A Few Super Foods To Help Women Burn Fat
While I am not a nutritionist nor other dietary or fitness professional, I know from personal experience that there is no magic pill that will "burn fat" without effort.
Likewise, the consumption of the foods listed in this article without a properly balanced meal plan and regular exercise will not yield weight loss results. Rather, when consumed in balance with other healthy foods and eaten routinely along in conjunction with a good exercise regimen, the foods below will help you to shed the pounds.
Additionally, when I mention "fat-burning" in relation to food below, I do not mean it literally and only use it as a term to describe a food that can control or help process fat so that it is easier for the body to eliminate, therefore leading for more effective fat loss.
Omega-3 Rich Foods
Whether it is a house full of kids or an hour long commute in the morning, most women in the Western world are exposed to any number of stress-inducing factors each day. When we become stressed, a hormone called Cortisol is processed alongside adrenalin as a sugar which, after the adrenalin rush is over, is stored as fat around the stomach area.
Managing stress is important to reducing these Cortisol levels and in turn making our bodies respond better to our dieting efforts. One excellent way to aid the reduction of these impeding hormone levels is to consume foods which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Salmon and other fatty fishes are truly the stars of any healthy diet, and are especially beneficial to women wishing to lose weight. Fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines are also an excellent source of protein.
If fish is not your fancy, walnuts, flax and Omega-3 eggs are also smart choices to make when trying to lose weight.
Soup is Your Friend
When the idea of "diet" and "soup" come together people often assume that it must be something boring like cabbage and water, or some terrible low-sodium canned soup. To the contrary, the right soup can be one of the best fat-fighting things you incorporate into your diet when trying to slim down.
In her best-selling book, Why French Women Don't Get Fat, Mireille Guiliano shares her experience with being overweight and most importantly, her recipe for "Magical Leek Soup." It turns out that not only are leeks extremely tasty, they are a natural diuretic and help purge the body of excess liquid, and are as well packed with vitamins and nutrients that we need when our bodies are in the process of losing extra weight.
Using fat free chicken or vegetable stock as a base, why not try a combination of leeks, corn, asparagus and tomatoes for a quick summer soup for lunch or a light supper.
Or you can make a smooth, "creamy" soup by utilizing your handy immersion blender. Cauliflower, mushrooms, artichokes, broccoli, and tomatoes are all excellent candidates for such a soup. Simply cook them in broth until very tender and use your blender to puree the mixture until very smooth.
I like to make a batch that will last me about 2 days. Besides serving as a good meal along with some lean protein and perhaps a small amount of bread, I also like to eat soup as a snack or for when I get those dreaded hunger pangs. It always works to satisfy my cravings and helps to stave off hunger as it really makes my mind think I am quite full.
Add Some Spice to Your Life
Hot peppers are an invaluable resource for the fat-burning woman. Not only do they add spice & flavor to potentially bland low calorie, low fat food, they contain Capsaicin which aside from its numerous other health benefits, has renowned fat burning qualities. According to a 2008 study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, "thermogenesis, the process by which cells convert energy into heat, can be directly induced by chili peppers." While the effect is notably minimal, when consumed regularly spices like cayenne pepper and other varieties of fresh and dried peppers can help fire up your metabolism so that you'll generally burn fat more efficiently.
Besides adding cayenne into your soups and on meats, why not try sprinkling a little on raw fruits and vegetables? This is a common practice in a lot of hotter climes around the world and makes fruit especially take on a whole new personality. Chili powder or cayenne is great on mangoes and papaya, and my favorite, cucumbers, all of which are fat-fighter-friendly, highly nutritious foods.
Another way to incorporate hot peppers into your food is to cook up a good old fashioned curry. I like to start with 1 tablespoon of olive oil as the only fat, heated with garlic and onion, curry powder or paste, then add 2 or 3 fresh red or green chili peppers and cook for a minute or until onion starts to brown. I then add a ton of vegetables like cauliflower, bell peppers, eggplant, and spinach, stir and add a cup or two of water or stock and cover for about 15 minutes. The result is an incredibly tasty yet guilt free and super healthy curry that will fire you up!
Make Your Fat Burning Fruitful
Increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables you eat is essential to successful weight loss. But like oily fish in s sea of other fish, there are a few stand outs in the world of produce when it comes to the best fat burning characteristics.
Here are my top three favorites:
1. Grapefruit
Contrary to popular fad-diet belief, the humble grapefruit does not contain a "fat-burning enzyme." But don't count it out as incredible, as grapefruits do contain a power-pack of Vitamin C, are full of fiber, the reddish and pink ones contain anti-oxidant properties, and best of all that have a low impact on blood sugar levels which is important to the efficiency of your metabolism.
2. Limes
Like grapefruit, they are packed with Vitamin C which is essential for fat-burning, or, controlling or minimizing fat accumulation, by helping dilute fat which then helps the body flush the fat away, or at least help eliminate it. Try making it a habit to drink the juice of 1 large, fresh lime mixed with 8oz of water every day, and your body will thank you.
3. Pineapple
Once more, like the grapefruit, pineapple is another fruit that is fraught with inaccurate data that was spawned by diet myth and coined as a panacea for fat-burning among other things. Still, pineapple contains some excellent dietary elements. Besides being a powerful anti-oxidant and good source of Vitamin C and potassium, they contain Bromelain which can aid digestion by helping to break down other ingested foods like meats, dairy products, and beans. Eaten with meals or as a snack in between, pineapple also helps one to feel more full, or at least for me it does. Plus it just tastes amazing!
You, the Fat-Burner
The diet industry is always going to make false promises and fad diet gurus are always going to pop up here and there with the latest and greatest "fat-burning" products & foods. The majority of these advert campaigns are so obviously aimed at women, that I think we need to be that much more aware of what works and what does not, and what it truth and what is a product made of false hope.
Put simply, what makes your body burn fat more efficiently is dependent on the effort you put forth to help it do so. With daily exercise and a healthy diet full of vitamins, good fats, and nutrients, I believe that most women will find that their own desire and effort put forth is the real magic pill, and that their bodies then become the fat-burners they've been looking for.