Foods won’t simply make you lose weight, but some foods are better than others if you want to drop a few pounds. Your progress will be more noticeable if you know what to eat and when.
You should never forget the most important fact of weight loss. It is based on burning more calories than you take. This creates something called negative calorie balance, which means that your body will be forced to break down fat in order to get the extra energy it needs.
But what foods are better to speed up the process? In this article, you will find foods that will help you reduce cravings, improve gut health, and contribute in different ways to your weight loss goals.
1. Cayenne pepper:
Spicy food can sometimes contribute to fat burning, too. Cayenne pepper is one of those recommended to boost the body’s ability to turn fat into energy. More specifically, it contains capsaicin, a substance that increases body heat.
It is also useful in meals to control appetite levels. It goes well in almost any food, including eggs, meats, grilled fish, etc.
2. Guacamole:
This is commonly used as a side dish or snack, and it is an effective way to reduce hunger levels and promote fat burning. Avocados are filled with healthy fats and have vitamin B6, which counters the effects of cortisol in the body.
Unlike saturated fats, monounsaturated fats in guacamole prompt a healthier body fat distribution. It helps you feel more satiated, too.
3. Oatmeal:
Carbohydrates have a terrible reputation, but not all are so bad. Whole-grain foods such as oatmeal have a very high level of dietary fiber and help your body process simple carbohydrates.
Dietary fiber in oatmeal makes you feel satiated for a more extended period, and it is an excellent breakfast and eggs.
4. Salmon:
This is one of the best protein sources because it has extra nutrients, including omega 3 fatty acids and plenty of micronutrients. You need protein in your weight loss diet because it helps you build muscle. More muscle in your body uses more energy and enables you to achieve the negative calorie balance we mentioned in the introduction.
5. Sweet potatoes:
They are sweet, but it doesn’t mean they are sugary. Quite the opposite, because sweet potatoes contain a type of slow-absorbing carbohydrates that help you feel energized for longer.
It also helps with satiety and stabilizes your blood sugar levels instead of increasing them along with insulin. Sweet potatoes also have plenty of micronutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, ad vitamin B6.
6. White tea:
You can drink different types of tea, and they are all much better than drinking soda. White tea, in particular, is an excellent choice because it boosts a metabolic process called lipolysis. It also blocks another metabolic process known as adipogenesis. In simple words, fat breaks down faster, and the increase in adipose tissue becomes slow.
7. Dark chocolate:
Believe it or not, chocolate is also a fat-burning food, but you need to make sure it is the correct type of chocolate. Look at the ingredients and try to find the options without added sugar or with a minimal amount.
Dark chocolate ferments gut microbes and helps your body produce butyrate, a substance that reduces intestinal inflammation and abdominal swelling.
8. Berries:
There are different types of berries, including blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry. Each one contains other antioxidants and phytonutrients with potential fat-burning properties. These foods will also increase the blood flow to the muscle tissue, which contributes to your workout and help you burn more calories. Berries also have a fantastic flavor to help you forget your sweet cravings.
9. Eggs:
These are tiny powerhouses filled with micronutrients. They contain plenty of choline, a crucial nutrient for burning fat, because it turns off genes in the adipose tissue that promote fat buildup and storage.
Eggs will also provide more protein, which increases lean body mass, especially if you combine them with exercise. In some people, eggs reduce the secretion of ghrelin, the hormone that prompts hunger.
10. Black beans:
Resistant starch is a type of dietary fiber with excellent health benefits. It is insoluble fiber and makes your gut digest glucose slowly. Moreover, the dietary fiber in black beans increases the production of butyrate. Moreover, black beans improve intestinal transit and reduce abdominal swelling.
11. Sun-dried tomatoes:
Tomatoes contain plenty of phytonutrients with antioxidant properties. There is also 9-oxo-ODA, which is a very special compound. It activates your genes to help you burn fat much faster. Tomatoes are also low in calories.
Each piece will give you only five calories. We recommend cooking tomatoes to get the best out of this food. It makes lycopene more bioavailable. In other words, cooking them helps your body digest tomato phytonutrients.
12. Grapefruit:
The bioactive compounds in grapefruit have the properties of increasing the body’s capacity to burn more fat. It stimulates the release of a hormonal substance known as adiponectin. This hormone is essential to increase the breakdown of body fat. Moreover, grapefruit has an effect on brown fat cells. This type of fatty tissue is more active, produces body heat, and promotes fat breakdown.
13. Quinoa:
This is a healthy grain and a superfood available in many countries. It is an excellent source of nutrition if you want to replace white rice.
It also contains vegetable protein and a very high level of betaine. This particular nutrient is an exciting source of weight loss by inhibiting fat production and speeding up your metabolism.
14. Coconut oil:
Despite the apparently healthy name, vegetable oil is one of the worst oil types you can use to cook or season your foods. Instead, coconut oil is an excellent addition to your diet. It helps with your blood lipids and might also contribute to weight loss.
