Fat Burning Foods | Best Foods and Tips for Weight Loss - Healthella

Importance of fat:

Fat or adipose tissue is a normal part of body composition that serves a multitude of functions in our bodies, some of the main roles of fat are energy storage from the ingested lipids in our diets to give the body energy when it is needed ,it regulates body temperature, it balances blood sugar and stores important vitamins like vitamins A, D, E ,K ,it also cushions all of our inner organs to keep them in place and protects them from trauma.

In recent years adipose tissue was also found to be an important hormone-secreting organ producing essential hormones that control body metabolism and reproductive ability as estrogen , leptin, cytokines, and adipokines which have been linked to chronic inflammation in the body and increasing the risk of having metabolic syndrome including insulin resistance , type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension ,cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis in order to avoid developing these diseases body fat has to be around a certain level and not exceed them to avoid being overweight or obese.

Foods that help you burn fat:

1) Chili pepper

Red chili peppers are great spices to add to your food to not only make it more flavorful but also to get a ton of benefits from its main ingredient capsaicin which has been shown to improve thermogenesis and increase your metabolic rate, it also promotes fullness and helps you lose weight more easily.

Chilies have been known for ages to be good for reducing body inflammation and improving your blood circulation and insulin levels with their high level of antioxidants and vitamins, so adding a little bit of heat to your dishes can end up with a lot of benefits to your health.

2) Green tea

A great beverage choice to add loads of health benefits to your life it is packed with antioxidants most importantly epigallocatechin gallate EGCG one of the best substances that boosts metabolism and helps you lose fat, it helps inhibit the enzyme that breaks down noradrenaline which is one of the main hormones responsible for fat burning.

Another important component in tea is caffeine that promotes weight loss, lowers the amount of fat you absorb from food and improves your exercise performance on the long run.

3) Eggs

Eggs are the best breakfast ingredient you can depend on to get a ton of nutrition, though it is known for being high on cholesterol it is of a good type that actually promotes HDL cholesterol levels in the blood and helps protect your heart and vessels.

It is a fantastic source of high-quality protein that makes you full, reduces hunger, builds up muscles and enhances your metabolic rate, eggs are also full of vitamins and minerals making them the perfect choice for a healthy breakfast that is actually delicious and satisfying.

4) Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one of the oldest ingredients in the kitchen that have been linked to better digestive health and weight loss it is believed that it reduces body inflammation and lowers blood sugar and helps reduce your appetite it is full of acetic acid which boosts fat burning, and decreases fat and sugar production by the liver, improving your metabolism, it also lowers harmful cholesterol levels, and lowers your blood pressure and helps kill harmful bacteria and viruses.

The best way to incorporate apple cider vinegar into your diet is by diluting a couple of tablespoons of it and adding it to salad dressings with some olive oil.

5) Fruits

Fruits like berries, watermelons, apples, pears, avocados, grapes, citrus fruits like grapefruit and oranges are all very beneficial for weight loss and burning fat as they are low on calories and full of water and fiber that makes you full for longer, they are sweet or sour and colorful depending on the types of antioxidants in them that help reduce oxidative stress in the body, fruits are wonderful sources of mineral and vitamins that our bodies need so having a nice bowl of seasonal fruits every day or making fruit smoothies in the morning to start the day fresh, can help you avoid excessive fat deposition and make you feel full and healthy.

6) Greek yogurt

Yogurt is a healthy ingredient that you can depend on for having a healthy snack or a light breakfast with its high content of protein, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, it helps uplift your metabolic rate and keep your bone and muscles stronger.

Yogurt is also full of probiotics that keep your gut healthy and increases your healthy gut microbiome, making you avoid bloating and constipation, full-fat Greek yogurt, in particular, is full of linolenic acid that promotes weight loss and fat burning.

7) Salmon

Salmon is one of the fattest fish that you can add easily to your diet as they taste incredible and are full of health benefits with great content of protein and omega 3 fatty acids that promote fat burning and weight loss, salmon helps you reduce the level of inflammation and stress hormones like cortisol, it is also high on selenium one of the main minerals that affect thyroid health and the thyroid gland being the main controller of metabolism in the body it can augment your metabolic rate and help your burn more fat.

