Foods that Burn Body Fat

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Balanced Modern Mom

Well, before we get into it and I want to say that the list of foods below are there to help you make smarter decisions when ordering or cooking foods and will help you when working out and tying to eliminate the layer of fat that is covering your muscles.

So how do you pick the best foods that burn body fat? Easy. Look for foods that are considered thermogenic. Calorie for calorie, certain foods are considered to increase your metabolic rate – that is, they naturally increase energy expenditure – helping you burn body fat rather than storing it. In reality, ALL foods are “thermogenic” because the body must use energy to digest them. This is known as the “thermic effect of food” (TEF) or “specific dynamic action of food.”

And when that occurs, your body taps into existing fat stores to meet energy demands, melting off the layer of fat covering up your six pack that you’ve been dying to show off. Even better, some foods have abilities to surpass their fat-burning effect. Certain choices result in fullness; some require energy to be broken down; and some can even release body fat elevating your metabolism.

A lot of people try to starve their nutrition in a bid to reduce fat. This approach can have spurious effects on the harmony of the body and is not a wise or healthy way to reduce fat. The right way to reduce fats would be to eat foods that reduce the possibility of further fat deposition, or foods that assist in burning fats, while also taking up calorie-burning exercises (like aerobics, yoga and resistance/weight training) to use up the past-stored fat in your body. The science is complicated and not necessary to grasp. You need to understand which foods work to promote fat burning so you can capitalize on the best options and get rid of your unwanted fat. However, not all foods have the same thermic effect. Dietary fat has the lowest thermic effect. The most thermogenic food is lean protein from solid foods.

Question: What are the best fat burning foods, that help eliminate body fat?

Oats: Oatmeal will help you reduce fat levels by providing sustainable energy and keeping you full so you don’t over eat mid morning. It’s full of plenty of fiber to maintain your insulin levels throughout the day.

A key to losing fat is to keep insulin levels lowered because insulin moves fat into storage more easily, especially if you’re not weight training regularly. Raisin and Barn cereal is another good example of breakfast food that’s rich in insoluble fiber, so is cooked barley.

Eggs: A study showed that those who ate eggs for breakfast instead of bagels lost considerably more fat. Not to mention the muscle-building power of the protein found in eggs because of it’s superior amino acid profile. The fat in the yolk of the egg is the healthiest part and helps with slower digestion and reduces hunger therefore one of the best foods that burn body fat when eaten in moderation.

Poultry: Poultry like chicken are low on fats and carbohydrates while have a good protein profile. Research has proven that the thermic effect of protein is the highest of all the macronutrients, requiring about 30% of the calories it contains, just for digestion and processing. An added bonus is that lean protein foods suppress your appetite! Try to incorporate the following lean proteins as well: Turkey breasts, Bison, Venison, Buffalo, very lean Red Meats like (top round and lean sirloin, as well as lean veal), just about any type of Fish, Shellfish and other Seafood.

Almonds and Walnuts: These nuts are a great source of healthy fats. It has been seen that people who don’t consume healthy fats are more likely to gain weight than people who do. This is the reason why it’s very imprudent to eliminate healthy fats from your diet in a bid to reduce weight. Remember that healthy fats are needed for a harmonious functioning of the body because most of the body’s cell structure is made from these fats.

Olive Oil: Your body cannot live without certain foods and “good fat” is one of them. That’s because approximately 70% of it Olive oil is one of those “good fat.” Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that has many healthy benefits like preventing heart disease, colon cancer and controlling LDL (bad cholesterol). It’s also loaded with vitamin E and antioxidants. Olive oil can increase the activity of certain chemicals called “uncoupling proteins.” These chemicals effectively “tell” the body to burn excess calories, rather than store it. Oil is one of the forgotten foods that burn body fat.

Water: Though water would not count as a food, because it has no calories, it would need to mentioned that water helps improve the over-all metabolism of the body and thus helps burn fat. And of course, water helps flush out toxins and thus improves the capacity of the body to stay healthy. Certain foods are rich in their water content and thus help in the process of fat reduction. Regardless, keep cold water in your thermogenic food plan and rely on water’s other advantages: It keeps you hydrated, which assists with energy, absorption, being anabolic and is required to burn fat. Staying hydrated can also help you keep your overall calories lower.

