Top 5 Fat Burning Foods

Top 5 fat burning foods to boost your metabolism, activate fat burning hormones and melt away your belly fat.

If you are looking for the healthiest way to lose weight naturally then make sure you include the top 5 fat burning foods in your diet every day. Fat burning foods are weight loss power foods.

The biggest mistake you can make is to view all food as your enemy because there are foods available to you that will help to melt away your body fat.

The best fat burning foods have a high thermogenic value which means you will burn up calories during the digestion process. The more calories you can burn this way means less calories will be stored as fat.

Some foods burn up more calories in the digestion process than they actually contain, so by eating them every day you will find that natural weight loss becomes much easier for you.

Put the top 5 fat burning foods for men and women on your shopping list today and see how quickly they make a difference to your weight loss:

Fat Burning Foods 1: Apples

Not only are apples fantastic appetite suppressants they are also low in fat and high in fibre, and the fibre stays in your stomach longer so you feel fuller for longer. Because they are low in fat apples are more likely to be burned as energy, as opposed to high fat foods which will end up being stored as fat. In addition to this apples require more chewing and burn up more calories in the digestion process.

According to www.self.com, the antioxidants in apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excessive belly fat or an "apple shape."

Apples are also a good source of Pectin, 1 3-5oz apple contains about 1 gram of pectin. Apple Pectin is a soluble fibre which aids digestion and helps to guard against constipation. Constipation can make you feel slow, lethargic, bloated and heavy.

Apples help in the weight loss war because they are low in calories and fat and make you feel fuller for longer. It has also been proven that apples can stabilize your blood sugar and insulin levels thus curbing cravings. So next time you’re craving something sweet, have an apple instead. Apples help to reduce cholesterol too.

Pectin is also found in grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits, including grapefruits, lemons, limes, oranges and tangerines.

Fat Burning Foods 2: Salmon

All types of fish are good for natural weight loss because they are high in protein and low in fat but Salmon is also a rich source of the Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential to your overall health and they cannot be produced naturally in your body.

I find that Salmon is also a very dense fish which fills you up quickly so you only need to eat a small portion to feel satisfied. Salmon is another weight loss power food you can add to your fat burning diet.

Due to the high concentration of fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids eating Salmon will also help to ease stiff painful joints. In addition to this Salmon is a well balanced food which contains an excellent ratio of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

It’s not just the protein and fish oils that make fish worthy of being in the top 5 fat burning foods. Our bodies contain a hormone called leptin which directly influences our metabolism. Whether your body burns calories or stores them as fat depends on whether you have low or high levels of leptin. Eating all types of fish lowers your leptin levels and helps you to burn more fat instead of storing it.

Fat Burning Foods 3: Wholegrains

Whole grains are fat burning foods but be careful of over zealous food manufacturers who market many products as being 100% Whole Grain when, in reality, they’re not.

To be effective the grains must be “whole”, and this is only when all three parts of the grains are present. This includes bran, germ and endosperm.

Whole-grain products can be identified by the ingredients list. According to wikipedia, if the ingredients list lists "whole wheat," "whole meal," or "whole corn" as the first ingredient, the product is a whole-grain food item. But if "Wheat flour" (as opposed to "whole-grain wheat flour" or "whole-wheat flour") is listed as the first ingredient it is not a clear indicator of the product's whole-grain content.

Whole grains also have some valuable antioxidants not found in fruits and vegetables, as well as B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron and fibre.

The Whole Grain Council states that medical evidence is clear that whole grains reduce risks of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and obesity. Few foods can offer such diverse benefits.

Numerous studies have shown that people who regularly eat whole grain products as part of their daily diet have a greater reduction in body fat than people who do not.

Whole grains to look out for include: Wheat, Oats, Barley, Maize, Brown rice, Spelt, Rye, Millet, Quinoa, Sprouted grain and Buckwheat.

Whole grain products to add to your shopping list are:

Whole wheat flour
Whole wheat bread
Whole wheat pasta
Rolled oats or oat groats
Popcorn (natural not coated in butter)

Fat Burning Foods 4: Protein

Lean proteins are by far the best fat burning foods because they burn up 30% of the calories they contain during the digestion process. Protein can come from lean meat, fish, eggs, cheese, whole grains, plants, nuts and protein powders.

Whey Protein powders are an excellent way of boosting your protein intake if you find it difficult to eat enough protein in your diet. Whey protein is a byproduct from cheese-making, and it is so good at burning up calories that some doctors prescribe protein drinks for their obese patients who need rapid weight loss for health reasons.

