Healthy Foods That Burn Fat
My name is Tom Venuto, best-selling fitness author of "Burn the Fat", and I've
been a natural body builder for more than 20 years. I wrote the following
article to help you clearly understand what are the best foods, and why. If you
have set a goal to lose body fat and get in the best shape of your life, well
read on. It’s all right here.
These foods are also great for helping you burn fat because they're low
in caloric density.
Remember - a food could be healthy and loaded with nutrients, but very
high in calories... and too much of anything - even healthy foods - can make
you fat.
On the other hand, a food could be low in calories, but void of
nutrients, so it might help you lose fat, but will do nothing for your health.
Why not get the best of both worlds? Why not get a healthy and lean
body?
Being a "natural" bodybuilder means I don't take steroids,
and I take the same approach toward everything else I put in my body - it has
to be natural - and healthy.
I believe that if you look fantastic on the outside, but you're not
equally fantastic on the inside (optimal health) and if that doesn't express
itself in high levels of energy, mental sharpness and zest for life, then
you're not fully successful. What I'm saying is, success is NOT just about the
body fat percentage or the six pack abs.
But I also think if you are healthy, but you settle for less than the
body shape and body weight you really want, then you’re also not successful.
That's why I'm deeply interested in researching foods that help you get
both healthier and leaner (and even more muscular, if that's your goal as
well).
So without further ado, let's talk about these healthy foods that help
you burn fat!
It is VERY difficult to provide a list of healthy foods that applies to
everyone. In fact, It's impossible. Here's why:
What if you're vegetarian? If you don't eat meat, then that's one food
off the list. What if you're lactose intolerant? if you can't digest milk
products, that's another food off the list. Some people have problems with
gluten. Everyone is different.
Not to mention, I have no idea what YOU like to eat! You have to pick
foods you enjoy, or you'll never stick with your nutrition plan. So there
really is no single perfect list of healthy foods. One person's preference is
another's poison.
So how am I going to tackle this list? Simple: I'm going to assume
you're reasonably healthy and have no intolerances or restrictions. If there's
something you can't/won't eat, then don't eat it! It's that simple! Dispense
with the "expert gurus" who insist you must follow a tightly
restricted food list. That's nonsense. Simply use use the lists below to pick
and choose the foods you DO like.
Healthy
Protein Foods
Here's a trick from bodybuilders that you can use even if you're not a
bodybuilder: Start every meal by choosing a lean protein source. If you're
vegetarian, you'll have to choose plant-based protein sources, but for most of
us, protein means animal products - meat, fish and dairy.
Many people believe that meat products are unhealthy. This is totally
false! It's all about what kind of meat you choose.
First, stay away from processed meats - that means deli lunch meats and
also the meat at fast food restaurants. (you would have a "bird" if
you saw the list of artificial additives in a McDonalds Chicken Breast - it's
not pure chicken breast - it's "fake" meat)
Second, to keep the calories down (to help you burn fat), choose the
leanest cuts of meat you can find. For example, turkey breast instead of thighs
or a top round steak instead of a big prime rib.
Third, if you can fit it in your budget, choose grass-fed beef, which
has a healthier fatty acid profile (healthier ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty
acids)
· Chicken breast
(the real bird, not fast food meat!)
· Turkey breast
(the real bird, not sliced lunch meat!)
· Game meats
(venison, elk, etc.)
· Bison/buffalo
(is often leaner than regular beef)
· Very lean red
meat such as top round and lean sirloin (grass fed is especially nutritious)
· Almost all types
of fish (warning: a few, like swordfish, tilefish and some types of tuna are
known to be contaminated with mercury)
· Salmon (one of
the healthiest foods you can eat due to the high omega-3 fatty acid content -
choose wild salmon over farmed)
· Shellfish and
other seafood
· Eggs (you can
even eat whole eggs in moderation, within your calorie limit - the yolk
contains a highly bioavailable source of lutein and xeaxanthin, carotenoids
which help protect against cataracts and macular degeneration)
· Dairy products,
if you are not lactose intolerant (choose low or nonfat dairy to save calories)
Healthy
Fibrous Vegetables and Green Foods (aka, "fibrous carbs")
The next healthy food to put into every healthy meal is a green food or
fibrous vegetable. Among the vegetables, fibrous carbs are the ultimate health
and fat loss food.
