Ten of the Best Fat Burning Foods:
Physicians get concerned with individuals who are overweight due to the inflammatory damage that is associated with an overweight body. Foods that have powerful anti-inflammatory properties are extremely critical in an effective weight loss strategy. Most people wonder what foods have the best fat burning effect and this article discusses the top 10 fat burning foods.
It is no secret that our society is fatter, sicker and uglier than ever before. Our obesity levels have doubled in the last 20 years. Over 70% of Americans have tried some sort of a “diet” by the time they are 25 years old. Despite these good intentions it is obvious that most have had limited success.
Good Fats are Key for Good Hormones:
Good fats help to build healthy cell membranes. These membranes are able to utilize good hormonal communication signals to appropriately manage metabolism. Diets rich in sugars, grains, hydrogenated oils and omega 6 fats inflame the body and damage the cell membranes. This alters insulin and leptin signaling leading to insulin and leptin resistance, weight gain, diabetes and chronic inflammation (1, 2, 3, 4)
Diets rich in good fats (saturated and omega 3) antioxidants, electrolytes, & trace minerals de-inflame the body and allow for proper insulin/leptin signaling resulting in weight loss, stable energy & disease prevention (5, 6, 7, 8). Foods with these nutrients are the best fat burning foods!
10 Best Fat Burning Foods
These are my favorite foods that I use with clients all the time to help them burn fat, build muscle and slow down the aging process. Pick out your favorites and use them regularly.
Coconut:
The medium chain saturated fats in coconut help to rev up the metabolism by boosting thyroid function. The thyroid plays a very important role in metabolism, fat burning & fat distribution. It also stabilizes blood sugar by enhancing cellular insulin sensitivity (9).
Grass-Fed Beef & Wild Game:
These meat sources are extremely rich in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). CLA is a powerful metabolic fuel that enhances glucose sensitivity. CLA is known to improve the ability of fatty acids to enter the muscle and connective tissue cell membranes where they can be burned for fat (10).
Apple Cider Vinegar: (ACV)
Unpasteurized ACV is rich in acetic acid, B vitamins, potassium, enzymes and probiotics. The acetic acid stabilizes blood sugar, reduces insulin surges and improves satiety during and after eating (11). Apple cider vinegar is a surprisingly good things to have as one of your fat burning foods.
Lemon & Lime:
Lemon & lime contain citric acid, potassium, vitamin C & vitamin P. These unique nutrients provide a powerful bioelectrical approach that charges up energy levels, alkalizes the body, enhances liver detoxification and reduces inflammation (12).
Raw Cheese:
Raw, unpasteurized cheese from 100% grass-fed cows, sheep and goats is one of the best foods on the planet. It contains tons of omega 3 fatty acids and CLA that are linked with healthy weight loss and improved muscle mass (13). It also contains healthy protein & fat soluble vitamins A, D3, E, and K2.
Chia Seeds:
Chia boasts an impressive array of flavonoid and polyphenol antioxidants including quercetin, kaempferol, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. It has three times the amount of antioxidants as blueberries for equal volume (14).
Chia is also loaded with the small chain omega-3 fatty acid ALA and soluble and insoluble prebiotic fibers. These key nutrients make chia a powerful defense against everyday stress and chronic disease processes.
Grass-Fed Butter:
Grass-fed butter and ghee contain the ideal ratio of omega 6: omega 3 fatty acids, which is especially important for optimizing cell membrane function and reducing inflammation. Grain-fed butter has a high omega 6:3 ratio which will promote inflammatory conditions in the body.
Grass-fed butter also has significantly more anti-inflammatory antioxidants than grain-fed butter. Butter and ghee also contain the small chain fatty acid butyrate which helps prevent and heal leaky gut syndrome and reduces whole body inflammation (15). There is no better fat burning foods than grass-fed butter!
Avocado:
This fruit is loaded with very good fats that enhance cell membrane activity, balance hormones and speed up metabolism. This is also one of nature’s richest sources of potassium which helps remove excess water and cellulite from the body. Avocados are one of my all-time favorite fat burning foods!
Organic Eggs:
Eggs from pasture-raised chickens are the most nutrient rich and best for us (16). They are extremely rich in carotenoid antioxidants such as vitamin A&E as well as lutein and zeaxanthin. Eggs also contain omega 3 fatty acids and healthy saturated fat that makes for strong and vibrant cell membranes. Eggs are amazing fat burning foods!
Bone Broth Protein
Bone Broth Protein is full of collagen protein and glucosamino glycans that helps support the gut, skin, joints and nails. Although making your own bone broth offers fantastic benefits, you can get much of the concentrated protein to use in protein shakes through this product.
Bone Broth Protein is very rich in the amino acids glycine and cysteine. Cysteine is a critical agent used to make the super intracellular antioxidant glutathione (17).
A 2014 study found that ingesting glycine and cysteine supplements improved mitochondrial fuel oxidation (fat burning), insulin sensitivity and body composition (18).