Diet & Fitness Blog
5 Foods That Fight Fat
Email PageStaff Writer
There is only so much fat burning you can do at the gym. Enlisting the assistance of fat-fighting foods will help you battle the bulge all day long, leading to an increase in overall weight loss.
These versatile foods can help you stoke your metabolism at breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack time. I skipped the healthy foods that are hard to find -- or unpleasant to eat -- and focused on delicious, easy-to-prepare staples. Stock up on these great foods to make slimming down simple.
Perk Up
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, which makes sense since it's such a crucial ingredient in getting anything done. But your daily brew is doing more than keeping you awake, alert and focused.
The average metabolic rate of caffeinated coffee drinkers is 16 percent higher than those that drank decaf, according to a study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior. Beyond boosting your metabolism, coffee also reduces appetite and contains heart-healthy antioxidants.
Say Cheese!One of the most versatile and delicious foods of all time -- that is a scientific fact -- can improve your omelet, upgrade a burger or be eaten all alone as a tasty snack. And if those weren't enough reasons to love cheese, it can actually help you avoid gaining weight.
According to a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who ate an ounce of full-fat cheese daily gained fewer pounds than their cheese-deprived counterparts over the course of the study. Full-fat dairy contains conjugated linoleic acid, which is believed to boost your metabolism; cheese is also a great source of muscle-building protein. Is there anything this wonder food can't do?
Almond Joy
There's nothing simpler to snack on than nuts. A handful of almonds -- about 12 -- can not only satisfy your craving for something crunchy, but can also help you lose weight. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found that participants who ate 3 ounces of almonds a day reduced their weight and body mass index by 18 percent.
Almonds are loaded with alpha-linolenic acid, which has been found to accelerate the metabolism of fats. Walnuts are another good snack choice because they are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which may prevent the onset of hunger. An Australian study found that 8-10 walnuts a day helped dieters lose more body fat and reduce insulin levels.
Favorite Fish
It seems counter-intuitive that a fish high in fat could help you lose fat, but salmon does just that. The fat in salmon is the heart-healthy omega-3 variety, which a recent study in Iceland found increased blood levels of the appetite-regulating hormone leptin. Salmon is not only packed with health benefits, but it also helps keep you full longer.
Spreading Yourself Thin
If you haven't already swapped mustard for mayonnaise on your sandwich, it's time to make the switch. In addition to saving yourself about 100 calories and 10 grams of fat, you'll also get a healthy dose of turmeric. A study in the journal Endocrinology found that the spice that gives mustard its color may also slow the growth of fat tissues.
Eating healthy doesn't have to hurt. Just a few simple switches can help you keep those extra pounds off for good. Besides, any excuse to drink coffee, eat cheese and feel good about it makes for a good day indeed.
Make weight loss even easier with eDiets Meal Delivery -- there's no cooking, counting or doing dishes! Sign up today and get a free week of meals!
Labels: beauty foods, cheese, diets, fat-burning, fat-loss, healthy-living, weight-loss
Comment by 
FitnessOver50 said... - Thursday, January 28, 2010 9:30:00 PM
I could not have written the post better myself
Great post
I pretty much eat all those foods on a regular basis.
Peter
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 7:34:00 AM
I'm concerned about saturated fat in cheese - how often should full fat cheese be eaten?
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 8:45:00 AM
cheese in one of the top three foods that cause total body inflammation
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 11:30:00 AM
This is a great article. I love all these foods and have recently switched to mustard - or I eat my sandwiches dry.
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 11:56:00 AM
I wonder how much the dairy industry or any of the processed food giants like Kraft support this site. The very idea that cheese fights fat is ludicrous.
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 12:07:00 PM
Good advice - however . . . I became violently ill on some salmon eons ago that had beed used to 'ship in' contraband! Can't even get a salmon pattie past the throat!
Also, due to other health problems, my teeth rotted out of my head, and I have no gum line to keep in dentures. And no, no money! So, suggestions?
Comment by said... - Monday, February 01, 2010 5:58:00 PM
Comment to Anonymous who posted at 12:07 PM. A suggestion: Demand universal health care!!!
Comment by 
Proteus said... - Wednesday, February 03, 2010 11:52:00 AM
Rather than eating full fat cheese with all the saturated fat, just take a Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplement-there are also vegetarian fatty acid supplements for those of you who are not into consuming animals. With all the processing modern cattle go through there is actually very little Conjugated Linoleic Acid in it's Milk and cheese and meat. CLA is much higher in unprocessed meat milk and cheese harvested from cows that are fed an organic diet of grasses and seeds such as flax, when they are fed on a corn diet they are much higher in saturated fat and much lower in unsaturated oils and CLA. So just skip the cheese and go for the CLA supplement derived from Safflower oil. If you must go for the meat and dairy, go for organic products from cows fed a natural diet where they are raised on grasses NOT fed corn and in many cases "chicken litter." Limit your servings of red meat to 1x/week and only 4 oz. This is coming from a cancer survivor who is now in perfect health given that i had to research and adopt proper nutrition in order to survive.
Comment by Reenie said... - Friday, February 05, 2010 5:47:00 PM
I'm dairy allergic, so no cheese for me! I make do with soy substitutes when necessary. I prefer other fish to salmon (unless it's salmon sashimi, which I do eat); cooked salmon is nasty. The other foods I do eat. I've eaten and liked mustard for years; I prefer it over mayo any day.
Comment by said... - Wednesday, March 03, 2010 6:50:00 AM
I never bought the "dairy makes you lose weight" claim.
I never started losing weight until I dropped all animal products, especially cheese.
You might want to think about a rewrite on this article.
Comment by jhnevermore said... - Wednesday, March 03, 2010 11:31:00 AM
I LOVE cheese!!! When I first saw this post I was thrilled!!! But like all good things, my thrill came to a screeching halt after reading the comments. I guess it is counter intuitive that cheese would assist in weight loss. Plus I cant remember ever eating just one ounce at a time! LOL!
But, the power of cheese...
Can't resist!
RSS/XML
