Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Five Fat-Burning Foods To Help You Lose Weight

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Fitness4Her believes that women should enjoy the foods that they eat, foods that taste good and are nutritious too. Nutrition is the foundation of a healthy diet and all weight loss programs should include foods that supply the vitamins and nutrients that a woman’s body requires. Just because you go on a diet doesn’t mean you should deprive yourself of good tasting, nutritious foods. But you should watch the fat content and portion size of your meals.

There are many foods that you can eat that will help you to burn fat quicker and easier. To make it easy, I have come up with five fat burning foods that are full of vitamins and antioxidants. I have examined each food item and have given a brief description of the benefits you can achieve by adding these to your diet.

Milk
Drinking a glass of milk, especially after a workout will help your body to build muscle and burn fat. People with a greater muscle mass burn fat faster and easier, even when they are lying around on the sofa. Some studies on drinking milk have reported twice the weight loss for dieters who drank a full glass of milk each day.

Oatmeal
Full of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, this whole grain is an excellent way to start the day. Oatmeal helps to lower cholesterol, fills you up, keeps insulin levels balanced and helps to relieve constipation.

Grapefruit
Full of vitamin C and antioxidants, grapefruit is low in calories. Eating grapefruit as part of a diet can help you to burn fat and reduce weight.

Green Tea
Loaded with antioxidants, green tea has a chemical called ECGC that speeds up the brain and nervous system and increases the metabolism. A couple of glasses each day can help to burn an additional 80 to 90 calories.

Sardines
A wonderful source of fish oil, eating sardines and reducing fat intake, can increase weight loss and help to actually burn fat, too. Studies indicate that people who substituted 7 grams of fish oil for 7 grams of fat, lost weight faster and easier than those who did not.

Conquer Fat With Canola Oil

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Long hailed as a heart healthy fat, Canola oil is one of the best oils that you can use to cook your food. Made from crushed canola seeds, it has less saturated fat than most of the oils in your pantry. Compared to heart-healthy olive oil, canola oil has only half the saturated fat. Lower saturated fat means lower cholesterol and that is good news for your heart and your waistline. Studies have shown that consuming Canola oil will lower your bad LDL cholesterol levels.

When you are trying to lose weight, you might think that cutting out fats is the best way to reduce your waistline. However, not all fats are bad for you. Actually, a healthy dose of fat is part of the daily requirements according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A well-balanced nutritional diet should consist of 20% to 35% of healthy fat and Canola oil is one of the best fats you can choose.

In addition to the low saturated fat content and ability to lower cholesterol, Canola oil contains higher levels of an essential Omega-3 fatty acid, called Lineolic Acid. These are essential to your health but your body does not make this fatty acid, which is why it is important to add foods that are rich in these nutrients to your diet.

Whether you are cooking with olive oil, canola oil or vegetable oil, keep in mind that oil is 100% fat. Fat contains calories, a whole lot of calories. As a matter of fact, there are 9 calories in every gram of fat, compared to only 4 calories per gram for proteins and carbohydrates. Use oil sparingly because of the high calorie and fat content.

Canola oil has the lowest level of saturated fat than all other vegetable oils. Saturated fats raise the bad cholesterol in your body and have been linked to coronary heart disease. Cooking with canola oil will help to lower the saturated fat you may be adding to your food. Remember, a healthy dose of fat each day is good, but choose the healthiest forms for the best benefits.

Fairly inexpensive, canola oil is a good oil to add to the grocery list and keep as a staple in your pantry.

Get Nutty About Your Diet

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Almonds, cashews, pecans, pine nuts and walnuts are just a few of the nuts that should be part of your daily diet. It is suggested that a couple of handfuls each day will help to lower cholesterol and attribute to your longevity. Nuts are tasty and a fantastic way to satisfy the need to munch without adding a load of empty calories. Remember to pack a sack of nuts to take with you as you go on errands, family outings or even for a pedicure. Add nuts to salads, cereal, desserts and main dishes. Crushed nuts are wonderful on fish and chicken or used as the crust for your favorite pie. There are numerous ways to include nuts in your diet and with the benefits they provide you will want to make them a staple in your diet.

Almonds are high in fiber and rich in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Almonds help to lower blood sugar and reduce weight. Studies have shown almonds raise levels of good bacteria in the gut that boosts the body’s immune system.

Cashews can make you smarter. Cashews are rich in magnesium, which helps improve memory function. These nuts also contain high amounts of zinc and iron essential to the body’s immune system. Eating cashews can also improve eyesight.

Pecans are high in oleic acid, antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. They are great crushed, halved or whole. Pecans promote digestive health, improve heart functions and build healthy bones and teeth. High in calcium, magnesium, copper and iron and helps to reduce inflammation and reduce blood pressure.