A Simple 3-Step Formula To Put Together A Fat-Burning Meal:

STEP 1: Select a green vegetable or fibrous vegetable such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, salad vegetables, etc., and then

STEP 2: Combine that with one of the lean proteins (previously mentioned above).

STEP 3: The lean protein and fibrous carb forms the foundation of your fat burning meal. From there, add natural starchy carbs or grains such as brown rice, oats, or sweet potatoes – in the amount your calorie needs dictate and to the degree your body can tolerate them (some people have a carb-intolerant body type). Fruit is also ok, but focus even more on the green and fibrous vegetables.

I hope that you enjoyed this research I did. It’s a great and healthy way to eat everyday regardless! Remember I’m not a doctor or dietician, just a girl that is interested in how to get the Maximum benefits out of food and have a healthy physique.

Here are some of the websites I pulled this information off of:

http://www.burnthefat.com/fat_burning_foods.html

http://www.home-workout-success.com/foods-that-burn-body-fat.html

http://www.iamnotobese.com/fat-burning-food-list.php

59 thoughts on “Foods that Burn Body Fat”

unoscoiattoloindispensa on February 22, 2012 at 12:27 said:

genious! thanks for the little easy to follow guide!

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- mythineats on February 22, 2012 at 14:48 said:
  
  Thanks. Always a pleasure!
  
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Jox on February 22, 2012 at 12:53 said:

Thanks for the information. I’ve been trying to achieve such balance in my meals but I like how you’ve made the 3-step guide.

Do you have any oatmeal recipes? It really is an acquired taste for me. 😦

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- mythineats on February 22, 2012 at 14:50 said:
  
  Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes
  
  Ingredients:
  
  2-1/4 cups water
  dash salt
  1 cup regular rolled oats
  1/2 tsp cinnamon
  1/4 cup dried cranberries
  1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  1 TBS flaxseeds
  1 TBS blackstrap molasses or honey
  1 cup milk or dairy-free milk alternative
  
  Directions:
  Combine the water and salt in a small saucepan and turn the heat to high.
  When the water boils, turn the heat to low, add oatmeal, and cook, stirring, until the water is just absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, cranberries, walnuts, and flaxseeds. Stir, cover the pan, and turn off heat. Let set for 5 minutes. Serve with milk and molasses.
  
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  - Jox on February 22, 2012 at 15:24 said:
    
    Oh wow. Thank you so much for taking the time. 🙂
casualcyclist on February 22, 2012 at 14:29 said:

Great post! You missed my favourite though… red hot peppers (chilli peppers). Chilli peppers also raise your metabolism and are delicious in food.

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- mythineats on February 22, 2012 at 14:46 said:
  
  Yes, Correct….that is in my “10 ways to speed up the Metabolism” post. They are delicious, I don’t think I go a day without putting cayenne on my food.
  
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Oyeta936 on February 22, 2012 at 16:10 said:

Thanks for liking what I wrote, else I would never have got such a treasure of information from your blog. The Earth & Human both need to be healthy.

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- mythineats on February 22, 2012 at 16:29 said:
  
  Thank you for stopping by Mythineats. I always appreciate a new face.
  
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Jen @ Whittle My Middle on February 22, 2012 at 17:07 said:

Great post! Thanks for breaking it down like that. My pet peeve is when people say things like “good thing I skipped breakfast/lunch” as they chow down on cake.

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- mythineats on February 22, 2012 at 18:07 said:
  
  Yes, I would agree with that. You shouldn’t feel that just because you skipped lunch you can afford a cake. But at the same time if you know that you are going to have an indulgence you should moderate the other meals accordingly. Thanks for stopping by Mythineats
  
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kathryningrid on February 22, 2012 at 18:29 said:

Yes! There are so many tasty things that are *good* for us it’s great to focus on what we *can* enjoy in abundance and let go of the stuff we should avoid for any reasons of allergy, expense, or whatever because we don’t miss it so much!

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- mythineats on February 23, 2012 at 09:30 said:
  
  So True. When you think about what you can’t have you want it more. And that is in every aspect of our lives. Easier sometimes said than done but if we put our minds to it we can do anything.
  
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-J on February 22, 2012 at 20:55 said:

Great writeup. I’m a food/health nerd, and even I learned some stuff from this!

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- mythineats on February 23, 2012 at 09:31 said:
  
  Awesome. I am glad that you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by Mythineats.
  