So, adding any type of fatty fish to your diet twice a week can help improve your health and aid you in burning more fat.

» Now, let’s discuss causes of fat accumulation in the body and Ways to reduce it.

Causes of fat accumulation in the body

1. Genetics:

Genes play a major role in your chances of being obese, if your parents and several other blood relatives are obese you are more likely to be obese and genes also controls the areas for fat accumulation in the body and regulate your food intake through their effect on hormones release like leptin, insulin, gherlin that send signals to your brain and control your appetite, satiety, metabolism and food cravings which makes it harder for overweight people due to genetics to lose weight even with diets and exercise and usually requires a lot of hard work for months to get fit.

2. The type of food in your diet:

Food is one of the major variables that if we take into consideration and pay attention to, our health would totally change for the better. a lot of the food options available nowadays are bad for our bodies and promote obesity and chronic diseases fast food that is mass-produced, full of sugar, trans fats, and salt, in bigger portions and higher calories with absolutely no nutritional value is the type of food that people mostly consume more often than they consume healthy homemade meals that are actually better for our health.

High sugar foods like sodas, fruit juice, energy drinks, added sugars to cereals, pastries, prepackaged foods,and processed food turn inside the body into glycogen and get stored in the form of visceral fat, and since they cause high sugar spikes after eating them they get followed by a sugar crash that increases your appetite and makes you hungry faster and makes your body crave more sugar making you addicted to this type of sweet food that has tons of calories and zero health benefits.
Trans fats that are present in cheap lard, butter,and packaged food is another example of a type of food that we should totally eliminate from our diets as it is mainly hydrogenated fat that causes high low-density lipoproteins LDL cholesterol levels that have been associated with the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease. it is also related to increased body inflammation, insulin resistance, and the development of some types of cancers so avoiding that type of food and replacing it with healthy fats from natural sources can help greatly reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases.
Little protein consumption in the diet is another factor for fat accumulation since people who consume good proteins that are full of all the essential amino acids are more likely to be leaner with less visceral fat and with stronger heavier muscles. protein intake promotes weight loss as well since it makes you feel full faster, and this satiety lowers the intake of unhealthy foods sousing protein like meat, poultry, or fish as the main ingredient of most dishes is a great way to help burn more fat.
The type and amount of fiber intake play a major role in fat accumulation since fiber doesn’t only promote healthy gutbacteria but also makes you full for longer periods of time restricting your food intake. fiber also stabilizes your hormone levels which helps manage your appetite, unlike refined grains that are lower in fiber content and promote weight gain that is why it is best to resort to whole grain foods in our everyday lives to help make your meals healthier.
Too much alcohol consumption has also been linked to promoting fat accumulation in the body it also leads to body inflammation and is one of the main causes of fatty liver disease and certain types of cancer since alcoholic beverages are high incalories and contain high levels of sugar, it also decreases inhibition and judgment making you more likely to eat a lot of foods that are full of calories and bad for your health, it also stimulates hormone production that make you hungry and store more fat, it can make you stressed, and have poor sleeping quality so try to limit alcohol intake to 1- 2 drinks per day.

3. Stress:

Nowadays stress plays a very important role in the development of many diseases and unfortunately, millions of people around the world are affected by stress due to the lifestyles we lead now. this stress leads to the production of some hormones that promote visceral fat accumulation like cortisol levels.

Stress can also lead to unhealthy eating behaviors and negative coping mechanisms like alcoholism and substance abuse, it increases the chances of having sedentary lifestyles and poor sleep quality all of these factors combined can result in depression, anxiety, and many emotional disorders that promote obesity and overeating and this cycle of chronic stress and weight gain can only be broken through incorporating health-promoting lifestyle changes like exercising, meditating, having a well-balanced nutritious diet and don’t be afraid to seek professional help to get these issues addressed and to be able to improve your overall quality of life.

4. Sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity:

In recent years most of us have been trapped at home working online with very little socialization or going out but this is not a good reason to avoid exercise if we take 30 minutes every day to just get our bodies moving and the blood circulating, we will be in way better shape and avoid the harmful effects of sitting down for too long that highly promotes the accumulation of fat both subcutaneously and viscerally around your organs. in order to fight the harmful diseases that come with fat deposition we ought to avoid prolonged sitting especially if your work mainly involves sitting around for hours, try to make it a habit to get up every 30:60 minutes of work and move around or do some stretching for 10 minutes, not only will it help clear your mind, but it will also save your body from horrible diseases.

Sitting down for long periods of time makes you more likely to want to binge eat while you are watching tv shows at night and these calories are not used in any way for energy production, but they get stored in the body as fat.

5. Age:

People, as they get older, tend to put on weight, especially around the abdominal area, and lose more lean tissue that gets replaced by fat as the body, can’t burn fats as effectively as when you were young and if you don’t compensate that increase in fat storage with eating fewer calories you tend to put on more weight, along with the hormonal changes that occur as you get older from menopause in females and lower testosterone levels in males that cause more fat storage both viscerally and around your abdomen.

6. Medication:

There are a lot of drugs out there that can get you to put on weight and promote fat deposition without overeating just as a side effect most commonly are the medications used to treat psychiatric disorders like antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs, drugs that contain corticosteroids, and drugs for treating diabetes as insulin and sulfonylureas.

Ways to reduce body fat

1. Behavioral modifications:

Changing the way, you approach food can help you lose weight faster and more effectively some of the commonly utilized methods for weight loss and fat burning are:

1. you should lower your daily caloric intake to be sufficient enough to your level of daily activity
2. you should eat only when you feel hungry
3. you should avoid overeating and eat only till you reach the point of satiety
4. you should avoid eating between meals unless they are healthy snacks
5. you should Stay away from eating junk food and eating from fast food places as they are full of salt and fat that will make losing weight harder for you
6. you should not eat in front of the tv or your phone and focus only on the food you are eating
7. you should Fully chew your food to help you eat slower and digest it easily

2. Change your diet:

Choosing food items that are natural and lower in calories can help you greatly avoid fat accumulation:

you should incorporate more veggies and fruits that are full of complex carbs and fiber that will help you decrease your food intake and lose weight
you should choose high-quality proteins from poultry, seafood, meat, eggs that will help you build more muscle and feel full faster
you should resort to healthy fats with healthy omega3 fatty acid and polyunsaturated fats like olive oil, nuts, and seeds
you should avoid high-calorie drinks full of sugar and go to healthier options like tea and coffee with a wide variety of antioxidants in them and add no sugar
you should avoid having too much content of refined carbs and highly processed foods with saturated fats and additives in them.

you don’t have to follow a certain diet plan but going natural and choosing what you put on your plate in a mindful way can help you lose weight and improve your quality of life.

3. Exercise regularly:

Exercising is one of the best ways to improve your physical and mental health as well. It is recommended you spend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week like walking or swimming or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity workouts like running every weak along with some strength training like lifting weights to get better muscles you should try different exercise routines till you find what is right for you that makes you feel good and helps you burn fat and when you notice the results in your improved health it will only motivate you to keep going and get better.

4. Reduce stress:

One of the best methods for reducing stress is not avoiding it as it will only build up and be a chronic thing that you get used to instead, being able to acknowledge, understand the things that make you stressed, realizing that you are in stressful situations at the moment, and using that to think in sensible ways in order to tackle these stressors is the right approach to reducing stress, having healthy daily routines with work fun balance can help you greatly feel calmer about the day no matter how full it is.

Having habits that take your mind off things that are stressful like reading, listening to your favorite music, knitting, doing crafts and of course meditating can help you put your mind to rest and be more aware of your thoughts and feelings. by lowering your level of stress, you will increase your lifespan as you will improve lots of aspects of your life including your health.

5. Get enough sleep:

Since lack of sleep has been shown to be associated with weight gain, it is crucial to have a healthy sleeping routine where you get the most out of the 8 hours of sleep preferably all night to help your body rejuvenate and heals itself you will not only improve your metabolism but you will get more energy throughout the day and be able to handle stressful situations more cautiously and avoid developing many diseases that are associated with poor sleeping quality.