Protein is the key to weight loss and more specifically fat loss, yet at the same time it helps to preserve lean muscle mass. However studies have shown that middle-aged women who consumed a 30 gram protein drink after resistance exercise showed lower levels of post-exercise fat burning. For this reason, do not drink a protein shake straight after resistance exercise if you are a middle aged women trying to burn fat.

In addition to this, diets high in meat protein can also cause loss of bone mineral density in post-menopausal women.

For the best fat burning results make sure your protein comes from a variety of sources.

Although most of us do get enough protein in our diets, choosing the right kind of protein is important. Lean protein has a lower fat content and can help control cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Always buy lean meat, trim off any excess fat and never buy meat that is ‘marbled’ with lines of fat streaked through it. Skinless chicken breast, turkey breast and fish, especially white fish, are also lean. High protein plant sources include tofu and legumes, such as beans, peas and lentils.

Protein from plants is less easily absorbed and utilized by your body compared to animal proteins, but it can still help you achieve results. Pea protein is a quality protein source that is both lactose and gluten free.

Fat Burning Foods 5: Vegetables

In my opinion vegetables are the super stars of fat burning foods and should be regarded as any dieters dream. Naturally low in fat and calories yet high in fibre they can be added to your diet in almost unlimited quantities.

Their bulk helps to fill you up and also keeps you feeling full for a long time. Filling up with non starchy vegetables will prevent you from over eating more calorie dense food and they can also act as an excellent appetite suppressant. You will find that the more vegetables you eat, the slimmer you will get. This is one of the reasons why people have had so much success with the fat burning soup recipe.

Vegetables are packed with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals which make them extremely valuable as health promoting foods too.

You should strive to eat five portions or more of non starchy vegetables every day; a single portion is roughly ½ a cup when cooked or 1 cup if raw.

For losing weight the best vegetables to eat are: all the cruciferous group i.e. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards and kale. Other vegetables to include are: carrots, garlic, onions, leeks, tomatoes, asparagus, spinach, dark lettuces and red/orange/yellow bell peppers.

Avoid the high glycemic starchy vegetables such as corn, parsnips, rutabagas and white potatoes.

Although it is recommended we eat fruit every day too, some fruits are relatively high in sugar and as such have a higher glycemic value compared to vegetables. Because of this, for the purpose of losing weight you should limit fruit to a maximum of two servings a day.

The best fruits for weight loss are berries (all varieties), cherries, plums, any whole citrus, cantaloupe, grapes, peaches, apples, pears, dried or fresh apricots.

At the same time avoid the higher glycemic tropical fruits (banana, mangoes, papaya, pineapple) and the very high glycemic dried fruits like raisins, dates, etc. (dried apricots are low).

Eating a variety of non starchy vegetables and low calorie fruit has many benefits besides fat burning. Regular consumption of fruit and vegetables also helps to protect against heart attack and stroke, lower blood pressure, protect against diverticulitis, prevent age related vision loss (cataracts and macular degeneration), aid in weight loss and weight maintenance and also protects against a host of cancers.

I know this has been said many times before, but I happen to believe this is true, you are what you eat.

If you live on processed foods that are made with refined carbohydrates and loaded with calories, sugar and fat then you’re going to end up carrying around a lot of unnecessary weight in the form of body fat.

Ultimately you will become a walking example of what not to eat.

If you feel this is already happening to you, don’t despair, because these top 5 fat burning foods will help you get your life back on track.

You can turn this around because if you start eating healthy foods today it will soon begin to show on the outside.

In due course you will become a walking example of the right foods to eat.

How we look on the outside is a reflection of what is going on, on the inside. And, whether you like it or not, food ultimately controls what we look like and how we live.

Maybe you don’t understand how you woke up one morning and suddenly saw you were overweight. To be honest, there was probably no one measurable occurrence because being overweight does not happen over night.

Weight gain happens slowly, in the case of obesity it happens over many years of continual abuse to your body.

Unfortunately, if you have substituted healthy foods for junk foods then you are now seeing the effect.

At the end of the day it is a lot easier to build your diet around every day fat burning foods rather than periodically trying to starve yourself with some ridiculous fad diet that does more harm than good.

When all’s said and done, the food choices you make are just that, your choice. You can choose to eat healthily, lose weight and protect yourself from disease or you can chose to carry on eating junk food.

The fact that you’re reading this article says you are looking for the top 5 fat burning foods to help you lose weight. There is no one magic food to eat, no button to press, no quick fix.

Start eating fat burning foods today, keep active and turn your life around.

How about you? What fat burning foods help you lose weight naturally?

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