Six Awesome Foods That Can Burn Fat

Calories in versus calories out. When you strip it down to its barest concepts, weight loss can look so amazingly simple. Just ingest less calories than what you would expend in a day. But weight loss is easier said than done. Just a couple of bites of steak and a few forkfuls of pasta, and poof! You’ve just ingested more than half of your calorie limit for the day. Thankfully, there are a lot of great foods that burn fat which you can munch on that is both yummy and filling to the tummy. Here are some great examples.

1. Kimchi

Ever wondered why Koreans are so skinny despite having a diet that is predominantly white rice and meat? Well, kimchi might just be their secret! This pungent delicacy has been consistently praised by nutritionists and dietitians as one of the healthiest foods in the world. A serving of kimchi has vitamins A, B, and C, plus a huge dose of healthy lactobacilli bacteria that can help aid in digestion. What’s even better is that the chili flakes used in kimchi gives you a nice dose of capsicum- a substance that is known to help speed up metabolism. 

2. Soybeans

Soybeans are another Asian staple. Whether they’re processed into tofu, pureed into milk, or eaten raw on their own, soybeans are just simply amazing. Take for example, tofu. To drastically reduce the amount of calories in a dish, just use tofu instead of meat. You wouldn’t even have to worry about it tasting off; tofu absorbs the flavors of the spices it is cooked with so your dish will stay yummy as it is. 

Other soy products are equally good too. Soy milk provides almost the same amount of protein as regular cow’s milk, without the lactose that some people can’t properly digest. Miso, a very flavorful fermented soybean condiment from Japan, helps in stimulating digestion and eliminating toxins from the body. 

3. Coffee

Yes, you’ve read that right. Coffee, the fuel that keeps people going through the day, is included among the roster of the best foods that burn fat. Why is this so? Well, the caffeine that is found in coffee stimulates adrenaline in the body, which in turn, would send messages to the body’s fat stores to burn off more fat. Some athletes even swear upon the benefits of ingesting caffeine before a workout- it enables them to train more intensely. 

But of course, the good effects of caffeine is severely negated when you drown your coffee in cream and tons of sugar. So don’t go for those expensive iced coffee drinks, fraps, energy drinks, and soda- just order a plain black coffee and hold off on the sugar and cream. 

4. Olive oil

Olive oil has been the favorite oil of people from the Mediterranean. They use it for cooking, medicine, and cosmetics. But now, health buffs are rediscovering the health benefits of this wonderful ingredient. 

Olive oil (the authentic kind, not the cheap ones that are often adulterated with other kinds of vegetable oil) contains compounds that can combat a host of harmful diseases and conditions. Studies have shown that olive oil can reduce one’s chances for various cancers, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. It also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties due to the large amount of polyphenols it contains. 

5. Whole grains

Contrary to popular opinion, carbs aren’t actually bad for you. In the same way that there are “good” fats and “bad” fats, there are also “good” carbs and “bad” carbs. Bad carbs are those that are refined and processed too much that most of their nutrients are stripped off (e.g. white bread and white rice). 
Good carbs are carbs that retain much of their fiber and nutrient content. Brown rice and oatmeal are good examples of this. You also burn more calories since the body works harder when it processes fiber-rich foods. 

6. Chia seeds

Chia seeds are more than a “fad”- these seeds come packed wit a lot of nutrients and minerals in just a small package. They have lots of fiber, protein, plus health omega-3 fats. Chia seeds are very versatile ingredients so you can use them both for savory and sweet dishes. Sprinkle them on a stew, mash them into a pudding- there are lots of way with which you can incorporate chia seeds into your diet.