Fat Burning Foods & Foods That Burn Fat

Fat Burning Foods & Foods That Burn Fat

Q: What are the best thermogenic fat burning foods for burning body fat?
Is this a thermogenic food that burns fat?

A: That depends on your definition of a "fat burning food." When you say "thermogenic," many people instantly think of supplements or exotic herbs, hot spices or foods like cayenne, chili pepper, mustard, cider vinegar, guarana, green tea, etc., which (supposedly) "magically" ramp up your metabolism and burn off body fat.

There might actually be some science behind a few of those things. For example, a slight thermogenic effect from capsaicin in hot pepper and a slight boost in 24-hour metabolic rate from the EGCG in green tea. However, focusing on tiny details (especially before you’ve mastered the nutrition fundamentals) is putting the cart before the horse.

That's like getting excited by the theory that drinking enough ice cold water is going to get you ripped because the body has to "warm it up" (which expends energy). Believe it or not, the research on cold water thermogenesis shows that it actually exists! BUT... water-induced thermogenesis only amounts to an extra ONE-TENTH of a pound a week in weight loss!

Such is the case with most so-called "thermogenic foods" and spices. The effect is real, but tiny.

Remember the 80-20 Rule (Pareto's Principle) in Weight Loss

Details are important and little things can make a difference, so it doesn't hurt to eat spicy foods, drink green tea and drink ice cold water.

However, when you put too much attention on the small stuff (and "weird exotic stuff"), you're not only being horribly inefficient, you're also putting yourself at risk of falling for the latest fad diet.

In any endeavor, including weight loss, a small handful of critical factors (the 20%) will produce the vast majority of your results. The rest (80%) is minutia. Only after you have the critical factors (the fundamentals) in place first, should you "sweat the small stuff" that might help your results an extra percentage point here and a percentage point there.

That's the 80-20 rule and if you remember this rule, it will change your life.

Dietary Thermogenesis and the Thermic Effect Of Food

In reality, ALL foods are "thermogenic" because the body must use energy to digest them. This is known as the "thermic effect of food" (TEF) or "specific dynamic action of food."

However, not all foods have the same thermic effect. Dietary fat has the lowest thermic effect. The most thermogenic food (my "favorite") is lean protein from solid foods, especially the following:

* chicken breast
* turkey breast
* game meats (venison, elk, etc)
* bison, buffalo
* very lean red meat such as top round and lean sirloin (grass fed is especially nutritious)
* almost all types of fish
* shellfish and other seafood
* egg whites (whole eggs in moderation)

Protein drinks could also be added to this list. They can be quite helpful for boosting overall protein intake or as a convenient meal replacement. However, I have always had a theory that the thermogenic effect of solid, whole food proteins is higher than most people think and that solid whole food proteins have a higher thermic effect than liquids.

That's why I recommend focusing primarily on whole foods for the majority of your calories. This is a good idea anyway because liquid calories have been proven less effective at activating the appetite and satiety mechanisms in your brain and gastrointestinal tract and it's easier to overconsume liquid calories than solid calories.

In any case, research has proven that the thermic effect of protein is the highest of all the macronutrients, requiring about 30% of the calories it contains, just for digestion and processing.

This is one of the reasons that a bodybuilder's diet is high in lean protein and bodybuilders are the leanest muscular athletes on earth. My entire fat loss program is based on these bodybuilding diet methods (although my diet is not just for bodybuilders).

When you combine thermogenic lean protein foods with the right amounts and types of essential fats, add in plenty of green vegetables and just the right amount of natural starchy carbs and whole grains (at the right times - see below for the trick), your body will literally turn into a turb-charged fat burning machine - without drugs, supplements or weird diet gimmicks.

A Simple 3-Step Formula To Put Together A Fat-Burning Meal:

STEP 1: Select a green vegetable or fibrous vegetable such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, salad vegetables, etc., and then

STEP 2: Combine that with one of the lean proteins (previously mentioned above).

STEP 3: The lean protein and fibrous carb forms the foundation of your fat burning meal. From there, add natural starchy carbs or grains such as brown rice, oats, or sweet potatoes - in the amount your calorie needs dictate and to the degree your body can tolerate them (some people are carb-sensitive). Fruit is also ok, but focus even more on the green and fibrous vegetebles.
Learn More About Fat Burning Foods in Tom's BURN THE FAT program - CLICK HERE

A Great Trick For Burning the Fat
While Maintaining Your Lean Muscle

Last but not least, here's a great trick for increasing your fat loss while stimulating muscle growth at the same time. Take advantage of "nutrient timing and partitioning" by eating most of your concentrated carbs (starches and grains and simple sugars) (1) early in the day when you are in need of fuel after the overnight fast, and (2) after your weight training.

Research from the University of Nevada Department of Kinesiology found that the thermic effect of food was 73% higher after weight training compared to a group that didn't train with weights. A study from East Carolina University found that the thermic effect of a meal was 50% higher in weight trained men than sedentary men. Pretty cool huh? Chalk another one up for the bodybuilding method of training and nutrition!

How To Learn More About Fat Burning Foods

In my Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program, you'll learn all the fat loss fundamentals, which are responsible for 80-90% of your results (forget about gimmicks and minutia like "hot pepper diets" or "grapefruit diets" - you didn't really believe in those anyway did you?... you just hoped...)

Also, included with the Burn The Fat program as extra bonuses, you get three free reports that list all the best, healthiest fat-burning foods:

(1) Foods That Burn Fat
(2) Foods That Turn to Fat
(3) The A Food B Food Lecture: How To get Good Grades on Your Food Choices.

Get all the details on the home page: www.BurnTheFat.com