15 Fat Burning Foods – Eating to Lose Weight

Looking for 15 fat burning foods? Food won’t magically shrink your girth.  You have to work hard, hit the gym, and incorporate healthy eating habits into your lifestyle.  Yet, eating to lose weight is possible. While eating the right foods to lose weight, you can drop pounds and eat a balanced diet.

Turmeric – When most people think about Turmeric, they think of golden-hued South Asian curries.  Yet, Turmeric has powerful fat burning qualities that make it a great addition to any diet. Turmeric stimulates bile flow which leads to the body breaking down dietary fat.

Green Tea – Of the 15 fat burning foods, green tea is an acquired taste.  It seem bitter to some.  But, green tea contains EGCG, a powerful antioxidant that can burn fat.  Green tea also has a relatively small amount of caffeine to boost even more fat loss.

Grapefruit – This citrus fruit is packed with enzymes that get help rid of excess body fat.  Eat a half a grapefruit along with each meal.  Be careful eating grapefruit if you are on prescription medications. Grapefruit can prolong the time it takes for medications to leave the body.

Chicken – Poultry contains protein.  Protein helps the body to build lean muscle mass, which burns fat.  Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in sandwiches, salads, and soups. 

Hot Peppers – Habanero. Jalapeño. Cayenne. It doesn’t matter what type of hot peppers you eat.  They all have fat blasting properties.  The active ingredient in hot peppers (capsaicin) helps to speed up the body’s metabolism, burning fat, and giving you a slimmer physique.

Apples – The old axiom is true, “An apple a day does keep the doctor away.”  Apples also keep the fat away.  They contain pectin, a naturally occurring compound in plants that blocks and absorbs fat.  Granny Smith. Gala. Red Delicious. Whatever kind of apple you choose to eat, know that you’re helping to reduce your waistline.

Celery – Celery is a negative calorie vegetable.  This means that it takes the body more calories to break down celery than it actually contains.  Celery’s also an awesome appetite suppressant.  It’s easy to incorporate celery in soups and snacks.

Kiwi – This furry fruit is full of vitamin C.  Vitamin C is known to boost the body’s fat burning abilities.  Vitamin C helps that body manufacture the amino acid carnitine, which gets rid of unwanted fatty acids.

Ginger – Ginger is a hot and spicy root tuber. It warms the body temperature and stimulates that metabolism turning your body into a fat burning machine.   It’s also an incredible detoxifer.

Broccoli – Broccoli is truly the green giant of the 15 fat burning foods. It has huge amounts of vitamin C, calcium, fiber, and antioxidants.  This veggie powerhouse should be eaten daily.

Watermelon – Full of water and vitamin C, watermelon is filling and suppresses the appetite.  Water helps the body get rid of excess adipose tissue.

Milk – Skim milk contains high amounts of calcium and is fat-free.  Calcium regulates how the body store and uses fat.  If you are lactose intolerant, calcium supplements can also help with fat loss.

Coffee – While you don’t want to overuse coffee, it can help to reduce excess body fat. Caffeine stimulates the metabolism and gives you the burst of energy you need to complete your workouts.

Fatty Fish – Salmon, mackerel, and tuna all contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3’s are “good” fats that enable the body to eliminate unwanted fat.

Radishes – Radishes are probably the most underutilized vegetables of the 15 fat burning foods.  They are usually used just to add color to salads.  But, radishes have a thermogenic effect on the body. Like celery, they use more calories than they add to the body. 

Photo Courtesy:  D Sharon Pruitt flickr.com