Fat burning foods

Each one of the following foods is clinically proven to promote weight loss. These foods go a step
beyond simply adding no fat to your system – they possess special properties that add zip to your
system and help your body melt away unhealthy pounds. These incredible foods can suppress your
appetite for junk food and keep your body running smoothly with clean fuel and efficient energy.
You can include these foods in any sensible weight-loss plan. They give your body the extra metabolic kick that it needs to shave off weight quickly.
A sensible weight loss plan calls for no fewer than 1,200 calories per day. But Dr. Charles Klein
recommends consuming more than that, if you can believe it – 1,500 to 1,800 calories per day. He
says you will still lose weight quite effectively at that intake level without endangering your health.
Hunger is satisfied more completely by filling the stomach. Ounce for ounce, the foods listed below
accomplish that better than any others. At the same time, they’re rich in nutrients and possess
special fat-melting talents.
Apples
These marvels of nature deserve their reputation for keeping the doctor away when you eat one a
day. And now, it seems, they can help you melt the fat away, too.
First of all, they elevate your blood glucose (sugar) levels in a safe, gentle manner and keep them
up longer than most foods. The practical effect of this is to leave you feeling satisfied longer, say, researchers.
Secondly, they’re one of the richest sources of soluble fiber in the supermarket. This type of fiber
prevents hunger pangs by guarding against dangerous swings or drops in your blood sugar level,
says Dr. James Anderson of the University of Kentucky’s School of Medicine.
An average size apple provides only 81 calories and has no sodium, saturated fat, or cholesterol.
You’ll also get the added health benefits of lowering the level of cholesterol already in your blood
as well as lowering your blood pressure.
Whole Grain Bread
You needn’t dread bread. It’s the butter, margarine, or cream cheese you put on it that’s fattening,
not the bread itself. We’ll say this as often as needed – fat is fattening. If you don’t believe that, ponder this – a gram of carbohydrate has four calories, a gram of protein four, and a gram of fat
nine. So which of these is fattening?
Bread, a natural source of fiber and complex carbohydrates, is okay for dieting. Norwegian scientist
Dr. Bjarne Jacobsen found that people who eat less than two slices of bread daily weigh about 11
pounds more than those who eat a lot of bread.
Studies at Michigan State University show some loaves of bread reduce the appetite. Researchers
compared white bread to dark, high-fiber bread and found that students who ate 12 slices a day of
the dark, high-fiber bread felt less hunger daily and lost five pounds in two months.
Others who ate white bread were hungrier, ate more fattening foods, and lost no weight during this
time.
So the key is eating dark, rich, high-fiber loaves of bread such as pumpernickel, whole wheat, mixed grain,
oatmeal, and others. The average slice of whole grain bread contains only 60 to 70 calories, is rich in
complex carbohydrates – the best, steadiest fuel you can give your body – and delivers a surprising
amount of protein.
Coffee
Easy does it is the password here. We’ve all heard about the potential dangers of caffeine – including
anxiety and insomnia – so moderation is the key.
The caffeine in coffee can speed up the metabolism. In nutritional circles, it’s known as a metabolic
enhancer, according to Dr. Judith Stern of the University of California at Davis.
This makes sense since caffeine is a stimulant. Studies show it can help you burn more calories
than normal, perhaps up to 10 percent more. For safety’s sake, it’s best to limit your intake to a
single cup in the morning and one in the afternoon. Add only skim milk to tit and try doing it without
sugar – many people learn to love it that way.
Grapefruit
There’s good reason for this traditional diet food to be a regular part of your diet. It helps dissolve
fat and cholesterol, according to Dr. James Cerd of the University of Florida. An average-sized
grapefruit has 74 calories, delivers a whopping 15 grams of pectin (the special fiber linked to
lowering cholesterol and fat), is high in vitamin C and potassium, and is free of fat and sodium.
It’s rich in natural galacturonic acid, which adds to its potency as a fat and cholesterol fighter. The
additional benefit here is assistance in the battle against atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
and the development of heart disease. Try sprinkling it with cinnamon rather than sugar to take
away some of the tart taste.
Mustard
Try the hot, spicy kind you find in Asian import stores, specialty shops, and exotic groceries. Dr.
