Fat burning foods

Eating certain foods requires a significant expenditure of calories. And many popular diets aimed at reducing body weight are based on this principle. Nutritionists have determined the best products for burning fat, the reserves of which not only spoil the figure, but are also fraught with health problems.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ]

Fat Burning Food List: Thermic Effect and Fiber

Fat accumulates when energy intake in the form of calories exceeds its expenditure, because fat cells are where excess energy is stored. The only way to get rid of it is to burn calories, that is, to activate energy metabolism.

The list of fat-burning foods includes foods with high levels of dietary induced thermogenesis, meaning that such foods require more calories to digest and absorb than they provide.

Although the mechanism of the thermic effect of food (TEF) is not fully understood, it is usually estimated for fats and carbohydrates at 5-15% of their caloric content. But for protein foods, the TEF is higher - from 20 to 35%, since animal proteins are difficult to digest.

So, let's look at the best fat-burning foods. According to experts from the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, fiber-rich whole grains, such as oats, barley, and brown rice, are in first place. The body spends, or burns, twice as many calories to digest them as it receives.

This happens because the fiber cannot be absorbed in the small intestine. In addition, there are two types of dietary fiber: water-soluble and insoluble. Insoluble ones are partially broken down (in the large intestine) and provide normal microflora.

And soluble fiber (despite its rapid breakdown) slows down the entry of glucose into the blood due to the viscosity of the fiber. As nutritionists note, the viscosity of soluble fiber slows down the time it takes for food products to pass through the upper part of the digestive tract and, thus, reduces the rate of absorption of nutrients. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in the amount of energy absorbed.

Fat Burning Foods: Metabolism Regulation

Next come the following products for burning fat in the abdominal area and other “storage areas”:

• dietary meat (in particular, chicken fillet; of the 300 calories received from a 100-gram serving, almost 90 calories go to ensure the digestive process);
• low-fat dairy products (due to their high calcium content);

• legumes (contain iron and essential amino acids, insufficient intake of which slows down metabolism);

• green tea (tea catechins increase the rate of metabolic processes in the body, especially in the liver);

• walnuts and almonds (are a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which increase the body's sensitivity to insulin);

• fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, etc.), containing mono- and polyunsaturated fats and essential (not synthesized in the body) omega-3 fatty acids;

• vegetable oils (olive, sunflower, flaxseed, corn) as healthy sources of unsaturated fats, which should be consumed in small quantities;
• apples, pears, sweet peppers, pumpkin and celery (due to their fiber content and a range of different flavonoids);

• oranges, tangerines and grapefruit (the richest source of organic acids);

• hot capsicum (chili pepper). The alkaloid capsaicin it contains provides this product with one of the highest levels of food-induced thermogenesis, increasing this indicator of food seasoned with hot peppers.

Researchers at the Functional Food Centre at Oxford Brookes University conducted a study on the fat-burning properties of hot peppers and concluded that adding this pepper to food increases TEF by more than 50%, which can accumulate over time and help to lose excess weight.

Also, fat burning foods should have a low glycemic index, and this includes almost all vegetables (except carrots) and fruits. Read more - Low Glycemic Index Foods.