound known as capsaicin.
Consumption of capsaicin is said to increase your body’s metabolism by encouraging the digestion and movement of food through the body.
4. Spinach
If I was to recommend just one food to someone looking to improve their diet, I would tell them to eat more spinach. Spinach has the ability to boost metabolism, lower cholesterol and burn fat away.
One of the easiest ways of getting spinach into your diet is to buy it frozen and heat it up in the microwave (which can be done in just a few minutes). Some people like to add a dash of lemon juice to their spinach to sweeten the sometimes bitter taste, but this is entirely optional.
5. Cucumber
One of the great things about cucumber is that due to its high water content, it’s extremely low in calories, meaning you can pretty much eat as much as you want without worrying about putting on weight.
This high water content also makes cucumber a diuretic, meaning it helps the body to flush out harmful toxins and boosts metabolism.
6. Celery
Celery is often proclaimed as the “negative calorie food”, meaning you use up more calories eating and digesting it than it contains.
Like cucumber, celery is largely made up of water, meaning it’ll help to satisfy your appetite without adding inches to your waistline.
7. Avocado
While avocado does have the highest fat content of virtually ANY fruit, the majority of this fat is monounsaturated and contains no cholesterol.
While saturated fats will block your arteries, monounsaturated fat can actually help to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Foods with monounsaturated fats are few and far between, so one of the best ways of getting this fat into your diet is by eating avocados.
In addition to this, avocados contain more fiber than any other fruit (which will help to lower cholesterol).
An avocado typically contains around 300 calories. While this might seem high for a fruit, the chances are you won’t want to eat the whole thing in one go. Many people choose to eat half an avocado then have the second half the next day.
8. Cauliflower
Like any other cruciferous vegetable (such as broccoli), cauliflower contains lots of vitamins and minerals that help to fight disease and promote health making it extremely good for you.
Some of the vitamins included in cauliflower include vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, choline and vitamin B6. Just as importantly, cauliflower contains phytonutrients (called glucosinolates) that can help kick-start the detoxification enzymes in your body and control their activity.
This means that eating cauliflower can help to flush out the potentially dangerous toxins in your body, leaving you healthier overall.
9. Garlic
Recent studies have shown that garlic can increase blood sugar metabolism and help control your weight.
This means that by adding garlic to meals that are high in fat and carbohydrates you should be able to keep these things from expanding your waistline, also garlic is one of the best fat burning foods.
10. Onions
One of the great fat burning foods, full of flavor, low in calories and inexpensive – onions are a food worthy of any diet.
How low in calories are onions?
One medium-sized onion will contain around 40 calories, one of the best fat burning foods.
Of course, it’s rare you’ll eat an entire onion by yourself, so the actual amount of calories you’ll consume from them is probably far less than this.
Like garlic, onions are a high in phytochemicals which help the body by breaking down the fatty deposits and control your cholesterol.
