Fat burning superfoods

Many of us enjoy eating and we all have our favorite foods, some of which are hard to let go of when we are trying to lose weight. However it is important to remember that there are also foods out there that help us to burn fat more effectively resulting in us hitting those weight loss goals easier and quicker than we thought.

There are a number of “fat burning superfoods” available, many of which you might not have classed as a food that would help you burn fat. Below are a few of those most effective ones available:

Capsicum Chilli

Capsicum chilli is most commonly used by chefs that want to add some extra flavor into a dish. Although most commonly referred to as 'Capsicum', many of us will know it as Bell Pepper, Paprika, Sweet Pepper, Cayenne or Chili Pepper. The chilli helps us burn fat from the body by encouraging Thermogenesis (producing heat within our bodies) which increasing metabolism in the process. Capsicum comes in a number of colors, including red, green and yellow.

Capsicum can also help improve blood circulation, improve digestion and immunity from cold and flu. If you like your chilli, this is most certainly a superfood that will help aid with fat burning!

Green  Tea

By switching from your regular caffeinated hot drinks to green tea you can take advantage of a number of benefits. The first main advantage is that green tea can help improve metabolism. Within a period of 24 hours, green tea can help improve metabolism as much as 4% in a 24 hour period. Although this may appear as low percentage, when part of a regular diet it has the potential to keep your metabolism working at a higher rate throughout the day.

Although this is a green tea, there is also a small amount of caffeine in this hot drink. Although a cup of green tea is typically lower than a cup of coffee by volume, the caffeine in the tea still carries the same benefits. The caffeine causes our heart rates to increase, which encourages our circulation to increase which means our hearts work a little harder. This can help us burn more calories over the duration of the day.

Green tea has also been known to reduce the appetites of some individuals, however this varies from person to person.

Fish – especially salmon

Many of us know that fish is very good for us, as it contains high levels of protein. Ironically enough this is not the main reason why fish is a great fat burning superfood! Fish helps us to lower some of our key hormone levels that have a direct influence on our metabolism levels which aid us in losing weight.

In our bodies, we have a hormone called Leptin. Leptin has a direct influence in telling our bodies how to and when to burn fat and store energy. Studies have proven that leptin directly influences metabolism and helps to tell our bodies when and when not to store calories and when to burn them for fuel.

Fish also contains high levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and a number of vitamins and minerals. Omega 3 is also very good at reducing inflammation and blood cutting which can have a direct influence in reducing your chances of a heart attack.

Grapefruit

There has been many famous diets in the past, including one called the “Grapefruit Diet.” Grapefruit helps us lower the insulin levels in our bodies. By decreasing our insulin levels we prevent our bodies storing sugar as fat. By having a lower insulin level we help control out appetites as by having a high insulin level encourages the brain to tell our bodies we want to bring some more energy into the stomach which causes us to want to eat.

Another brilliant benefit of the grapefruit is that it is one of the many super foods that is high in fiber and has very few calories - Half a grapefruit only has 39 calories! Grapefruits are one of those brilliant “negative calorie” foods, which means it actually takes more calories to digest the food than actually exist in the fruit!

Although the greatest benefit is found in eating fresh grapefruit you can also take advantage and gain similar benefits by drinking 100% grapefruit juice or maybe taking a grapefruit pill or supplement.

Going forward why not try combining half a grapefruit with your breakfast to help kick start your day, followed by the other half with your lunch a few days a week to help kick start your diet.

Whole Eggs. 

Eggs not only are a cheap, rich source of protein but they also have many hidden benefits that you might not have been aware of. A typical egg contains 7g of protein. The yolk itself contains most of the nutrients including half of the protein, vitamins A, D and E as well as cholesterol to naturally increase your testosterone levels. The cholesterol found in eggs is a friendly cholesterol and isn’t bound to blood cholesterol.

Not only are eggs a great protein source but they are also one of the best weight control foods on the planet. Research has shown that choosing eggs for breakfast can help many control their hunger while lowering calorie consumption throughout the day.  As we mentioned before it isn’t just the egg whites that have lots of goodness, the yolk is also fully packed with goodness including lutein, which helps eye nutrition and choline, which in turn helps support brain function. The little bit of fat in the yolk contributes to the feeling of sustained fullness and satisfaction.