Fat Burning Foods - Are There Any?

It would be great if we could burn off all of our blubber just by eating certain foods - fat burning foods. Many of people would give a preference to those, if they existed. According to the claims, by just consuming these foods you would be able to reduce your weight. This however is misleading. Maybe just like magic, we could take a pill too and it would all melt away. Unfortunately for most people it takes quite a bit more to burn off fat, whether they have been slowly accumulating for years, or whether it is a recent addition. A lot of diet programs claim that you can lose weight by only eating certain foods, or by eliminating things like carbs from your diet. There are no fat burning foods, but keep reading...

As most people are aware these days, fats can be divided up into three basic types: saturated, unsaturated, and Trans fats. Trans fats, like the ones that are found in many baked goods are definitely to be avoided whether you want to lose weight or not. Unlike other dietary fats, these are not essential and they do not promote good health. In fact the consumption of Trans fats increases one's risk of coronary heart disease by raising the level of bad cholesterol and lowering the levels of good cholesterol in the body. There has been much interest in the news in the last year or so about the possibility of banning usage. Rather than being fat burning foods, foods with this type of fat is not healthy.

Diets high in saturated fat have also been co-related with an increased incidence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Examples of foods containing a high portion of saturated fat include dairy products (especially cream and cheese but also butter and ghee), animal fats such as suet, tallow, lard and fatty meat, coconut oil, cottonseed oil, palm kernel oil, chocolate, and some prepared foods.

Foods containing unsaturated fats on the other hand include avocado, nuts, and vegetable oils such as canola, and olive oils. Although unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated fats, they are not fat burning foods either. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that the amount of unsaturated fat consumed should not exceed 30% of one's daily caloric intake. In addition, saturated and unsaturated fats often exist together in many food products. This is starting to get complicated isn't it? The main rule of thumb to remember, is that fats from animal sources need to be limited in the diet, with preferences for plant based oils and fats.

While good fats will help you to maintain healthy levels of cholesterol in body, they are not fat burning foods however. In fact the only way to burn off body fat is by reducing caloric intake and by increasing the expenditure of energy. Whether you decide to reduce calories by reducing carbohydrates, proteins or fats is a personal choice.

The main thing is that calorie intake needs to be reduced at the same time as calorie consumption (energy burning) is increased for weight loss to take effect. While certainly keeping in mind good fats versus bad fats, the best approach is to eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and low-fat dairy products, and moderate in fat. We are talking healthy moderation here. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

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