According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, in 2006 approximately 60 percent of American adults were overweight and 25 percent were considered obese. Regular exercise and low-calorie foods can help you burn unwanted calories and fat. Fat-burning foods are described as foods that burn more calories than they actually contain. These foods burn fat and aid in weight loss by increasing your metabolism and helping your body eliminate stored fat from your cells. Knowing which foods accelerate fat burning can help you drop some pounds and boost your metabolism.
Protein-Based Foods
Consuming protein-based foods can help you burn fat and increase metabolism. Proteins require more energy and take longer to digest in the body. Proteins also leave you feeling full for a prolonged amount of time. Protein-based foods that can burn fat and boost your metabolism include sockeye salmon, clams, mackerel, herring, halibut, Chilean sea bass, anchovies, organic poultry, lean red meat and turkey. Alternative non-meat sources that contain protein include tofu, soy, nuts and beans.
Oranges
Adding oranges into your daily diet can help you burn fat. According to the website Fat-Free Kitchen, citrus fruits like oranges are rich in vitamin C and carnitine, an amino acid that increases your body's ability to burn fat. Vitamin C also dilutes fatty waste, which makes it easier to eliminate it from the body. Other citrus fruits that can burn fat include guavas, grapefruits, papayas and tangerines.
Apples
Snacking on apples can help you burn excess body fat. According to the website Fat-Free Kitchen, apples contain pectin, a nutrient that prevents the absorption of fat, absorbs water from food and helps release fatty deposits from your body. Apples also contain disease-fighting antioxidants, which may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with excess belly fat or an apple-shaped body type.
Low-Fat Dairy Foods
Adding low-fat dairy foods into your daily diet can help you burn unwanted fat. Low-fat dairy foods like skim milk, low-fat cheese and reduced-fat yogurt are rich in calcium, a fat burner that supports weight loss by accelerating the breakdown of fat in your fat cells. According to Michael Zemel, a professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, eating 3 to 4 servings of low-fat dairy products a day is more effective at increasing weight loss than using only calcium supplements. Professor Zemel further notes that overweight people who consume 3 servings of calcium-rich, low-fat dairy foods per day may lose more belly fat than those who follow diets that restrict dairy consumption to less than 3 servings. He further notes that calcium supplements do not appear to work as well as drinking low-fat or skim milk.
Salmon
Fatty fish like salmon can help burn fat. Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, unsaturated fats that can improve digestion, reduce fat production and increase fat burning. According to NYDailyNews.com, omega-3 fatty acids can decrease leptin, a hormone produced in your body. Lower levels of leptin are associated with higher caloric intake and accelerated metabolism. Other fatty fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids are tuna, mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines and albacore tuna. If you do not like fish, alternative foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil, walnuts and walnut oil.
Coffee
Drinking coffee in the morning can help you burn calories. Coffee contains caffeine, which can accelerate your heart rate and help you burn more calories. Avoid blended coffee drinks because they may be loaded with sugar and fat, which can negate the calorie-burning effects of caffeine. In order to increase the amount of calories you burn when drinking coffee, replace fatty creams with skim milk and limit your consumption of sweeteners in your coffee.
Green Tea
If you want to burn fat, drink green tea. According to NYDailyNews.com, green tea contains EGCG, a chemical that helps you burn calories by increasing brain and nervous system activity. EGCG can boost your metabolism similar to caffeine, but without the heart-racing side effects.
Jalapenos
Snacking on spicy jalapenos can help you burn fat. According to NYDailyNews.com, jalapenos contain capsaicin, a chemical that provides a pungent flavor, increases your heart rate and boosts your metabolism. Other peppers that can jump start your metabolism include habaneros and cayenne chilies.
References
- Fat Free Kitchen: Fat Burning Foods
- New York Daily News: 15 Fat-Burning Foods to Help Boost Your Metabolism
- Lasting-Weight-Loss.com: Foods That Speed Metabolism: Increase Metabolism and Burn Body Fat
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Men's Total Fitness: Essential Fatty Acids: The Good Fats for Optimal Health
- Harvard School of Public Health: Protein
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