The better you eat, and the more healthy your lifestyle, the more it will be reflected in your everyday appearance and overall wellness. It always comes back to the food we take in, because it's the food that - for so many people - controls how they live.
Most people don't understand how they woke up and suddenly found themselves overweight. They can't trace it to any measurable or quantifiable event because it's not something that happened overnight. It's something that has happened over the course of years as the result of abuse to the body. Those who substituted super foods for junk food are seeing the effects.
Without a diet centered on super foods, specifically 6 primary super foods that are helpful for everyone, people start to quickly see declining health, higher costs in healthcare (especially if there are more frequent visits), more money spent on clothing and a slew of psychological and emotional impairments such as depression anxiety and a sense of personal defeat.
Of course, this isn't to say that all food other than super foods is extremely bad for you. It's the poor food choices that happen repeatedly that cause the issue to creep up on people. Once super foods are sacrificed for junk food, it's that much easier to keep going back for the extremely tasty, high fat junk.
One cheeseburger isn't going to destroy your health, but one cheeseburger three times a week with a side of large fries, salt, ketchup and a coke will do it.
You don't need to completely eliminate bad food right away. Quitting cold turkey doesn't work for people, and that's not making a healthy change - that's a stressful change. Instead start with working the super foods back into your diet while controlling the portion size and frequency of other junk foods.
Start with these 6 fat burning super foods to get you back on track:
1: Soy Protein
Everything you do burns calories. By just existing, your body is constantly working. All the processes, digestion, circulation, thought, chemical creation, waste removal; these things take energy and that means calorie burn. Your body tears through hundreds of calories a day. That's why they tell people that on average, if you want to sustain your body you need to take in a minimum of approximately 2000 calories (this varies depending on your size, weight, gender etc.)
Of all the things that you eat, protein is at the top of the list in foods that require effort to digest - even more than common fats. While you're body and digestive system is working hard to process and digest the protein that you take in, it's throwing calories into the furnace. One of the best types of clean protein to promote healthy weight loss is any protein that is soy-based. While there is no real magic weight loss pill, the soybean comes pretty close.
For many who are serious about their weight loss, the most common addition to supplement the diet and fat burning foods is a good workout routine. It's important to remember that the more lean muscle your body has the more energy it takes to fuel those muscles, thus increasing metabolism. Protein is the life blood for muscle building. If you're working on a complete and balanced training routine then you should focus on building up that lean muscle.
By increasing the soy protein in your diet, you'll be fueling your muscles which will help you burn fat at a faster pace - plus you'll tone your body up as the fat comes off so that you have a more contoured physique.
Don't want to try stomaching things like Tofu? Shoot for organic grass fed meats and free-range poultry.
It's not uncommon to hear that we should be taking whole grains. We see it in magazines and it's plastered all over packages at the store "100% Whole Grain!" It's a good to understand what a whole grain is and why it's beneficial if you want to know how it can help you - and why it's one of the top 6 fat burning super foods.
A grain is considered "whole" when all three of the part (bran, germ and endosperm) are present. Many people know that a variety of fruits and vegetables contain an abundance of phytochemicals and antioxidants but what surprises people is that whole grains are an even better source of all manner of key nutrients.
Believe it or not, but whole grains are one of the top sources for B vitamins,vitamin E, magnesium, iron and certainly fiber - which is beneficial in its own right for helping regulate bowels, hunger and metabolism.
So what are some of the most common whole grains that are easy to find and stomach?
- Wild Rice
- Brown Rice
- Whole Wheat
- Oatmeal
- Whole Oats
- Barley
- Whole Rye
- Bulgur
- Popcorn (yes, popcorn - just skip the butter and cheese flavor)
Whole grains have a number of benefits that stack with their fat loss benefit, starting with their ability to reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasingcholesterol levels, blood pressure and even the potential for blood clots to form. Studies have proven over the years that individuals who consume more whole grains on a consistent basis weigh less than those who consume little to no whole grains as a part of their regular diet.
The "Grapefruit diet" has been a topic of discussion for some time now, and people have been trying to discern the health benefit of grapefruit as part of a daily diet routine. Some believed the Vitamin C should be credited, others felt the fruit just naturally boosted metabolism. After a number of fad diets surfaced, research data finally surfaced that help us understand the benefits of grapefruit as a weight loss super food.