It is an essential ingredient of the keto diet and contains medium-chain triglycerides. This type of fat is almost immediately converted into energy instead of being stored in the fatty tissue.
15. Almonds:
If you are looking for healthy foods for your snack, you can’t forget about almonds. One punch of these small bites will give you an edge in the field of weight loss.
Besides reducing fat production, almonds help you control your appetite and give you L-arginine, a nutrient that builds up muscle tissue.
16. Grass-fed steak:
This is one of the best foods to consider if you want to increase muscle mass. Grass-fed teak contains leucine, an amino acid your body needs to produce and increase muscle tissue. It also helps you burn excess fat by speeding up your metabolism. Grass-fed steak is recommended because it contains omega-3 fatty acids instead of saturated fats.
17. Apple cider vinegar:
This is a popular addition to the diet and contains a substance known as acetic acid. This component of apple cider vinegar slows down gastric emptying. In other words, sugar levels won’t spike violently. When your sugar levels are stable, your body doesn’t have excess glucose in the blood, and it won’t turn into fat.
18. Lemon juice:
This is another beverage option if you’re trying to replace soda. You can also prepare lemon water, which is even more diluted and has higher water content. As you drink more water, your stomach will feel full, and the sensation of hunger will reduce.
Lemon also contains D-limonene, an antioxidant that helps with metabolic disorders and prevents obesity after eating high-fat meals.
19. Chilled potatoes:
If you are looking for a healthy source of carbohydrates, potatoes are much better than white rice and most types of bread. It is a filling food and helps you feel more satiated for a longer time.
It is also very versatile and easy to prepare. Resistant starch in potatoes increases if you take them to the refrigerator. This helps crystalize the potatoes and increases your resistant starch intake.
20. Oyster:
This is a popular source of zinc and other micronutrients. Zinc, in particular, is a mineral that increases leptin levels in the blood. Leptin is an important hormone that regulates appetite. It suppresses appetite while providing fewer calories than usual. Besides zinc, you will also get plenty of iron, which helps maintain healthy hemoglobin levels.
21. Greek yogurt:
Smoothies are good snack ideas as they are often prepared with fruits and have a high-water content. Greek yogurt is one of the main ingredients, and it is an excellent food if you are trying to lose weight. It has calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients that counter the effects of cortisol in your belly. However, be sure to read the nutrient table before consuming because there are actually many sweetened Greek yogurt options in popular markets.
22. Spinach:
Leafy greens are also vital in your diet, and spinach plays an essential part. It contains iron, folate, vitamin A, and other energy-boosting micronutrients. Spinach is also helpful in your diet because it curbs your appetite and reduces calorie intake levels. Spinach contains thylakoid, which reduces sweet cravings and helps you control your daily intake.
23. Cinnamon:
This is a common spice with plenty of antioxidants. But it also has polyphenols and phytonutrients that improve insulin resistance and may also contribute to weight loss. Adding cinnamon to your meals may help you with sweet cravings. However, be careful with the sources of cinnamon because many foods contain the ingredient along with sweetened bread.
24. Light tuna:
We don’t usually encourage canned foods, but light tuna is one of the few options that may break the rule. Still, it is much better if you can find fresh tuna and cook it by yourself. It contains plenty of protein and a type of omega-3 fatty acid known as DHA. If you buy canned tuna, look for light sources without added vegetable oil to reduce your calorie intake.
25. Green tea:
This is also a popular beverage for losing weight, and it is offered in plenty of supplements. Green tea helps by boosting your metabolism and reducing the rate of fat cell creation.
Green tea works in the inner machinery of fat cells, reducing the duplication of DNA. By doing so, your adipose tissue will be less likely to increase. Combined with a healthy diet and exercise, green tea can be an excellent addition to your routine.
26. Cauliflower:
After green leafy veggies, you should also consider including plenty of cruciferous vegetables in your diet. Cauliflower, in particular, contains thermogenic nutrients, which means that you burn more calories in the process of digesting these foods. In other words, it makes your body spend more energy on bowel movements and complex metabolic processes to absorb the nutrients.
27. Plum:
This is also an excellent food with fewer calories and a very high content of flavonoids. Plums contain substances that go inside the cell and turn off genes that increase body fat. After a while of consuming plums, your body will reduce the capacity to take up more fat in the adipose tissue.
Conclusion
You have probably seen a pattern by now. Most fat-burning and weight loss foods are either rich in dietary fiber or made up of vegetables. There are some fruits on the list, but you have to choose them very carefully depending on their sugar content and the type of phytonutrients.
All weight-loss attempts are incomplete if you don’t combine them with physical activity. Remember that reaching a negative calorie balance requires increasing the number of calories your body burns while decreasing the number of calories you consume.
Throughout this process, another important recommendation is to adopt a healthy lifestyle instead of a temporary and excruciating diet. Be patient and make it a habit to eat healthily.