On Doing It Myself

The concept might seem implausible at first but one really can’t argue with science. Fat burning foods are simply foods that upregulate the metabolism so that more fat is burned by your body when it does its everyday business of breathing and keeping warm for you. Certain foods might not increase the amount of calories burned as much as one would hope for but they provide the basic groundwork for understanding how metabolism works.

So what are the best fat burning foods?

For certain foods and substances the thermic effect of food is quite high. For example, the thermic effect of fat is near 0% but the thermic effect of protein is near 30%! Meaning that 30% of calories from protein is used for processing the protein and generating heat – thus the name thermic effect.

Another good thing about protein is also that of the three macronutrients it is the most satiating. Eating meat with some fibrous vegetables like broccoli will be get you much fuller, proving an appetite suppressant, and provide more warmth and metabolic boost than a bowl of oatmeal, for example.

The most thermogenetic foods are lean meats like:

• chicken breast
• turkey breast
• game meats (venison, elk, etc)
• bison, buffalo
• very lean red meat such as top round and lean sirloin (grassfed is especially nutritious)
• almost all types of fish
• shellfish and other seafood
• egg whites (whole eggs in moderation)

Together with some vegetables and some seasoning they have the potential to become awesome fat burning foods that are tasty, as well. Nobody likes eating cardboard all day. And there are no special gender differences here – fat burning foods for women work as efficiently for men and vice-versa. Just like eating lots of sweets will make anyone fat. Except for that person each one of us knows who doesn’t seem to put on any weight no matter how much junk they’re eating.

Well-controlled research has also proven that a compound in green tea called epigallo-catechin gallate (EGCG) gives a small but significant increase in 24 hour metabolic rate. It would take 3-4 strong cups of green tea to get the necessary amount, 270-300 mg of EGCG, or it can also be obtained from green tea extract supplements.

However, there is a catch. The fat burning (thermogenic) effect of these foods is real, but very small. A study published in the European Journal of clinical Nutrition found that a dose of hot pepper (in an amount that could be tolerated), only increased metabolism by 21 calories. Green tea extract fared a little better, but not much. Research from Switzerland found an average 24 hour increase in metabolism of 79 calories.

Whatever you thought of the subject before, time to eat some chili!