Pine Nuts give you energy. Pine nuts are a very good source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. They are a heart healthy snack that helps to reduce cholesterol and help you lose weight when combined with a healthy diet and exercise. They are higher in calories than many nuts but are high in vitamin E and are gluten free. Pine nuts are an excellent source of vitamin B-complex, which helps to improve the body’s metabolism.

Walnuts contain a large amount of antioxidants and rich in Omega-3s, which fight inflammation. Eating walnuts may help to reduce the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer. The skin in particular is high in phenolic acids, tannins and flavonoids. Add these to your fruit salad, chicken salad or munch on a handful as a snack. Nuts are high in calories but the benefits make them a must for a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Plan Ahead To Eat Healthy

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Carefully planning your meals in advance will ensure you have the right ingredients on hand to prepare healthy, nutritious meals. Making a plan will help to balance your meals so you get the right amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet. It’s also a smart way to save money when you do a little planning before you head to the grocery store.

Make a chart for the week and decide what you want to eat for each meal. Be flexible if you think you might dine out for any of the meals. Think about foods you want to prepare and take an inventory of the ingredients that you already have. Make a list of the items you need to buy. Don’t forget about snacks. Add foods to your list that you want to keep on-hand for quick snacks. Fruits, nuts, and cheeses are all healthy foods that are easy to eat on the run.

Select a variety of menu items so your meals never get boring. Browse through cookbooks or surf the Internet for different recipes you can prepare. Don’t be afraid to try cuts of meat that you may not have cooked before. Substitute sautéing for frying and grilling for baking to cut calories while adding a touch of versatility to your presentations. Look for ways to prepare foods that will lower excess calories, salt, sugar or saturated fat from foods you have sworn off from. Experiment with herbs and seasonings to give your food that gourmet taste.

Colorful food, like peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, beets and squash decorate the plate and taste great. The array of colors adds excitement to every entrée. Enjoying your food is as important as the nutrition you get from it. Love your food and get the most out of every bite.

You don’t have to stick strictly to your plan, but it’s always helpful to have one in place. If you decide to dine out rather than eat in, you can always postpone each planned meal by one day or use the time-sensitive ingredients like produce and meat as soon as you can. Raw veggies are great on a salad, so if you don’t have time to cook them just toss them together and have them for lunch or a side dish at dinner.

To ensure healthy eating at every meal, plan ahead. Even when dining out, make a mental plan of what you want to eat. Eat a small apple and a full glass of water before the meal if you are afraid of overeating. Go easy on the bread and appetizers so you get the most out of your main meal. Planning ahead will always help you to eat healthy no matter where you dine.

Healthy Shopping Checklist

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Eating healthy is easier when you have the right foods on hand for snacking and preparing meals. This includes ready-to-eat meals, fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh meat. If possible, purchase meat fresh and cook it right away or freeze it for a meal later in the week. While meat that has been breaded and deep frozen may be convenient, fresh cooked meat tastes much better and is more satisfying.

Planning your meals ahead takes time and patience but it will ensure you have all the ingredients you need for healthy eating. Look through your cookbooks and check online for new recipes of old favorites. Find healthier ways to prepare some the foods you love.

When planning your healthy shopping checklist, you will want to add some herbs and spices to season your foods. Keeping these on-hand will help to enhance many dishes and make cooking and eating much more enjoyable. There are many other foods that you can stock as staples for several dishes you like to prepare. You’ll enjoy your meals so much more when you have everything you need to prepare them right.

Even if you don’t cook every night, planning a shopping list will help you to select healthy snacks and quick fix dinners that won’t have you standing over the stove for an hour. Adding a variety of these kinds of foods will give you a healthy alternative to stopping by a fast food restaurant on your way home from work.

If you take your lunch to work, you will definitely want to add your lunch items to your healthy shopping checklist. Be sure to get plenty of food, so you don’t run out before your next trip to the supermarket. Sticking to your managed diet is easy when you have everything you need to make a healthy, well-balanced meal.

A few healthy items to consider adding to your weekly list:

Cinnamon
Oregano
Basil
Thyme
Ginger
Pepper
Seasonal Fruit
Bananas
Strawberries
Watermelons
Peaches
Mango
Oranges
Lemons
Limes
Colorful Vegetables
Squash
Broccoli
Sweet Peppers
Leafy Vegetables
Spinach
Cabbage
Kale
Root Vegetables
Beets
Sweet Potatoes
Onions
Coconut Milk
Granola
Oatmeal
Quinoa
English Muffins
Eggs
Meat
Poultry
Fresh Fish
Seafood
Olive Oil
Ezekiel Bread
Flax Seed
Walnuts
Almonds
Greek Yogurt
Tofu