Fat-fighting Foods

Americans spend nearly $30 billion a year on diet products that don’t even work. All the while, there are plenty of foods that can help you lose weight. If you know what foods to buy at the grocery, you can curb your appetite, boost your metabolism, and eventually lean your body out. 

Obviously, partaking of some of these foods and spices on a regular basis will do nothing if the rest of your diet is garbage. Just like eating that salad won’t cancel out the box of cookies you ate. However, if the rest of your diet is clean, it certainly can help.  

My Fat-fighting Grocery List

Eggs

The amino acids in whole eggs and egg whites help build lean muscle that may in turn help rev metabolism.

Shrimp 

At 84 calories per 3-ounce serving, shrimp has about two thirds of the calories of chicken and about half that of sirloin.

Avocados

Avocado is the storehouse of monounsaturated healthful fat that reduces stomach fat quite efficiently. It down-regulates the expression of certain fat genes, facilitates decreasing the blood sugar spike and acts as an appetite suppressant.

Broccoli

Broccoli helps to decrease visceral and liver fat, helps improve insulin sensitivity, which not only helps with weight loss but also reduces the risk of type II diabetes.

Berries

Raspberries and strawberries are not only yummy, but they are also loaded with vitamin C!  You can burn up to 30% more fat during exercise if you eat berries, according to a study from Arizona State University at Mesa.

Hot Red Pepper

Add it to your omelets, stir-fries, even your tea. Hot red pepper is good on anything.  A Japanese study concluded that it acts as an appetite suppressant and people who regularly eat red pepper, eat less.

Beans 

A digestive hormone, cholecystokinin, is what makes beans a natural hunger suppresser. It blocks fat absorption and breaks down fatty deposits. Beans are also excellent for your blood sugar and can lower your cholesterol.   I only recommend beans counted as your carbohydrate source for a meal, not as your protein source.  To food combine beans in order to get adequate complete protein for your meal, it would generally take you way over the recommended amount of carbohydrate (for most people), thus having the opposite effect for fat loss.  However, if consumed in the context of your carbohydrate allotment for the meal, it is great because it is high in fiber and protein (incomplete), and low glycemic.  Just be sure to pressure cook your beans to lessen the negative intestinal effect.  

Cinnamon

Just a sprinkle of this wonder spice can help you with a post meal insulin spike, the ones that make you hungry. U.S. Department of Agriculture found that cinnamon on a whole-grain toast is a great way to combat those afternoon sugar rises.

Grapefruit

This amazing citrus can make you thinner quickly.  A study at the Scripps Clinic found that half a grapefruit before each meal can help you drop more than 3 pounds in just 3 months.

Olive oil

Make sure you chose extra virgin olive oil.  It’s a monosaturated fat and it keeps on burning calories, not to mention boosting your metabolism.  Use it as a salad dressing, bread dip or for any cooking.

Lemon

Citrus is so fresh and tangy that you may come to prefer it to fatty butter and dressings that mask foods’ natural flavors.

Mustard

Turmeric, the spice that gives mustard its color, could slow the growth of fat tissue, according to a study in the journal Endocrinology. Also, mustard seed, the main ingredient in mustard, contains selenium and magnesium, minerals that fight inflammation. Studies show that by reducing inflammation, mustard helps control appetite.

Tea

Tea helps to naturally burn belly fat thanks to the presence of catechins and it also enhances exercise-induced loss of abdominal fat and improve triglyceride levels.

All these food items have proven fat-melting powers, but you must combine smart eating with a daily exercise regime for best results.  Working with a personal trainer can increase your success rate and transform your body.