Fibrous carbs and green veggies are packed with fiber, micronutrients,
phytonutrients, plus they are extremely low in calorie density. It's almost
impossible to over eat fibrous carbs and greens.
Here's a list of some of the most popular fibrous carbs
· broccoli
· Asparagus
· Spinach
· Brussel Sprouts
· Green Beans
· Bell Peppers
(green or red)
· Zucchini (summer
squash)
· Tomatoes,
natural tomato sauce, salsa
· Lettuce and
other salad greens (darker the better)
· Kale
· Cauliflower
· Cabbage
· Onions
· ALL other green
and fibrous carbs
Healthy
Fruits ("Natural Simple Carbs)
You've heard it said a thousand times: eat more fruits and veggies, and
you can't hear it often enough. It's saddening that low carb fanatics actually
put restrictions on fruits. They are another nutritional powerhouse. The
fructose in fruit is the naturally-occurring kind, and there's not that much of
it, so you can relax; it's NOT the same thing as high fructose corn syrup.
I would give you a list of fruits, but I'm sure you know what they are
and you already have your favorite types. Just two tips: Watch out for dried
fruit. One of the reasons fruit is healthy and helps you burn fat is because it
is high in fiber and high in water content. When you remove the water you
increase the calorie density. High calorie density foods should be limited.
That goes for fruit juice too - if you drink fruit juice, keep it to
small quantities. Fruit juice is calorie dense, it has had the fiber and pulp
removed and doesn't activate the satiety centers in your brain like whole food
does.
· ALL fruits
(Except as above)
Healthy
Non-Starchy Vegetables and Natural Whole Grains
The Next Category of healthy foods is the natural starchy carbohydrates
and the natural whole grains. Its a shame that the low carb diet craze has
caused people to fear these foods because many of them are nutritional stars,
loaded with fiber and micronutrients.
That said, you have to be a little more careful here because starchy
carbs and grains are more calorie dense than fibrous carbs and most fruits.
Tip: load up on the lean proteins, fibrous carbs and fruits first, and then add
in these starchy carbs and grains as your calorie needs allow. If you're highly
active or in hard training, you'll be able to manage a lot more from this
category:
· Sweet potatoes
(or yams)
· White potatoes
· Brown rice
· Oatmeal (the
natural, unsweetened kind!)
· Black eye peas
· lentils
· Squash
· Peas
· chick peas
· beans all kinds:
black, pinto, navy, kidney, etc
· Quinoa (a
natural whole grain)
· 100% whole grain
bread and pasta products (use in moderation - even though they are made with
the whole grain, they are lightly processed and calorie dense)
Healthy
Fats:
Just like the low carb craze created a cult of anti-carb zealots, back
in the 1980's and into the 1990's, the diet mantra was "fat makes you
fat." Even doctors said so. They were wrong.
Dietary fat can only be called fattening in the sense that it's the
most calorie dense of all the macronutrients. Protein has 4 calories per gram.
Carbs have 4 calories per gram. Fat has 9 calories per gram. With more than
twice the calories per gram, it's easy to over consume calories from high fat
foods.
However, fat won't make you fat if you're in a calorie deficit. In
fact, certain types of fats, particularly the omega-3 fats, which are found in
high concentrations in fatty fish, are among the healthiest foods you could
eat. Healthy fats are also found in nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens and certain
healthy, unprocessed oils.
Stay away from trans fats and also refined oils! Most people know to
limit the amount of white sugar and white flour they eat, but it doesn't dawn
on them that processed oils are the equivalent - call them white oils if you
wish, referring to the fact that they've been refined and stripped of
nutritional value.
note to reader: For additional information on "Burn the Fat",kindly click HERE
