10 Fat Burning Foods
Our bodies try to make the most efficient use of what we eat as possible. This includes saving extra energy for when it is needed later, and this energy is stored as fat. While fat is not a bad thing in itself, too much fat certainly is. If you do have excess fat, then you could be placing a lot of strain on your body and increase your chances of heart disease.
Battling this excess fat means exercise and a healthy diet. Not only will some foods help reduce your calorie intake, but some can even help you to burn off extra fat directly. Here’s a look at some of the most popular foods that will help you to burn fat and lose weight.
Fat Burning Food #1: Coconut Oil
Coconuts often inspire thoughts of being a refreshing drink and snack while relaxing on a tropical beach. As well as tasting great, though, they are also packed with nutrition and provide us with a range of health benefits. Coconut oil is also a foodstuff that is excellent for cooking and helps us to burn off excess fat.
Coconut oil has been shown to enhance our metabolism, increasing our energy levels and helping us to burn off that excess fat. In addition to burning off fat, coconut oil is also healthier in cooking than vegetable oils as it doesn’t create free radicals under high temperatures. While refined coconut oil contains little or no coconut flavour, virgin coconut oil does help you provide that unforgettable coconut taste.
Fat Burning Food #2: Quinoa
Quinoa is considered by many people to be among the best health foods of all, and for a variety of reasons. In addition to other vitamins and minerals, quinoa contains high levels of iron and vitamin B12. Both of these are important for producing energy which will, in turn, help to burn off fat.
What’s more is that Quinoa is low in fat and high in fibre. The high fibre content helps to make you feel full, which means that you are less likely to eat more food. It is also high in protein that helps ensure sufficient nutrition for people that are on a weight loss diet. Quinoa also contains antioxidants that help to remove free radicals from the body.
Fat Burning Food #3: Hot Peppers
Hot peppers, also known as chillies, are ideal for adding a bit of spice to a meal. While the extra heat may not be to everybody’s palate, though, they do provide us with various health benefits. One of these being that they can help us to burn off fat and reach that perfect weight.
Chiles are a source of a compound knows as capsaicin which has been shown to help break down fat and burn calories. Capsaicin is the same compound that gives the chillies the burning sensation, so the hotter the better. Be careful, though, as eating chillies that are too hot can be quite dangerous. Keep to chillies in comfortable amounts and they can help you to shift that extra fat, safely.
Fat Burning Food #4: Fish
Fish is often near the top of the list for anybody looking for a healthy, weight loss diet. Fish is an excellent source of protein, as well as other important nutrients, which is important for people trying to lose weight. It is also an excellent source of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These help to provide a balance of ‘good’ fats in your body, while also helping you to feel full, reducing your cravings to eat more.
Salmon is arguably the healthiest of all and provides benefits for the heart, the joints, the brain and the digestive system. It is also among the tastiest, although other types of fish are also nutritious and healthy.
Fat Burning Food #5: Green Tea
If our metabolism is healthy, then it will be using up stored energy which, in turn, means burning up excess fat. Green tea contains one of our favored compounds that helps to give us a perk in the mornings: Caffeine.
This in itself can provide a boost to our fat-burning capabilities. With a cup of green tea or two, you can have all the energy you need, helping you to burn more calories.
Fat Burning Food #6: Nuts
If you are on a fat burning diet, then nuts are likely to be involved at some point. They are tasty and nutritious, while also helping us to feel full so we have less need to eat. Some nuts also contain particular compounds that help us to burn fat more directly.
Walnuts, in particular, are a very good source of Omega 3 fatty acids. These have been shown to alter our body’s resistance to insulin, having a positive effect on burning fat. Nuts such as walnuts can also help to reduce cholesterol, which in turn can help to reduce heart disease.
Fat Burning Food #7: Butter
It might sound counter-intuitive, and you could be forgiven for thinking that butter will make you gain fat, but it can actually help you lose excess fat. Real butter is packed full of vitamins that are soluble in fat and help you to burn it off. Compounds such as lauric acid and good cholesterols also help maintain balance and burn off fats.
Butter is also ideal for people that are on a low-carb, high keto diet. With few carbs in the system, the body turns to the fat reserves for energy instead, helping to burn off that excess weight. This is great news as butter is among the most delicious of all cooking ingredients and is often used in our favourite treats.
Fat Burning Food #8: Garlic and Onions
Garlic and onions are both members of the same family. Therefore, they have some very similar properties and not just their pungent aroma. Both have been shown to be able to stimulate the body’s metabolism, which helps to increase the rate at which excess fat is burned.
As well as promoting fat loss, garlic and onions have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties that can help with a variety of conditions. They can also help with digestion, maintain healthy blood sugar levels and promote a healthy circulation. They are also thought to help detoxify the body but, perhaps best of all, they can help bring even the blandest of dishes alive.
Fat Burning Food #9: Oats and Grains
Oats and grains are commonly found in fat burning diets. Oats, in particular, are packed full of fibre which helps to aid in digestion, which will help the burning off excess fat. The fibre in oats also helps to make us feel full, making us less likely to turn to fattening snacks and treats throughout the day. Oats also contain compounds that help to boost the metabolism.
Grains such as rice can also be included in healthy diets, but you should try to use brown rice as white rice can lead to fat gain. Grains are also a good source of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and some protein.
Fat Burning Food #10: Fresh Fruit
Fresh fruit is recommended to everybody, but especially to people that are trying to burn off excess fat. Fruits are full of fibre that help with our digestion while also helping us to feel full. They are also full of fructose which is a natural sugar that provides us with energy but is not prone to making us gain weight as with other sugars.
Fresh fruit is also a convenience food, but the type that will not be harmful to your health. All you need to do is grab an apple or a banana and you have a snack that will keep you going for a little longer. It is also packed full of vitamins and antioxidants.
