Supplement Your Workouts With Fat-Burning Foods

When trying to get rid of that holiday weight, it's important to eat the right foods, along with doing the right exercise. Believe it or not, there are foods that you can eat that will increase the amount of fat your burn and that, along with exercise, can turn your body into a fat burning machine that burns fat 24/7. Try adding these foods to your daily diet for best results.

1. Whole Grains (But NOT Wheat!) – Steel cut oats, and some sprouted grains are okay to consume in small amounts. One cup per day will be enough to fill you up and provide excellent fat burning properties. Wheat, on the other hand - even whole wheat - has inflammatory properties that can lead to weight gain, so it is best avoided entirely if you're trying to lose weight.

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2. Grapefruit – Start your meals with half a grapefruit to take advantage of the fat burning effects and boost your weight loss.

3. Nuts and Seeds – Full of good fats, nuts can fill you up, give you added nutrition and improve satiety. Be careful, though; nuts are high in fat. One handful a day is plenty. Seeds like flax, sunflower, and hemp are lower in fat, high in Omega 3s and 6s and super good for you.

4. Hot Peppers – Add hot spices to everything you eat and watch the pounds melt away. The added heat produced with hot sauce and hot peppers has been shown to increase metabolism both during and after your meal.

5. Cinnamon – This spice helps thin the blood, boosts body heat, and burns calories and fat when added to your food. Try making a tea with hot water, lemon and cinnamon with a little honey to help it all go down.

6. Green Tea – Full of beneficial antioxidants and something called epigallocatechin gallate, green tea can boost metabolism and aid in burning fat. Be careful about the caffeine, and consume in moderation. A cup or two per day is plenty.

7. Berries – Great as an anti-inflammatory and full of resveratrol which boosts metabolism and aids in weight loss. They’re also low in calories, so eat all you care to.

8. Beans and Legumes – You can eat a lot more beans and legumes than you might think. They are high in protein and other essential nutrients. Aim to have a cup every day.

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9. Leafy Greens – You can eat a lot of leafy greens without ever having to worry about how much you’re eating. Prepare them without adding fat with some balsamic vinegar, shredded carrots, and salt and pepper and they’ll taste just like Mom’s. Or drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You should shoot for eating a pound or more of leafy greens each day.

10. Fatty Fruits – Yes, it may sound strange, but coconut, olives and avocado are really good foods to eat that will not only fill you up, but also give you added nutrition and healthy fat which will curb hunger and fill you up on fewer calories.

Burning fat is a full-time job, and adding these foods to your diet on a daily basis will make it a lot easier to burn more fat, faster. Start today with one food at a time, until you’re enjoying all of these foods every day.

For more information on fat-burning foods, check out the Fat Burning Kitchen.