When trying to lose weight, we tend to fixate on the foods we aren’t supposed to eat. We salivate over cheesecake at the coffee shop, eyeball our partners’ pizza and dream about cheese, glorious cheese. Instead, shift the focus to the delicious and healthy foods that actually speed up metabolism, aiding in weight loss and preventing the storage of more fat. You might just get so hooked on green tea, yogurt, avocado and hot peppers that you find yourself cheating on your former favorites, not on your diet.
Green tea
If you want to get your metabolism revving, choose green tea over black tea or coffee. Studies have found that green tea is not only packed with flavonoids and antioxidants, it also has thermogenic properties, promoting fat oxidation. That means it helps burn the calories from the food you’re eating while you’re eating and digesting it.
Apples
Low-fat yogurt
Probiotics in products that contain live bacteria, like yogurt, help beneficial bacteria in the gut process food more efficiently. Low-fat or fat-free yogurt (skip the flavored versions, they’re full of sugar!) is a great source of protein and calcium, and studies have found that eating yogurt as part of a reduced-calorie diet can help burn fat faster than going without.
Celery
You’ve probably heard of the “negative calorie diet” which claims that some foods, like celery, take more calories to eat and digest than they contain. That’s only partially true, but eating celery can still help you lose weight. It’s made up of mostly water and undigestible cellulose, so including it in your meals may help you eat less than you would otherwise.
Cinnamon
Did you know that cinnamon is a natural blood sugar stabilizer? After lots of speculation about the effect of this spice on insulin levels, a 2007 study confirmed that a teaspoon of cinnamon added to a dessert helped temper blood sugar spikes. Researchers are still trying to determine whether cinnamon could be an alternative treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Grapefruit
There’s a good reason grapefruit is so often recommended as an optimal breakfast for people who are trying to lose weight. This low-sugar, citrus fruit contains an antioxidant that has been found in studies to reduce insulin levels after eating a meal.
Broccoli
Broccoli contains two essential nutrients, calcium and vitamin C, which team up to boost metabolism – that is, as long as you have a healthy thyroid. Broccoli is also “goitrogenic,” meaning it can slow the production of thyroid hormones in people with thyroid disease.
Lean Meats and Fish
Lean protein from sources like meats and fish can help boost both your metabolism and your energy levels. Protein also helps curb hunger and ensure that the weight you lose is fat, not muscle. Having a higher lean muscle mass helps burn more calories on a daily basis, aiding in long-term weight control.
Garlic
Adding garlic to meals rich in fats and carbohydrates may keep those substances from wreaking havoc on your health. Studies have found that garlic supports blood sugar metabolism and helps control lipid levels in the blood. Of course, that doesn’t mean garlic bread is suddenly a health food, but adding crushed fresh garlic to your meals certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Oats
While many foods, like those high in sugar, can cause blood sugar spikes that cue the body to store fat, oats and other whole grains keep insulin levels low after you eat. This ensures that you burn calories instead of increasing the prominence of all your wobbly bits.
Olive Oil
Taking in fat in order to burn fat? It may not seem to make sense, but healthy monounsaturated fats like olive oil can actually aid the body in burning calories. But to get a benefit, you have to replace other types of fat – like cream or butter – with olive oil, and consume it only in limited quantities.
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