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Anna @ Around My Table on February 23, 2012 at 11:58 said:

Thank you for visiting my blog and your ‘Like’ 🙂 Im glad you did as it brought me to your blog, which I find very useful. I’ll be coming back here 🙂

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- mythineats on February 24, 2012 at 10:10 said:
  
  Thank you for stopping by mythineats. I’m glad that you enjoyed it and how to see you in the future.
  
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Apples and Optimism on February 23, 2012 at 17:44 said:

Great post… I love learning about this stuff (and learning that I am already eating so many of these foods on a normal basis)! Thanks for the info!

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- mythineats on February 24, 2012 at 10:13 said:
  
  Yes, it is wonderful to know that there are things we do everyday that can help our health and figure. Thanks for stopping by mythineats
  
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healthnhorizons on February 23, 2012 at 19:26 said:

Hi , thank u for checking out my blog:) wonderful post!

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Meenakshi on February 27, 2012 at 12:01 said:

Great post! So informative. I am bookmarking this.

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- mythineats on February 27, 2012 at 14:15 said:
  
  Thanks…Yes I felt that this was a good way to break it down.
  
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outoftheshell on February 27, 2012 at 16:05 said:

wow, I’ll definitely have to try this! sitting around all day sewing can’t burn any fats. Thanks for stopping by!

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- mythineats on February 27, 2012 at 16:07 said:
  
  Well, I am glad that you found this helpful. Thanks for stopping by mythineats.
  
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Valerie Anne Chiang on February 27, 2012 at 16:31 said:

Thanks for this post! And thanks for stopping by! I’ll definitely keep an eye on your blog!

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girlinafoodfrenzy on February 28, 2012 at 00:12 said:

I definitely need to do more of this! Thanks for sharing your wholistic, no nonsense, approach to good food (that is of course) good for us!

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- mythineats on February 28, 2012 at 09:33 said:
  
  Sure thing, If I find something helpful I like to share it with everyone, and that’s why I created this blog. It’s alot of things that I just find work for me and can probably help out others. Ciao
  
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denlyn3 on February 28, 2012 at 00:52 said:

Thanks for the info and reminding us we control what we eat.

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- mythineats on February 28, 2012 at 09:34 said:
  
  Your definitely welcome. You are right we control our body, not the other way around. Thanks for stopping by mythineats.
  
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EatRunGirl on February 28, 2012 at 20:37 said:

I really like this. I especially love how you gave a whole meal layout. I always like being told how to implement it for myself!

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- mythineats on February 29, 2012 at 09:59 said:
  
  Thank you. I find that it is much easier to understand something when seeing a plan on how to do it.
  
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Luv What You Do on March 3, 2012 at 03:35 said:

I have also heard that coconut oil burns fat. Have you heard of it? Used it? I found some at Trader Joe’s and have no idea what I should do with it (or if it even burns fat).

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- mythineats on March 4, 2012 at 09:39 said:
  
  I have heard the same thing about coconut oil and I have done my research. The only reason I have not posted about it is because I have not personally tried it so I can’t recommend it to be used for that purpose. Now, what I can recommend is that you can use it as a substitution for cooking oil or when you bake, I hear it works fantastic and there are a ton of recipes out there with the use of cooking oil. Apparently coconut oil is one of the best to use for cooking. I hope that I have been helpful.
  Thanks for stopping by mythineats.
  
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Kathy on March 3, 2012 at 10:59 said:

Love this post. I totally agree with the theory of not starving yourself but knowing what the right thing is to eat to help you maintain a thin or slender size. People think, they need some crazy diet to stay thin but in reality you can eat a lot and never go hungry as long as you eat well and know what to put in your body.

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- mythineats on March 4, 2012 at 09:42 said:
  
  Thank you! We are what we eat, and of course if we choose unhealthy foods we are not going to resemble a healthy body. And I think that that is such an important part of our everyday life, the consumption of food is important but knowing how and when to consume it is much better.
  Thanks for stopping by mythineats
  
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catherinecaressa on March 5, 2012 at 14:49 said:

Great post! This was very helpful. I know what to add to tonight’s grocery list! 🙂

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- mythineats on March 5, 2012 at 17:05 said:
  
  I’m glad that it was helpful, that is the main goal for my blog to help and inspire people to live and eat in a healthy and reasonable manner. Thanks for stopping by Mythineats and happy shopping
  
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Sue Riedl on March 5, 2012 at 17:24 said:

Hi-I loved this whole post but especially the mention of eggs. They are so versatile and hard-boiled make an amazing snack-for me or my 3 year old. Soft boiled is my fave though. I guess the Supernaturals Brownies don’t make the cut? Thanks for checking out my blog! Look forward to more from you.

