While it would be wonderful if you could chow down on a certain fruit or vegetable and then watch your belly deflate, the truth of the matter is that no miraculous fat-zapping food exists. There are, however, foods that amp the metabolism, the fat-burning mechanism that converts the fuel from food into energy needed by the body to perform necessary functions. Rev up the metabolism to burn calories more efficiently with a combination of exercise and a diet featuring foods with fat-burning capabilities.
Fry the Fat with Peppers
Spice up your meals with hot peppers such as jalapenos, habaneros, green and red chilies, and cayenne pepper. Hot peppers contain capsaicin, the chemical that gives them their mouth-tingling pungency and peps up the heart and metabolic rate. A recent article in "Men's Health" magazine cites a study from Laval University in Quebec that discovered men who ate snacks and meals containing capsaicin-rich peppers burned more calories -- nearly 1,000 daily -- than the control group.
Burn It with Berries
Lisa Drayer, a registered dietitian, touts fiber as a powerful tool for fat burning in an article in "Women's Health" magazine. Fiber keeps you fuller and more satisfied all day. When choosing fiber-fraught foods, don't overlook berries. You may know of berries' reputation as having cancer-fighting antioxidants, but they are also a good source of roughage. Raspberries contain 8 g of fiber per cup, followed by blackberries at 7.4 g, and blueberries at 3.5 grams.
The Great Grape(fruit)
Don't disparage that old grapefruit fad diet. Registered dietitian Marissa Lippert, in a 2008 report for Fox News, notes that grapefruit contains the antioxidant naringenin, which researchers show can help even out insulin levels. This reduces hunger pangs and allows the body to burn calories more efficiently. High in fiber and water content, grapefruit gives a low-calorie boost to the metabolism. Toss grapefruit sections into salsas and stir-fries, or combine grapefruit slices with avocado and slivers of fresh red onion for a colorful salad.
Apples Amp Fat-Burning
Apples are a high-fiber fruit, but new research from two Japanese universities suggests they are also effective fat-burners. A 2011 article in "Muscle and Fitness" magazine describes the discovery by research teams from the Nippon Sport Science University and the University of Arts and Sciences in Japan that apples contain polyphenols. These chemicals, also found in green tea, increase the body's metabolism. An apple with the skin on provides roughly 200 mg of polyphenols and packs more than 5 grams of fiber.
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