Losing weight can be a very hard task to accomplish, even with a healthy diet and a solid exercise regimen. Starvation is never the answer, and many supplements can be downright dangerous. What many people are surprised to learn is that there are actually foods that can help burn fat by improving metabolism, helping you to feel fuller, or even requiring more digestive effort to break down, thus requiring you to consume more calories to digest them. Fat burning foods can be vital to weight loss. Read on for a list of foods that can help you remove excess body fat.
1. Oats, Bran, and Barley
Oats, bran, and barley are all excellent sources of insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber does not get absorbed by your body and therefore doesn’t contribute to your total calories. Another great fat burning property of these foods is that the fiber will actually make you feel full for a long time, reducing your desire to continue eating.
When looking for the meat portion of a meal, fish such as salmon or tuna is ideal. These fish are packed with Omega fats, which are incredibly good for the body, while also remaining low in calories and unhealthy fats. These fish definitely rank near the top of the list of fat burning foods and provide have a higher nutrient to calorie ratio while also helping to increase feelings of fullness that reduce cravings and kickstart fat burning.
2. Salmon and Tuna Are Perfect Meats
3. Kiwi, Kumquats, Oranges, and Clementines
Not only are these fruits fun to say, but they are very effective fat burning foods. Citrus fruits give your body a quick metabolism boost that can go all day. Here you can also try some foods that can boost your metabolism to burn calories faster.They are also rich in vitamins and other nutrients and low in calories, a double win for the occasional fruit only breakfast.
4. Almonds
Almonds, walnuts, and other nuts are a great source of healthy fat. Since your body needs to have some fat to function at its best, a handful of nuts are an excellent snack. They can help you feel full and satisfy cravings for less healthy foods in the process.
5. Eggs
The much maligned egg is jam packed with nutrients and protein. This low calorie superfood can improve your good cholesterol even as it gives you some of the vital minerals and amino acids that your body needs to function optimally. Eggs can help you build muscle while you burn fat.
6. Colorful, Non-Starchy Vegetables
Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, carrots, peas, and cabbage are low calorie, fat burning foods that contain a lot of the vitamins and minerals that are important for improving metabolism function. There is also a list of foods that burn tummy fat that you can get at the supermarket. They’re even better if you leave the skins on (unless inedible like the skin of an artichoke of course) because the skin is a great source of insoluble fiber. They don’t contain fat and have a low carbohydrate count to make them even more appealing.
7. Poultry
Chicken and turkey are great sources of protein, low in fat and calories. Protein takes a lot of work to digest, which means that your body burns more calories to digest foods high in complex proteins than it burns to digest simple carbs like white bread. If you like meat in your diet, poultry is a great way to get it while improving your body’s ability to burn fat.
8. Lentils
Not only are lentils delicious and versatile, they are amazing fat burning foods. Lentils can be used in soups, gravies, as a tasty side dish, or even ground into flour. They are filling, low calorie, and have a lot of protein, amino acids, and dietary fiber.
9. Water and Water-Rich Foods
Water helps to burn fat by improving the function of the metabolism. It has zero calories and serves to flush toxins from the body. Foods with a high volume of water like water-melon, cucumbers, and papaya also make great fat burning foods because they give your body electrolytes as well as much needed water.
10. Chili Peppers
Cayenne and other chili peppers are fantastic fat burning foods that have been shown to give your metabolism a boost while adding delicious flavor to your meals. Chilis are packed full of beneficial compounds like capsaicin, anti-oxidants, vitamin C, and other minerals that your body needs. Like chiles, there is also special foods that can increase the metabolism and burn fat cells, which can be seen here. If you love a bit of spice, added these fiery peppers to your meals can make for a win-win situation all around.
11. Green Tea
Green tea is full of antioxidants and many studies have suggested that drinking it has a number of health benefits. It can boost your metabolism, ward off cancer and heart disease, lower bad cholesterol, the list goes on and on. Green tea contains a lot of very powerful anti-oxidants that help it do all of these things, which makes it a great starter beverage for any meal.
12. Berries
Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries are all great sources of antioxidants, help you feel full for a long time, and take almost as many calories to digest as they contain. Not only are they delicious fat burning foods, but with so many health benefits, they make a great addition to your weight loss plan.
13. Cinnamon
Not only is cinnamon thought to boost the metabolism, but it’s also been shown to help regulate blood sugar. Cinnamon has both manganese and iron and increases the body temperature, which is part of how it ramps up the metabolism.
14. Whole Grains
Whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat can help you maintain your weight and prevent your body from storing fat. They take longer to digest, which helps you to feel full for longer and helps things like blood sugar remain somewhat more constant during digestion.
These fat burning foods are all important to the overall health of your body, with the added benefit of being quite helpful to the weight loss process. Fat burning foods like the ones listed above can do a whole lot more for your body than processed foods. If you add even just a few of these foods to make your own fat burning diet, you will likely see a big change in the way you feel while you’re losing weight and in your capacity to meet your weight loss goals.