Best Fat-Burning Foods: 10 Foods That Help You Burn Belly Fat

Obesity is fast becoming the world’s biggest killer disease and health disorder. According to the WHO statistics on obesity published in 2014, 39% of adults worldwide are overweight, and 13% are obese.

The food you eat has a lot to do with your health and body weight. The worst foods that make obesity worse are processed foods with high-calorie carbs, fat, and added sugar.

It is not so hard to prevent weight gain with natural, healthy foods and lifestyle changes.

Effective Fat-Burning Foods For Weight Loss 

Most obese people like to try different weight-loss diets and supplements for a reduction in body fat. But most of these supplements don’t help you lose weight, except for a few that can have mild effects.

When you are trying to lose weight, instead of using weight loss supplements and pills, there are many natural foods for body fat burning. Certain foods can help you improve your metabolic rate and promote fat loss.

In this article, we are going to discuss 10 foods that burn fat and can help you lose weight fast.

These are the superfoods that burn more calories and fat very quickly.

1. Grapefruit

For several decades, grapefruit has been one of the most discussed and popular superfoods for fast weight loss.

This fruit is said to have certain enzymes that help burn off the excess fat stored in the body. Some of the claims on the effectiveness of these fruits say that up to 10 pounds of weight loss are possible in 5 to 10 weeks with this fruit diet.

Grapefruit helps with weight loss in a variety of ways.

  • This fruit naturally stimulates metabolism and contains vitamins C and E, which act as antioxidants and reduce the negative effects of LDL cholesterol on health.
  • This fruit aids in the reduction of insulin levels in the body, resulting in less sugar being stored as fat. Bringing down the high insulin levels in the blood also helps curb the appetite.
  • Grapefruit has a very high fiber content. Any food containing a lot of fiber is good for healthy weight management.
  • The fruits also contain very few calories—approximately 40 calories in half of this fruit. This fruit is known as the “negative calorie fruit.”

The best thing you can do to lose weight is to avoid all sweetened beverages and juices and replace them with grapefruit juice.

2. Green Tea

Green tea is rich in many bioactive substances, especially caffeine and catechins, that are good for fat loss.

Caffeine accelerates fat burning and also improves performance in physical activities.

The potent antioxidants called catechins, like EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), present in green tea, boost metabolism.

Certain bioactive compounds in green tea help boost the function of fat-burning hormones.

The antioxidant EGCG tries to inhibit the enzyme that suppresses the production of the hormone norepinephrine. This hormone is used by the nervous system as a signal to the fat cells, telling them to break down fat.

Some of the study results have shown the ability of green tea to burn fat even when people are resting. A person who takes green tea would experience a 3–8% higher fat-burning rate at rest.

Some other studies also found that green tea can make people feel less hungry, so they eat fewer calories.

3. Avocado

The avocado fruit, rich in several nutrients and low in calories, is perfect for weight loss.

Various study results show that people who ate avocado felt 23% more satisfied and had a 28% lower desire to eat over the next 5 hours.

Most people do experience a decreased desire to eat calorie-rich foods for a few hours after having this fruit.

Another important weight loss benefit of this fruit comes from the rich amount of fiber present in it. It is a healthy fruit as it contains a small number of carbohydrates with very few calories.

Several nutrients present in this fruit boost metabolism and energize the body.

4. Whole Grains

The biggest threat to weight loss is the popularly eaten junk foods, including all types of processed foods and sweetened beverages. Whole grain foods are the best substitute for junk foods.

Unprocessed grains are appreciated for their great health benefits because of the fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and protein present in them.

Whole grains are good weight-loss foods because of their low-fat and cholesterol-free content and natural fiber. Whole grains also contain about 10% to 15% protein.

By the way, by “whole grain” foods, we mean those that contain the grain’s bran, germ, and endosperm parts.

Unprocessed grains are good for regulating your bowels, hunger, and metabolism because they have B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron, and fiber.

5. Hot Peppers

Most of us have never thought about the weight loss potentiality of hot peppers that we otherwise use as a flavoring substance.

Adding spicy hot peppers to your meal will help you burn fat and lose weight.

Capsaicin, an active component found in hot peppers, increases metabolism. This also heats the body, resulting in increased burning of calories and fat.

Capsaicin aids in regulating thyroid hormone production, which controls adrenaline and dopamine—hormones that regulate appetite. When you add peppers to your meal, this is going to make you satiated faster and suppress your appetite for a few hours.

6. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, which boost metabolism.

The healthy fat in coconut oil is immediately sent to the liver from the digestive tract, where it is quickly converted into energy or ketone bodies (ready-to-use energy on reserve).

Coconut oil contains natural compounds that produce a “thermogenic” effect (increase in energy expenditure) compared to the same amount of calories from other fats.

Study results show up to a 5% (120 calories) increase in energy expenditure after consuming coconut oil.

The medium-chain fatty acids in this oil can make you feel fuller and eat fewer calories by making you less hungry.

7. Ginger

Ginger root is another best fat burning food, as it creates thermogenesis, an action that boosts metabolism and aids weight loss.

The spicy compounds in ginger increase the body’s temperature, which results in increased burning of calories and fat.

A few grams of ginger paste added to your favorite dishes and beverages makes them tastier, helps achieve a faster satiating effect, and prevents excess calorie intake by suppressing the appetite.

8. Soy Protein

Many recent research studies show that soy protein is effective for weight loss.

It contains high-quality protein with fewer amounts of fat and carbs. It is ideal for people with low-carb and high-protein diet plans.

When combined with physical exercises, this diet helps build lean muscle mass while decreasing fat storage in the body. The increased muscle mass helps increase energy spending, which leads to increased fat burning.

The protein is tough to digest, and the body burns many calories.

Some studies have shown that soy protein helps with appetite suppression and keeps people fuller for longer. This is especially beneficial for people who snack between meals and want to break the habit.

The soy protein ranks low on the glycemic index, which means this diet does not result in a quick rise in blood sugar levels. This aids in lowering insulin secretion, which would otherwise result in increased hunger and sugar-fat storage in fat cells.

9. Fish

The fish diet helps in many ways to lose weight.

Fish is low in fat and calories; and a very nutritious food with all-important Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and other vitamins.

First, it contains the best quality protein that helps build lean muscle mass with low-fat storage in the body.

Most importantly, the fish diet helps maintain a healthy leptin hormone level in the body. Leptin is a very important hormone that greatly influences metabolism and reports to the brain the level of fat storage in the fat cells; the brain induces the feeling of hunger according to the signals sent by this hormone.

One of the Mayo Clinic research studies found that people who ate fish had lower leptin hormone levels than those fed vegetables.

As per a study result published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases, having five servings of cod per week as part of a low-calorie diet for eight weeks resulted in an extra 3.8 pounds of weight loss compared to others on a similar diet without the cod.

The “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” reports that fatty fish is a good diet that helps you feel full with a low-calorie intake.

10. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt with added full-fat ingredients is very nourishing. It’s a great source of calcium, potassium, and protein.

Dairy products with a high protein content have been shown to increase fat reduction, protect muscle during weight loss, and increase feelings of fullness and satisfaction.

Additionally, probiotic-rich yogurt may help maintain the health of your digestive system and lessen IBS symptoms like bloating and constipation.

Conjugated linoleic acid, another component of full-fat Greek yogurt, appears to support weight loss and fat burning in overweight and obese individuals, according to a study that involves a thorough analysis of 18 trials.

To avoid consuming too much conjugated linoleic acid, use plain, full-fat yogurt. Non-fat and low-fat dairy products also contain very little to no linoleic acid, which promotes weight loss.

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