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Best Fat Burning Foods
So you have heard there are foods that will actually help you burn fat. This is true and you can incorporate them into your workout routines and diets to help burn fat quicker. The key to burning fat is having a good diet and doing the right types of exercise to accomplish your goals. Fat burning supplements such as diet pills are good for weight loss to a certain extent. However, there can be some potential negative side effects with these. This is why many people want to find the best fat burning foods.
In fat loss, the calorie burning is measured by the basal metabolic rate or BMR. Fat burning foods and a good diet are important, but remember that one of the best ways to burn fat is intense exercise and weight training. During such weight training and cardio, muscle repair and recovery is an important step. You should ensure that you consume high quality protein to assist in faster muscle repair and some protein rich foods are included in our list of fat burning foods. Protein is a very low calorie nutrient that is used up quickly in the muscle repair process and does not lead to fat gain or weight gain.
You should replace fattening food items with calorie burning food items. Thermogenic food items like fibrous vegetables, salads, protein, and essential fatty acids are a must during the fat loss process to ensure a higher BMR. Instead of 3 full meals, 5-6 meals of smaller quantities spread evenly during the day is an ideal way to burn fat throughout the day. This should be supplemented by intake of copious quantities of water. You might require at least 4 to 5 liters of water everyday during the fat loss workout regime. Water is one of the best substances for high BMR and anabolism rates. If you combine the best fat burning foods with a proper exercise regimen, you could achieve fat loss and a obtain beautifully toned body.
I’m going to split the fat burning foods into categories but don’t forget to mix. Any healthy diet has to be balanced so avoid bingeing on one type alone. You’ll be surprised by the delicious foods included in my lists! Enjoy in moderation and watch the difference. We have more information on these fat burning foods, see our “Popular Posts” in the sidebar.
High Protein Foods
Go for the low fat option and speed up your metabolism while fuelling your muscles. My favorites are:
Eggs – great for getting rid of belly fat, and rich in vitamin B12 which you’ll find in supplements for dieters. Go for the natural source!
Lean meats – Chicken and Turkey breasts and Fish. Just watch how you cook it! Use common sense and avoid frying, grill instead with herbs and spices. I cook fish in a tomato and basil sauce, delicious and very tender.
Beans – go for the unprocessed type and cook well. They are also rich in fiber.
Fiber – There are two types of fiber that I consider the best fat burning foods that you need to eat, soluble and insoluble fiber. The first is associated with unwelcomed gastrointestinal disturbances. The second provides roughage and speeds up digestion, thus alleviating constipation.
Main sources of soluble fiber:
Beans – any type as long as they are not processed as sugar and salt are added, buy dry beans and cook it yourself.
Oat meal – helps you burn fat as it increases your metabolic rate. It is often hailed as the miracle food. I wouldn’t go that far but I do have a spoonful a day.
Oat flakes or anything made with oats. I make my own cookies and I basically substitute flour with finely ground oats. I flavor them with nuts or dark chocolate – yes, you can have chocolate, just be reasonable and choose the high cocoa sort!
Fruits – apples, oranges, peaches, grapefruits, pineapples, kiwis. Also rich in vitamin C which the body needs to burn fat.
Vegetables – broccoli, carrots.
Main sources of insoluble fiber:
Whole grains – bread but make sure it is whole grain; breakfast cereals purchased from a health store or specifying “no additives and no added sugar and salt”; nuts and seeds.
Vegetables –celery, courgettes (zucchini), green beans, peppers.
Fruits – berries, bananas (don’t overdo the banana), avocados (again in moderation)
Dairy products
Go for the low-fat option rather than cutting out dairy products. These aren’t fat burning foods but some advice here is warranted. You need calcium for your bones so don’t go without. In addition, research supports the regular consumption of low-fat dairy food as an aid to burning up unwanted body fat.
I eat low fat yogurt daily and I use skimmed milk – a lot of it! – everyday for my cereals, as a drink and in coffee (no sugar)
Good Fats (monounsaturated fat)
Yes, you did read the word fat! Top of my list is olive oil. I use it in salad and when I do a vegetable bake.
Oily fish – mackerel, salmon, sardines, go and spoil yourself!
Nuts – peanuts, Brazils, cashews, pecans, just try and eat mostly the unsalted variety.
Spices – A great way to replace salt and guaranteed to make your meals tasty. Hot and spicy foods are now known to trigger a chemical which released into your body temporarily encourages your metabolism to burn fat. I love hot peppers and chilies but that is my personal taste. However, there are plenty of spices which will give your meals a delicious flavor with 0 calorie so hold the salt and start experimenting.
Drinks
Drink plenty of water, it will help clean your body from the inside and although it will not in itself help burn fat, it will prevent fat from being stored.
Green tea – High in antioxidant and a natural stimulant, it is an ideal alternative to coffee.
Coffee – avoid sugar and in moderation
One last tip to help you eat fat burning foods: Pick foods you enjoy from the list above and experiment with cooking. Think of it as learning to cook something new and not dieting. Enjoy!
Supplements vs Fat Burning Foods
Before you start thinking of buying fat burning supplements, you should understand the difference between fat loss and weight loss. Fat loss is a scientific process that aims at burning off excessive fat in the body, even while the lean muscle tissues are fully preserved. When you get rid of excess fat, your body becomes muscularly toned, presenting the ideal shape to both men and women. A balanced program combining intensive and regular exercise with the right type of nutritional diet is the ideal solution to help the body in developing its natural strength and muscularity.
When you try to find the best fat burnering supplements, you will definitely come across thousands of products on the market and become totally confused. Even though all of them make tall claims in being fast fat burners, only a limited number of products actually qualify as the best fat burners. The selection of fat burners should be on specific criteria, such as power of fat burning, speed of fat burning, safety of the ingredients, probable side effects, overall value, and testimonials from actual users. The truth is you can accomplish the same results naturally with fat burning foods and the few items on the list come in pill form. You can find supplements for green tea, fish oil, and caffeine in your local supermarket or health store.
In Conclusion
Best fat burning foods include fibrous green vegetables and fibrous fruits like papaya, orange, apple, and guava. Vegetables with higher amounts of starch like potato, yam, beetroot, etc. and low-fiber, high-sugar fruits like mango, banana, grapes, watermelon, etc. should be avoided. Whole cereals like wheat and oats should be consumed in limited quantities to sustain the right level of energy release. Over eating of whole cereals leads to accumulation of fat. Essential fatty oils like omega-3 fats and mono-unsaturated fatty acid food items are also the best fat burning foods.