Foods That Burn Fat – 8 Metabolism Igniting Foods

When we’re dieting and trying to lose weight we want every advantage we can find to help us burn those calories and get that extra pudge off our bodies, right?

So are there really foods that can help a person burn extra calories?

Realistically, every food we eat gets our metabolism going to some extent because our body has to burn calories to digest it.

But, from what I’ve read and from what I’ve experienced myself I can see why a person’s body uses an apple differently than a bag of Doritos.

I think of it like this: our bodies know what to do when it sees a pure whole food source like an apple because it’s a food our bodies are meant to have and has nutrients our bodies know exactly how to utilize. A bag of Doritos on the other hand, while very tasty, aren’t exactly a whole and pure food source. They contain artificial ingredients and preservatives which our bodies aren’t designed to burn up efficiently so is it any wonder that our digestive system may look at those Doritos and say, “I’m not real sure what to do with these foreign ingredients so I’ll just stick them over here (aka–turn them into fat) and decide what to do with them later.”

Personally when I’m eating healthy and nutritious food I feel better, have more energy, can fight off sickness much better, and I lose weight.

When I fall back into my old habits of eating junk food and drinking soda, my energy levels plummet and I find it nearly impossible to lose weight even though I’m consuming the same number of calories as when I’m sticking to healthy food.

But I’ve wondered if there are healthy foods that can help rev up metabolism and help get pounds off. For instance I’ve always wondered if drinking cold water really does burn more calories than drinking room temperature water.

According to Web MD, the answer is “yes.” Information on the Web MD website says that both men’s and women’s metabolic rates increased by 30% after drinking water and they attributed 40% of that increase to the body’s attempt to heat up the water that was ingested. Plus our bodies work better when they are hydrated which can help keep our metabolism humming throughout the day.

So water is number one on my list of “foods that burn fat and ignite metabolism.”

Here’s seven more:

1) Breakfast Food – remember how your mother constantly told you that you should eat your breakfast? Mom was a pretty smart lady. After sleeping for several hours our metabolism has slowed and needs to get woken up. Breakfast does just that. Whole grain toast, oatmeal, whole grain cereal, eggs, yogurt, fruit and low fat milk are great breakfast foods that are nutritious and filling. You say you’re not hungry in the morning? I say eat something anyway, even if you can’t manage more than a piece of fruit. The idea is to get some food into the body to wake metabolism back up and get it going for the day.

2) High Fiber Foods – Fiber not only helps us feel full longer as our bodies work to digest it and break it down, but that extra work our bodies need to process that food through our system uses extra calories. Think fruits such as grapefruit and apples and bananas; vegetables like broccoli and spinach and sweet potatoes; whole grain breads and whole grain cereals; and beans – the high fiber food that makes you “toot.”

3) Hot peppers – Hot peppers contain capcaisin, a strong alkaloid produced by the glands of hot peppers. Capcaisin causes a body to burn extra calories for hours after being ingested which speeds up metabolism.

4) Almonds – This tasty nut contains essential fatty acids that help to raise body metabolism. I consider them a “win/lose” food though because although they help raise body metabolism it’s easy to eat hundreds of calories worth of almonds in a few minutes. Portion control is key. Try buying them in single serve bags.

5) Green Tea – It contains a healthy catechin, which is a tannin. It’s a powerful antioxidant and it also is known to speed up the brain and nervous system, which in turn causes a person’s body to burn more calories.

6) Coffee – I’m talking the high octane stuff that still has its caffeine in it. Caffeine gives our bodies a boost but be careful because overdoing it on the caffeine can turn a person into a jittery mess and cause sleeplessness.

7) High Protein Foods – Foods high in lean protein such as turkey and yogurt can help boost metabolism because protein helps build muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat.

Now here’s where I add a “catch.” While consuming the foods I just listed can help increase metabolism and burn fat, it doesn’t mean that calories don’t count. Calories do count. Bottom line: a person still needs to take in less calories than their body burns to lose weight.