What Foods Really Burn Fat?

What Foods Really Burn Fat?
Photo Credit overweight woman image by Inger Anne Hulbækdal from Fotolia.com

Certain foods can boost your metabolism and help you burn stored fat. The website Fat Free Kitchen reports that fat burning foods are ones that burn more calories than they actually possess. Foods known to burn stored fat include dairy products that are rich in calcium, oatmeal, spicy peppers, lean cuts of meat, and some fruits and fishes.

Dairy Products

Cheese and yogurt are dairy products high in calcium that can burn unwanted pounds by elevating the breakdown of fat cells. Fat Free Kitchen references a study by Professor Michael Zemel at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville that found a diet high in calcium with limited calories can virtually double the rate of fat loss. Zemel's study revealed that overweight individuals who ate three to four servings daily of quality dairy products shed more flab from their midsection than people who consumed a diet lower in calcium.

Oatmeal

An article published in "The New York Daily News" titled "15 Fat-Burning Foods" lauds oatmeal as a source of fiber that will help to boost your metabolism. Consuming oatmeal minimizes insulin production and amplifies the number of calories you can burn daily.

Peppers

Spicy peppers such as jalapeno and chili can increase your heart rate and boost metabolism. The website Planet Green cited a study reported in the journal "Experimental Biology" that found the heat generated by eating peppers is capable of shedding fat from the body. Consuming hot peppers may allow your body to continue burning calories up to three hours after eating.

Lean Meat Cuts

Lean cuts of pork and beef are tremendous sources of high-quality protein. Protein comprises amino acids, and they are necessary to build muscle. Protein can dramatically accelerate your metabolism because the body is forced to put forth great effort to digest it.

Fruits

Fat Free Kitchen recommends eating fruits rich in vitamin C to combat excess fat. Fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, tangerines and tomatoes are loaded with vitamin C, fiber and fat burning properties. Vitamin C is invaluable for fighting excess weight due to its ability to help your body process fat more rapidly. Vitamin C additionally promotes the carnitine acid. Carnitine amino acid stimulates your body's aptitude to burn fat.

Fish

Fish such as tuna and salmon lessen the levels of the hormone leptin in your body. Lower levels of leptin are correlated with higher caloric rates and quicker metabolisms. The Daily News referred to an examination by researchers at the University of Wisconsin that discovered mice with lower leptin levels have more effective and efficient metabolisms than animals with advanced levels.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Aug 12, 2010

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