Space Cookie

Food That Burns Fat

Food high in protein and fiber are the foods to eat if you want to burn abdominal fat.  Since it takes more energy to digest protein than it does to digest fat, the more protein you eat, the more calories you burn.  You can eat the food that burns fat and lose stored fat when you eat them.  Another plus is that the food that burns fat are delicious.

It is important to realize that you must choose to eat in moderation.  You do not want to skip meals or eat too little, because then your body will go into a starvation mode slowing your metabolism down and your body will start to burn muscle for fuel.

High protein foods include:

·         Lean meat and fish

·         Vegetables – lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, kidney beans, baked potatoes

·         Dairy products – yogurt, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, milk

·         Miscellaneous food – rice, whole wheat bread, macaroni, eggs and tofu

It is also important to choose high fiber foods that burn fat. High fiber food helps burn fat in 3 ways:

·         Helps speed up metabolism

·         Slow s down digestion

·         Helps prolong a person's energy

High fiber foods include:

·         Fruits – avocado, raspberries, grapefruit, apples, and blueberries

·         Vegetables – wither squash, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage and spinach

·         Grains - bread, oats, and rice and pasta

More information on these fantastic fat burning foods:

1.Lean Meat and Fish:

As we said above, it takes more energy to digest protein in meat than it does to digest carbohydrates or fat, so your body works harder to digest the meat and more calories are burned.  If you are going to eat beef, it is best if you choose the leaner cuts such as loin and round steak that has less saturated fat.

Eating fish adds a different aspect to burning of belly fat since fish will lower levels of a hormone called leptin in your body.  Recent studies have shown that leptin directly influences your metabolism by determining whether you burn calories or store them as fat.  The lower your level of the hormone leptin, the faster your metabolism is and thus enabling you to burn fat more quickly. Salmon and tuna contain omega-3 fatty acids which are healthy fats and boost our immune system.  Fish should be consumed 3 times a week                  .

2. Oatmeal

Many of the oatmeal packages say that eating more oatmeal will help lower your cholesterol level.  That's because oatmeal is loaded with soluble fiber which flushes bad digestive acids out of your system which lowers your cholesterol.   It also breaks down slowly during digestion, causing less of a spike in insulin levels.

While it may be tempting to select the box of flavored packets at the grocery store, the best kind of oatmeal to eat is the unsweetened and unflavored kind that you find in the canister and is labeled "Old Fashioned Oats.  Stay away from the box with flavored packets in them.  You can add dry fruits like raisins, cranberries, and diced dates.  You can also add nuts such as slivered almonds, walnuts and pecans.  Try eating it with a spoonful of honey and adding ½ to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Cinnamon has been shown to reduce cholesterol and sugar levels in the blood.  Oatmeal is also beneficial in fighting colon cancer and heart disease.

You can add the dried fruits and nuts when you purchase a new canister of oatmeal. Just pour the oatmeal in a zip lock bag with the fruits and nuts.  Or you can combine the mixture in a bowl first then pour the mixture in the zip lock bag.  This is a great way to enhance the flavor of the oatmeal, and adds fiber to your diet.

3. Whole Grains

These days we are hyper-concerned about carbs.  The truth is your body needs carbohydrates and will crave them if you go without them. The right kind of carbs are actually good for you.

It is the carbs in processed foods that are bad for you, such as, white breads, bagels, white rice, pastas, and packaged prepared meals.  In the processing of processed foods, nutrients are removed and you are left with what is called "empty calories" or food that has no nutritional value and lots of fattening carbohydrates.

When selecting a loaf of bread, choose one that is labeled "whole grain."  A loaf of bread that is just labeled "wheat" bread has molasses added to achieve the brown color.  So it is primarily white bread with molasses added.  In the processing of white breads, the nutritional oil, vitamins and fiber are removed.  Some mills that process the flour that is used in making breads sell the byproducts of the oil, vitamins and fiber to animal food making companies.

4. Beans

While beans are very good sources of protein, fiber and iron,  beans that are baked and refried  should be limited.  Baked beans are usually loaded with sugar and refried beans contain saturated fat that has been added.  Be sure to cook your beans thoroughly, so the proteins can be broken down more easily in the digestive track

5.  Low Fat Dairy

Research reported in Obesity Research, women who ate low-fat dairy products, three to four times a day lost 70 percent more fat than low-dairy dieters.  Purdue University also found that those who consumed 3 cups of fat-free milk gained less weight over the course of 2 years than those on low calcium diets.  Many researchers feel that higher calcium diets favor burning rather than storing fat.

6 Eggs

Eggs are very high in protein and can help burn unwanted belly fat  Nutritionists and researchers are now saying that dietary cholesterol, such as that which is in eggs, has a minimal impact on blood cholesterol.  Dietary fat is the real concern and is what raises your bad cholesterol.  If you want you can remove the yolk and cook the egg white only.  You will still receive the benefits from the high protein level in eggs.

Eggs also contain vitamin B12 which breaks down fat cells.

7.  Olive Oil

Some fats are good for you.  Olive oil is one other the good fats, since it helps you burn fat and keeps cholesterol down, as well as other health benefits.  Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat and researchers are finding that it has outstanding health benefits.

8.  Healthy Snack Options

Popcorn

Is a very healthy snack and is high in fiber and low in calories as long as you don't saturate it in butter and salt.  The best kind is air popped but if you want to pop it in oil, use canola or olive oil.  If you use microwave popcorn, check the labels for sodium and fat content.

Almonds and Other Nuts

Nuts contain monosaurated fat which is good for you and is the kind of fat that help clear up your arteries.  Nuts can help fill you up and are high in Vitamin E, fiber and magnesium.  Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps fight disease such as cancer, asthma, osteoporosis and other inflammations.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are like other nuts and contain a lot of the same good characteristics.  If you choose to eat sunflower seeds be sure to choose the ones with low or no salt.  The salted shells are fine in moderation but just be sure to limit your consumption.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter has lot of the same good qualities as regular nuts, and is great because it will fill you up quickly.  A couple of teaspoons will hold you over till your next meal and will have only 190 calories that is loaded with protein.

Smoothies

Fruit smoothies can actually be used as a meal replacement.  Depending upon what you put in them, you can have the benefits of protein, fiber, fruit and dairy.  Frozen strawberries and low fat milk make a great easy snack.

If you live near a Smoothie King this is the best place to go! Not only do they have tons of flavors, but you can even ask for extra protein/whey powder (great for toning your stomach) and many other healthy ingredients that will give your drink a healthy boost.  One thing to watch is sugar content in smoothies.  You can order a "light" or "low sugar" smoothie.

Beef Jerky

Who knew? Beef jerky is actually a very healthy snack contrary to popular belief. On average one ounce of jerky contains about 70-80 calories, 12 grams of protein and around 1 gram of fat. It is best to buy in health food store to get the low sodium beef jerky.

Low Fat Yogurt

An 8-ounce cup of yogurt generally contains 2-3 grams of fat and around 150 calories. This is a much better snack food option than something like ice cream.  A recent study showed people that consumed three servings of light yogurt daily as part of a reduced-calorie diet lost about 20 percent more weight than those who only cut calories. In recipes, you can substitute low fat yogurt for sour cream.

About the Author

I am 65 years old and am very interested in ways to to enhance our lives.  I have a husband, 2 sons and daughter-in-laws and five grandchildren who are very important to me.  My husband and I have been married since 1964.  We have had a good life and look forward to the yeas to come. I have a BS Degree in Home Economics, and have always been interested in health and diet

Surprise cat

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 6:10 pm and is filed under Cookies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.