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- mythineats on March 8, 2012 at 20:18 said:
  
  Thanks, I am always happy when people find helpful things in my blog. Thanks for stopping by Mythineats
  
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tjpoisal on March 5, 2012 at 21:23 said:

hope you don’t mind I reposted this on my blog! AWESOME INFO!

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- mythineats on March 14, 2012 at 10:13 said:
  
  I don’t mind at all Tim. Thanks so much for the support and for following mythineats. I love your blog also it’s very easy to follow and helpful.
  
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  - tjpoisal on March 14, 2012 at 15:54 said:
    
    Thanks! I try to keep it simple. Keep up the good work!
Gardens and Garlic on March 6, 2012 at 02:42 said:

Thank you for this post. I have been working on this since the first of November and have lost 38 lbs. so far, but this helps simplify what I am doing. I hope you will check out my new blog and let me know what you think!

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- mythineats on March 14, 2012 at 10:06 said:
  
  Wow, that’s fantastic 38lbs. Keep up the good work. Your blog looks wonderful and I love your passion for photography and plants. My husband is a photographer and loves plants as well, seems like you two have something in common. Thanks for your support and for stopping by Mythineats.
  
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  - Gardens and Garlic on March 14, 2012 at 23:18 said:
    
    Thank you so much for your kind words and for visiting my blog. Thanks for your support!
Amanda @ Simply Southern on March 9, 2012 at 15:38 said:

Awesome post! Thank you! I wish more people would realize that food is fuel, not the enemy!

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- mythineats on March 9, 2012 at 16:00 said:
  
  Thanks for your approval and for stopping by mythineats.
  
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mhbytb on March 9, 2012 at 17:06 said:

Reblogged this on Beauty – The Missing Manual and commented:
This is one of the blogs I follow. I really like this article.

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Kammie on March 14, 2012 at 18:17 said:

Awesome guide. Good thing I love all of the stuff listed 🙂

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- mythineats on March 15, 2012 at 16:23 said:
  
  Thank you. Always nice to be helpful.
  Thanks for stopping by Mythineats.
  
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foodiedoe on March 19, 2012 at 09:56 said:

Great post! I am glad someone is spreading the word. There are far too many misconceptions about food. I follow the kind of menu suggested above and it works wonders…no need to starve yourselves!

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- mythineats on March 19, 2012 at 10:33 said:
  
  Thanks. I am glad to see all of your responses I think that it’s important to help educate with what works for you. Thanks for stopping by Mythineats
  
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askdrjames on March 19, 2012 at 14:20 said:

This is perfect. One thing i always try to let my patients know is that trying to lose weight by reducing food intake due to calories does not work well. This is one of the major reasons for Yoyo diet syndrome.

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- mythineats on March 19, 2012 at 16:05 said:
  
  Agreed!!! I do like to occasionally cleanse, I feel really energized when I do it, but 90% of the time I just eat healthily. Thanks for stopping by Mythineats
  
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Dori on March 19, 2012 at 18:24 said:

I agree with all of your “answers” in this post. I would also suggest including extra-virgin coconut oil as a healthy fat. It actually increases body temperature and the keep you feeling full and nourished. Be sure to stay away from hydrogenated coconut oil – it was the one used in the studies that linked coconut oil with heart disease – now we know it’s really the trans-fat in the hydrogenated oil that is linked with heart disease.

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Italian Inspirations on April 1, 2012 at 16:29 said:

Thanks for your visit–I’m new to the blog world and continue to be amazed and inspired by the amount of info we can share and access together! I look forward to reading more of your posts for creative ideas I can suggest to my friends and family who love food and are trying to lose weight and stave off heart disease.
Regards, Ashlee

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- mythineats on April 3, 2012 at 10:00 said:
  
  Well, thank you I appreciate your support.
  Have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by mythineats
  
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Heather J Duncan on May 3, 2012 at 06:07 said:

Thanks for researching and posting. It is interesting seeing how different foods interact with our bodies. I found the eggs the most surprising.

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- mythineats on May 3, 2012 at 08:47 said:
  
  Yes you are so right. We can always experiment different healthy food combinations and see what works best for our bodies.
  Thanks for stopping by mythineats
  
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