5 Fat Fighting Foods
While dieting isn’t always fun, it certainly doesn’t have to be miserable. In fact, some diet friendly foods can do wonders for your health and waistline, regardless if you are concerned with having a shredded physique or not.
If you are looking to stay fit the long-term then consider adding some of these skinny ingredients to your health regimen and get a jump-start on your beach body this season!
- Apples—- the secret to this delicious and nutritious treat lies in its all-star antioxidant glutathione. Glutathione has been found to increase levels of antioxidant enzymes in the blood, which protect your body from toxins that are linked to weight gain. Remember toxins are stored in your fat cells, so when you are losing fat you are losing toxins…you want to be sure you have the proper nutrients to help eliminate the toxic back up. Apples also contain ursolic acid, which increase muscle while reducing body fat.
- Healthy Fats—Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) increase the production of fat-burning enzymes in the body. Try adding avocados, nut butters and seeds to your protein shake in the mornings; you can also add liquid EFA’s to your smoothies, such as fish and flax oils, as well as CLA to reap all of the extra fat burning benefits! If you are trying out some super low calories or low carb diet for an extended period of time then adding some EFA’s to your diet will help ensure you are still getting the required amount of fat necessary for the health of your hormones and metabolism. EFA’s have been shown to decrease protein breakdown, decrease body fat, increase amino acid uptake and increase insulin sensitivity.
- Herbs—These natural gems, such as rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme, holy basil and peppermint, all contain something called rosmarinic acid. Rosmarinic acid is a naturally occurring antioxidant that supports metabolism and reduces water weight. Because guess what, your super boring bro-science diet of chicken and broccoli is going to get old real quick and you are going to want to spice things up!
- Green Tea—This one isn’t new but you don’t need to spend $30 on some fancy fat burning pill…you can just sit around burning fat and making memories by having a tea party with your best friend. Spoiler alert…the active compound found in green tea, EGCG, is found naturally in green tea! EGCG supports the production of the hormone noradrenaline, which increases fat-burning and modulates fat absorption and metabolism.
- Probiotics—I think I’ve made my stance clear on the importance of a healthy gut flora for overall health and wellness goals, but more and more research is showing that the healthy bacteria in our gut plays a significant role in metabolic function. Probiotics can help enhance digestion and detoxification, both which are important for supporting the metabolism. Researchers have discovered a correlation between higher levels of probiotics in the digestive tract and successful long-term weight loss. If a good quality probiotic supplement doesn’t fit your budget you can add some fermented foods to your diet, such as kefir, culture coconut milk and even Kombucha tea.