Grapefruit actually lowers the insulin levels in the body - not by a great degree, but by some. This slightly decreased insulin level prevents the body from storing as much sugar as fat. Those lower insulin levels also help curb appetite, as a high insulin level is what turns the brain on that it's time to bring some energy into the stomach.
Another added benefit here is that grapefruit is one of the many super foods that are high in fiber with very few calories (a half grapefruit is only about 40 calories, usually a little less). The amazing thing about grapefruit is that it's one of the well-known "negative calorie" foods - meaning it takes more calories to digest it than exist in the fruit.
The greatest benefit is found in eating fresh grapefruit, with the next best option being grapefruit juice (100%, not mixed form or artificially sweetened/flavored). Try to aim for a juice with a high amount of pulp. Pills and extracts available in nutritional stores just don't provide the same results, and generally cost more than just buying some grapefruit at the market.
While it's a great diet food, don't use this info as a means to jump into a grapefruit diet. The best plan is a well-balanced diet. Unbalanced diets can do more to harm your health than any real good. Try combining a half grapefruit with your breakfast and the other with your lunch a few days a week to get started.
There are actually a number of benefits to switching out sweetened coffee and other beverages with green tea, whether hot or cold. First and most important, green tea can help improve metabolism by as much as 4% in a 24 hour period. That might not seem like much but it becomes a regular part of your diet it has the potential to keep your metabolism in a higher gear throughout the day.
Another benefit is the caffeine content in green tea. While lower than a cup of coffee by volume, the small amount of caffeine still carries the same affect where the heart rate increases, thus elevating circulation and causing the heart to work just a little harder. This can improve calorie burn over the course of a day.
Green tea is also known to reduce appetite to some degree, varying from person to person. Supplements are available that are made from green tea extract but the primary benefit comes from freshly brewed tea or concentrated green tea drinks (such as Lipton natural green tea).
Click To Enlarge.Green Tea Can Help Improve Metabolism By
As Much As 4% In A 24 Hour Period.
5: Fish
This doesn't have anything to do with protein, even though fresh, environmentally raised fish is a great source of protein. This actually has to do with a hormone known as leptin within the body. Most people don't realize or think about the fact that everything our bodies do (including fat and energy storage) has to do with hormones or chemicals in the body. Studies have proven that leptin directly influences metabolism, deciding whether or not your body stores calories or burns them for fuel.
The best way to lower your leptin levels? Eat some fish.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic studied two different tribes, one of which frequently ate fish as a part of their daily routine and another tribe that consumed very little (if any at all). Those members of the tribe that ate fish had leptin levels nearly 5 times lower than the levels found in the tribes that primarily lived off vegetables.
If you're not partial to the taste of fish, you should spend more time sampling the variety as there are numerous breeds and recipes to help you find a dish that you like, so stop fretting about sucking down tuna sandwiches.
Click To Enlarge.The Best Way To Lower Your Leptin
Levels? Eat Some Fish.
6: Apples
Of course this goes beyond just apples but it's the best way to identify this group. Apples and other water-rich fruits can help make your diet plan far more effective as the pectin contained within the apples can limit how much fat your cells can absorb. A wide variety of fruits, especially little berries, contain a large number of antioxidants and soluble fiber to aid in digestion.
It's important to limit the intake of fruits because some fruits do have a high natural sugar count which can create insulin spikes in the body. The natural acids within fruits can also create intestinal upset if taken in large quantities.
Click To Enlarge.Apples And Other Water-Rich Fruits Can Help
Make Your Diet Plan Far More Effective.
Conclusion
While this is just a starter list, and there are number of other super foods in the world that are great supplements to your diet, these 6 fat loss super foods can help you get on the right track to eating healthier with immediate improvement to the metabolism. It's common sense that in order to improve your health you'll need to eat better.
Think about the technological advances and the way foods are processed and refined to contain so many chemicals and fats to make them taste better and be more addictive to people. 2 or 3 decades ago, people didn't have access to the same foods that we so easily stuff ourselves with. Those people lived longer, healthier lives without problems stemming from obesity. Think about what they ate verse what we put on our plates everyday - it's clear that a change is necessary.
