My Recipes Blog

Certain foods are better than others for fat burning. As a matter of fact there is so much confusion about which foods are really good for fat burning that people just don't know what to eat. To make it simple, I came up with a list of the top 15 fat burning foods. Now these foods aren't listed in order so number 1 isn't better than number 15, all of the foods listed here are the best and most thoroughly researched fat burning foods.

Whey Protein: This quick and easy food supplement is the base of many health food nuts diets for good reason. Whey protein boosts glutathione, which is one of the most important anti-oxidants in the body. It also contains natural amount of ACE inhibitors that lower blood pressure and improve heart function. Plus, whey protein keeps you satiated for longer so you don't end up snacking on foods that wreck your diet.

Broccoli: This vegetable makes the top 15 fat burning foods list quite easily and can even be the best fat burning food. Broccoli contains sulforaphane and indoles, nutrients that protect against prostrate, gastric, skin and breast cancer as well as reducing bad estrogen in the body. When we reduce estrogen we raise our natural fat burning hormones. Broccoli is also high in anti-inflammatory properties, which will help our joints following intense exercise. Not to mention the fiber, which delays hunger.

Blueberries: My favorite fruit for fat burning because it has a very high antioxidant capacity which helps our cardiovascular system perform better during training. Blueberries also lower cholesterol which at times is associated with a high protein diet.

Wild Fish: Any fish that is caught in the wild such as tuna, salmon and cod have numerous health and fat burning benefits to land it on the top 15 fat burning foods list. Wild fishes biggest benefit is that they contain omega-3 fish oil that increases heart health, reduces heart attacks and cardiac arrhythimias as well as improving brain function, memory, skin health and kidney function. Not bad for some fish huh?

Beef: Preferably grass-fed, beef is very high in the fat burning supplement CLA that has been shown in research to improve the muscle to fat ratio. Also grass-fed beef contains omega-3's and is a great source of zinc and the vitamin B12 which both have positive effects on a anabolic hormone environment to help us burn more fat. Plus it has a decent amount of protein as well.

Natural Peanut Butter: I absolutely love this food when I diet down because the healthy fat content not only keeps me fuller for longer but it also contains heart health fats that increase heart health. Natural peanut butter is also high in B5 which is a essential nutrient for reducing stress and regulates the muscle wasting, stomach fat storing hormone cortisol. So in addition to being one of the top 15 fat burning foods a case can be made to put it on a muscle building food list as well.

Oatmeal: I know you think I'm crazy for including a grain and a carbohydrate on my fat burning foods list but oatmeal is a super carbohydrate in that it actually helps you get and stay lean. Not only is oatmeal high in fiber which can stabilize your blood sugar but the fiber that it contains is beta-glucan which has been shown in research to stabilize the blood sugar of type II diabetics better than other types of fiber. Dr. Richard Bernstein who is world renown for his work with diabetics even recommends that they have one bowl of oatmeal per day.

Grapefruit: Not only does grapefruit make my top 15 fat burning foods list but it also makes the mayo clinic diet as well. A study that appeared in the Journal of Medicinal Food compared grapefruit pills to grapefruit juice to actual grapefruit. The result? The people that ate the grapefruit lost substantially more weight and also improved their insulin resistance as well.

Avocados: This wonder fruit helps fat burning due to its high concentrations of monounsaturated fat specifically oleic acid that is found in macadamia nut oil. Not only does this type of fat turn on fat burning but it also lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Avocdos are also high in beta-sitosterol, which lowers blood cholesterol and has protective prostate properties.

Almonds: I eat almonds with at least three meals per day so I had to put it up as one of the top 15 fat burning foods. Exciting research has shown that when two dieters ate the same calories but one of them ate 520 of those calories from almonds that the almond dieter lost more fat. There's even research that points to the almond cell wall possibly limiting the amount of dietary fat that can be absorbed which might mean that not even all of the fat from almonds is absorbed. Almonds keep you fuller for longer and they are also high in ALA which is a omega-3 fat that helps with fat burning.

Macadamia Nuts: Doctor Atkins called them a "nutritional complete and safe meal" so that is good enough for me. Not only are they very high in monounsaturated fat which is higher than any other nut, they also have been linked to lowering heart disease and cancer. Research is even beginning to show that the oil in macadamia nuts can increase your metabolism by around 8-10%. That's a good fat burning food.

Walnuts: I personally don't like the taste of them but I force myself to eat them since they contain the highest amounts of omega-3 fats of any nut. More importantly, walnuts are high in manganese which is a trace mineral that aids in how we metabolize sugar and insulin. Controlling insulin and limiting sugar is so important when we are trying to get in better shape which is why they made the top 15 fat burning foods list.

Eggs: No fat burning food list could be complete without the ultimate food of champions eggs right? Well aside from there high protein content which is essential for fat burning, eggs are also high in phosphatidylcholine which is a nutrient that is used to both regenerate the liver and to calm people down. Think about how alert and amped up you are after a good workout? What about your inability to get to sleep? Since we know that sleep is important for fat burning, eating eggs that contain choline can help us relax and get to sleep.

Tuna: I almost didn't put tuna on the list due to its mercury content but one look at the protein in tuna and I knew that it had a place as one of the top 15 fat burning foods. One light can of tuna has forty-two grams of protein per can. That's a lot of protein and tuna even contains a decent amount of omega-3 fish oil as well.

Green Tea: No fat burning food list would be complete without mentioning green tea. Taking away the caffeine from it, the EGCG found in green tea has been associated with decreased risk of various cancers, less coronary artery disease as well as increased levels of dopamine, which improves our mood. More directly related to fat burning, green tea helps the liver to detoxify estrogen. When the liver can't detox man made estrogens we won't be in a fat burning mode as efficiently as we should be.

Take the top 15 fat burning foods list and get shopping.