You can burn fat by simply reducing the number of calories you eat and increasing your amount of exercise. When people are on a fat-loss program, however, many want to speed up their results by using supplements and diet pills. These may cost you a lot of money and not even work. Eating natural foods may help you lose fat, and they may be included easily in your daily diet.
Lean Protein
Lean protein foods -- such as white meat, fish, lean red meat and low-fat dairy products -- offer many benefits when you are trying to lose fat, as they have a high thermogenic effect. The thermogenic effect of food refers to how many calories the body uses to break down a particular food. The body has to use more calories to digest protein than it does for fat and carbohydrates; this means that eating protein-rich foods may help you burn more calories. Have a serving of lean protein at each of your meals.
Oily Fish
The omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish can have a positive effect on your fat loss. According to strength coach and nutritionist Charles Poliquin, fish oil turns on the genes that are responsible for burning fat, and it turns off the genes responsible for fat storage. Have a serving of oily fish at least once per day, or supplement with fish-oil capsules or liquid if you are vegetarian or don't like fish.
Chili Peppers
Consuming hot chile peppers can raise your metabolic rate -- meaning, you burn more calories. While this effect only lasts for a short period of time and doesn't result in a large metabolic rise, it is still significant. You can easily incorporate chile peppers into your diet by adding a handful of chopped red or green chiles into a salad, omelet or stir-fry dish.
Green Vegetables
Green vegetables can be a lifesaver when you are on a fat-burning diet. Their main benefit is that they contain few calories. This means that you can eat a lot of them without adding many extra calories to your diet. This can be very helpful to make you feel full and prevent cravings. Have at least two servings of vegetables at every meal, and stick to dark-green and brightly colored vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, spinach, peppers, zucchini, aubergine and carrots.
Green Tea
Green tea is one of the best fat-burning drinks you can find. Like chiles, a compound found in green tea, known as epigallocatechin gallate -- or EGCG -- can raise your metabolic rate slightly. The caffeine content in green tea may also have a positive effect on fat loss, as caffeine is the main ingredient in many supplemental fat burners.
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