Fat-Burning Foods

What are fat-burning foods?
Fat-burning foods are rich in fiber and protein and are poor in fat. Protein foods do require more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fats. The protein content of these foods boosts your metabolism and increases the rate at which your body burns stored fat. Fiber also provides high satiety value, so you feel fuller, longer.

If you can't find these foods in your kitchen right now, simply add them to your grocery list.
Incidentally, do you know what percentage of your calories consumed are coming from fat? Use this Health and Diet Assessment Tool to help you break down your percentages. A healthy level is one where less then 30 percent of the total calories consumed daily come from fat.

The top ten fat-burning foods

Whole grain
Whole grain breads and cereals are a great source of fibre. They generally take a longer time and more energy to digest. Try having a bowl of whole grain cereal with skim milk for breakfast, and combining two fat-burning foods that will give your morning a fat-burning boost.

Beans
Beans are low in fat and high in quality protein. They also have the added bonus of soluble fibre's disease-preventing qualities. The soluble fibre traps bile and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol without affecting HDL (good) cholesterol.
So load up on a serving of beans for lunch or dinner.

Hot chillies
Chillies are full of vitamins. The compound capsaicin present in chillies temporarily stimulates your body to release some stress hormones, which boost your metabolism and cause you to burn more calories. But limit your intake to one or two in a day, as they may cause heartburn.

Lean meat
The leanest meat pieces are excellent sources of protein with low fat content. The protein helps boost your metabolism, lose fat and build lean muscle tissue so you burn more calories.

Low-fat dairy products
Low fat yogurt or milk can boost weight loss efforts due to calcium content. They also contain a hunger suppressant protein called casein that helps reduce hunger pangs. Consuming a lot of dairy foods may help people who are trying to control their weight, by burning more fat and consuming more calories without putting on excessive kilos.

Eggs
Eggs are also a good source of high protein. So start having eggs for breakfast, as research shows that the morning meal fires up your metabolism and increases your energy levels to tackle the day ahead or your morning workout. If you are worried about your cholesterol levels, then you may avoid the egg yolk.

Green tea
Green tea has been known as a health drink for years. In addition to providing a low calorie alternative to sugary sodas, cold coffees and frappucinos (and saving on calorie intake), green tea contains caffeine, which is a decent fat burner. Green tea also has high amounts of catechin and polyphenols, which give your body a small boost in burning up calories. Catechins appear to prevent absorption of fat and to stabilise glucose levels in the body.

Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals and fibre. The fibre helps to burn fat. It also increases satiety and gives a feeling of fullness.

Berries
Berries are a powerhouse of nutrition -- full of vitamins and minerals. The fibre found in berries makes them a fat burning food.

Almonds
Almonds are a fatty food, but they can help burn body fat. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and heart-healthy fat. They are also a good source of fibre and protein. Nuts also help your body maintain good levels of fat burning hormones, as well as control your appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you're consuming a high-fat food.

So put on your thinking cap and the next time you go shopping for groceries, start by buying and preparing these healthy fat-busting foods. And hey -- next time you sit down to eat some of these foods, be sure to watch your portions, or they will add up