Burn Calories Faster by Eating These Foods

If you’re trying to lose weight, you may want to include some foods that burn calories faster in your diet. There are many foods that speed up your metabolism and can help you shed some unwanted pounds.

Certain foods and spices have what’s called thermogenic properties. That is, they heat up your body’s temperature, which in turn, helps your body burn fat. When your body burns more fat, fat is flushed out of your body and you lose weight.

 

Foods and Spices that Burn Calories Faster

Cayenne Pepper - Cayenne pepper stimulates the metabolism up to 20%. It not only stimulates the body's metabolism, but also cleans fat out of your arteries. Cayenne is also known for it’s hot, eye opening flavor!

Hot Peppers – Hot peppers are very effective at raising metabolism when added to meals consisting of 750 - 600 calories. The peppers lead to what is called 'a diet-induced thermo effect'. Hot spicy foods raise your body's temperature. Your body strives to be normal and will burn calories faster in order to cool it back down. For some people though, hot peppers can cause some discomfort with elimination.

Chili Powder - Like all peppers containing Capsaicin, chili powder is a stimulant that raises your body’s temperature and helps you burn calories faster.

Cinnamon - Cinnamon, cloves, turmeric and bay leaves actually have drug-like properties that help your body better handle the sugar in sweets. These specific spices stimulate insulin activity, which allows your body to process sugar more efficiently and therefore need less insulin. Only a little cinnamon can stimulate insulin activity. A dash of cinnamon here and there can keep your blood sugar balanced.

Ginger - An Australian study proved that ginger revs up the metabolism and burns calories faster. Biochemists applied both fresh and dried ginger extracts to the tissue of animals and found that the spice induced tissues to use up more than 20% more energy than usual. Chinese herbalists prescribe ginger for weight loss, because of its warming ability. By raising body temperature, ginger helps to stimulate your body’s fat burning mechanisms. In Ayurveda medicine (a healing medicine system from India aimed at balancing the body), ginger is known to help relieve arthritis. Slice up fresh ginger root and eat it with low calorie stir-fried foods, or boil it to drink as tea, three times per day.

Garlic - Garlic heats up your body and revs up immunity. It is known for helping colds and flu. Garlic is a potent diuretic and an excellent weight loss aid.

Parsley - The ancient Greeks used parsley as an aphrodisiac and to enhance beauty and youthfulness. Today, its primarily used to stimulate the circulatory system, increase energy, and reduce water retention. Most people also know it as a breath freshener. You can use parsley in any recipe. Chopped fresh parsley is better for you than dried parsley. 

Foods that Burn Calories Faster Cabbage – Cabbage, whether red or green, helps create more probiotic enzymes in your lower intestine. The more you eat, the better your body assimilates and gets rid of wastes. Red or green cabbage can be consumed raw or steamed. Start including cabbage in your diet as a longevity food. Studies in the US, Greece, and Japan, concluded that people who ate more cabbage are less likely to develop colon Cancer and have a lower incidence of disease-related death. Celery - Celery takes more energy eat than the calories it provides. Celery has also long been used as a nerve tonic as it helps you chew out your frustrations without adding calories to your diet. Because of it’s high water content, it also helps flush more fat cells out of your body. It is also known as a Negative Calorie food. Other negative calorie foods that burn fat faster are apples, cucumber, and lettuce. Brussel Sprouts – Brussel sprouts are an ultra-nutritious vegetable, high in vitamin C and richer in protein than any other vegetable. They are one of the top foods that burn calories faster!

Broccoli and Cauliflower - Both broccoli and cauliflower contain calcium, Vitamin C, and fiber. Just one cup of broccoli provides over 150 mg of calcium. Don’t overcook them though. Steaming till they are just tender or eating them raw is suggested for the most health benefits.

Lemon or Vinegar – A glass of vinegar or lemon water first thing in the morning helps kick start your metabolism. This is Traditional Chinese Medicine at it’s finest. Vinegar and lemon slow down the rate of starch digestion and keeps your blood sugar balanced.

Vinaigrette Dressing - A vinaigrette dressing (1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 teaspoons of oil) with your salad can lower the blood sugar response to any meal by up to 30%. The best vinegar to use is either apple cider vinegar or red and white wine vinegar.

Berries - Berries have natural fructose that satisfy your cravings for sweets, but enough fiber so you consume fewer calories than you eat. British researchers found that the high content of insoluble fiber found in most berries, reduce the absorption of calories enough to promote weight loss, without hindering nutrition. Berries are also an excellent source of potassium, which helps control blood pressure.

Fish - Omega 3 fatty acids, found in salmon, mackerel, tuna and other fatty fish, are healthy kinds of fats that can increase your metabolism, rid the body of excess fluids, and increase energy levels. Omega 3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation and stiff joints from rheumatoid arthritis. Other essential fats for a healthy metabolism are Omega 6 fatty acids, especially Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA). Good sources are borage seed oil and black currant oil. If you are not a fish lover, fish oil and flaxseed oil capsules are great sources of Omega 3 essential fat. In fact, flaxseed may play a role in the prevention of heart disease and Cancer. You can also use flaxseed oil as a salad dressing or sprinkle flaxseed on yogurt, salads, or other fresh or steamed vegetables.

Drinks That Burn Calories Faster

Ice Water – Drinking water helps flush fat cells out of your body. Drinking cold ice water instead of tepid water, stimulates metabolism to burn calories faster.

Ice water works by keeping your body temperature down, however your body strives to be constant at 98 degrees. Your body will work extra hard to get your body back to the correct temperature. The extra energy it takes, burns calories faster and burns lots of extra calories. Water also reduces your cravings for junk food and energizes you. If you’re used to drinking lots of anything during a meal, you actually slow down your digestion. Drink water before or after a meal, so you don’t dilute digestive enzymes that work hard to digest the foods you’re eating.

Vinegar Water - Vinegar water assists in reducing excess weight. To reap the most benefits, use apple cider vinegar. Mix 1-1/2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with one full glass of water. Drink at least twice a day. Since vinegar water isn’t very tasty to drink, try organic apple cider vinegar instead. It has much better flavor. You can reduce your waistline by one inch just by drinking one glass of vinegar water first thing in the morning and then once during a meal. Drink each day for 3 weeks, then take a week off and start back on it the following week. If you can't stand the taste of apple cider vinegar water, try taking apple cider vinegar supplements,

Green Tea (Iced or Hot) - Green tea reduces the absorption of sugar into your blood, and reduces cravings for sweets. Green tea also inhibits the action of amylase, a primary digestive enzyme of carbohydrates. This 'block' helps move foods more quickly through your digestive tract which raises your metabolism and burns more calories. Drink green tea before a meal to aid digestion. Green tea has also been shown to help prevent Cancer and has health benefits for people with Diabetes.
Consume more foods and drinks that burn calories faster and consume fewer foods and drinks that add weight to your waistline. You'll feel better, look better, and be on your way to achieving healthy weight loss goals!