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Foods That Help Burn Fat

Mar 28, 2011 | By Ed Donner
Foods That Help Burn Fat
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You might get the impression from countless Internet sites that there are foods that burn more calories when digested than they contain. These so-called fat burning foods, such as chicken, breast, celery, garlic, onions and berries, fill you up, give you the sensation and experience of eating, but require more calories to chew, swallow, digest, absorb, metabolize and excrete than they contain. Once you've exhausted the calories they contain, these foods supposedly proceed to burn off additional calories, eating away at your fat stores. Dream on.

Fat Burning as a Colloquialism

"Fat-burning," for the most part, is a colloquialism for foods with various positive weight-loss benefits, but technically, they don't burn fat. Some foods, such as onions, garlic, cruciferous vegetables and berries enhance liver functioning. The liver processes fat, so feeding your liver good food may help to enhance your fat metabolism. Other foods described as fat burners, such as high fiber food, decrease your appetite or slow digestion, prolonging the release of glucose into your bloodstream. Some so-called fat burning foods, such as hot peppers, raise your metabolism. The capsaicin in hot peppers can cause your body to burn more calories for a few hours. However, an elevated metabolism triggered by food will burn off a few glucose calories or glycogen stores recently filled from the food you just consumed, and will not release and metabolize any fatty acids from your fat stores.

High protein foods, such as fish, turkey breast and dairy products, have a high thermic effect, meaning about 30 percent of the calories contained in protein is used digesting the protein. These foods are good for you and you need protein, but no fat is burned by the digested turkey or yogurt. Foods such as cabbage and celery have few calories and lots of fiber so they fill you up, but have a thermic value of only 15 percent, so there are leftover calories absorbed into your bloodstream and no fat is burned. Don't despair. There is at least one food that actually burns fat, and a few more that, if they don't burn fat, at least prevent fat from getting into your system.

Green Tea

Green tea is the one true, fat burning food. It has no calories and it contains compounds called catechins, which are flavonols that provide various health benefits, including weight loss. A 12-week 2008 study published in the journal "Physiology & Behavior" found that participants who consumed green tea lost 7 lbs. more than their non-tea consuming counterparts. The researchers concluded green tea decreases body weight by increasing energy expenditure and oxidation of fat. More specifically, the flavonol EGCG may burn calories by influencing enzymes that cause greater heat production during metabolism, according to The Diet Channel website.

High Pectin Fruits

Pectin is a type of fiber that is highly soluble in water, but which isn't digested or absorbed through the lining of your stomach or intestines. As it moves through your intestines, it becomes a viscous gel that binds with some of your dietary fat. Thanks to pectin, some of your dietary fat goes out with your waste, rather than to your waist. Fruits with high amounts of pectin include apples, plums, cranberries and East Concord grapes. Citrus fruits, such as grapefruit, contain pectin in the inner skin and pulp.

Other Water-Soluble Fiber Food

In addition to high-pectin fruits, other foods also contain water soluble fiber that, like pectin, binds with fat. These foods reduce the amount of fat that is absorbed and reduce levels of cholesterol, fatty compounds that clog your arteries. Foods with soluble fiber include oat bran, whole oats, rolled oats, peas, beans, carrots, barley and psyllium.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Mar 28, 2011

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