Believe it or not, but there is food, that helps us lose weight. It’s called thermogenic food. Thermogenesis is a heat production process in our body. As a significant component of the metabolic rate, thermogenesis can potentially be stimulated to increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation. Thermogenic foods are low in calories but require a significant amount of energy to be digested.
Let’s look in to those foods:
– Green tea
– Water – especially iced water
– Apple, pear, apricot, peach
– Hot peppers: chili, cayenne, jalapeño
– Berries
– Broccoli, cabbage
– Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, kale)
– Ginger
– Protein foods ( your body burns about 30% of consumed calories to digest protein. For example you had a 400 cal steak, your body will burn 120 cal to digest it)
– Low-fat dairy products
– Lentils
– Mustard
– Vinegar
– Cinnamon
– Coconut oil
– Celery
– Lemon
Saw this food comparison: 3 cups Broccoli = 3 french fries = 7 jellybeans = 7 cups of mushrooms = 1 marshmallow= 14 cups of lettuce
(At http://www.empowher.com/community/share/top-ten-thermogenic-foodsburn-calories-while-you-eat-these)
So next time I think of having french fries, I ask myself if it’s really worth it…
Although those foods help burn fat, it doesn’t mean that I can eat as much as I want. Too much is never healthy. With that in mind, I add those foods to my daily meals and enjoy the results!
Internet sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermogenesis
http://www.empowher.com/community/share/top-ten-thermogenic-foodsburn-calories-while-you-eat-these
http://www.empowher.com/community/share/top-ten-thermogenic-foodsburn-calories-while-you-eat-these
FitAli 