Jaya Henry of Oxford Polytechnic Institute in England found that the amount of hot mustard
normally called for in Mexican, Indian and Asian recipes, about one teaspoon, temporarily speeds
up the metabolism, just as caffeine and the drug ephedrine do.
“But mustard is natural and safe,” Henry says. “It can be used every day, and it works.
I was shocked to discover it can speed up the metabolism by as much as 20 to 25 percent for several
hours.” This can result in the body burning an extra 45 calories for every 700 consumed, Dr. Henry
says.
Peppers
Hot, spicy chili peppers fall into the same category as hot mustard, Henry says. He studied them
under the same circumstances as the mustard and they worked just as well. A mere three grams of
chili peppers were added to a meal consisting of 766 total calories. The peppers’ metabolism-raising
properties worked like a charm, leading to what Henry calls a diet-induced thermic effect. It doesn’t
take much to create the effect. Most salsa recipes call for four to eight chilies – that’s not a lot.
Peppers are astonishingly rich in vitamins A and C, abundant in calcium, phosphorus, iron, and
magnesium, high in fiber, free of fat, low in sodium and have just 24 calories per cup.
Potatoes
We’ve got to be kidding, right? Wrong. Potatoes have developed the same “fattening” rap as bread,
and it’s unfair. Dr. John McDougal, director of the nutritional medicine clinic at St. Helena Hospital
in Deer Park, California, says, “An excellent food with which to achieve rapid weight loss is the
potato, at 0.6 calories per gram or about 85 calories per potato.” A great source of fiber and
potassium, they lower cholesterol and protect against strokes and heart disease.
Preparation and toppings are crucial. Steer clear of butter, milk, and sour cream, or you’ll blow it.
Opt for yogurt instead.
Rice
An entire weight-loss plan, simply called the Rice Diet, was developed by Dr. William Kempner at
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The diet, dating to the 1930s, makes rice the staple of
your food intake. Later on, you gradually mix in various fruits and vegetables.
It produces stunning weight loss and medical results. The diet has been shown to reverse and cure
kidney ailments and high blood pressure.
A cup of cooked rice (150 grams) contains about 178 calories – approximately one-third the number
of calories found in an equivalent amount of beef or cheese. And remember, whole grain rice is
much better for you than white rice.
Soups
Soup is good for you! Maybe not the canned varieties from the store – but old-fashioned,
homemade soup promotes weight loss. A study by Dr. John Foreyt of Baylor College of Medicine in
Houston, Texas, found that dieters who ate a bowl of soup before lunch and dinner lost more weight
than dieters who didn’t. The more soup they ate, the more weight they lost. And soup eaters
tend to keep the weight off longer.
Naturally, the type of soup you eat makes a difference. Cream soups or those made of beef or pork
are not your best bets. But here’s a great recipe:
Slice three large onions, three carrots, four stalks of celery, one zucchini, and one yellow squash.
Place in a kettle. Add three cans of crushed tomatoes, two packets of low-sodium chicken bouillon, three
cans of water, and one cup of white wine (optional). Add tarragon, basil, oregano, thyme, and garlic
powder. Boil, then simmer for an hour. Serves six.
Spinach
Popeye knew what he was talking about, according to Dr. Richard Shekelle, an
epidemiologist at the University of Texas. Spinach can lower cholesterol, rev up the
metabolism, and burn away fat. Rich in iron, beta carotene, and vitamins C and E, it supplies most of
the nutrients you need.
Tofu
You just can’t say enough about this healthy food from Asia. Also called soybean curd, it’s
tasteless, so any spice or flavoring you add blends with it nicely. A 2½ ” square has 86 calories and
nine grams of protein. (Experts suggest an intake of about 40 grams per day.) Tofu contains calcium
and iron, almost no sodium, and not a bit of saturated fat. It makes your metabolism run high and
even lowers cholesterol. With different varieties available, the firmer tofus are good for stir-frying or
adding to soups and sauces while the softer ones are good for mashing, chopping, and adding to
salads.


Potent Foods
It would be unrealistic to think you could successfully lose weight and enjoy what you’re eating
with a mere handful of foods, no matter how delicious, nutritious, and satisfying they may be. So
we’re going to add an extra roster of fat-fighting foods you can eat along with the great foods
mentioned in the last section.
They’ll lend different tastes and textures to every meal and provide a wide range of vitamins,
minerals, proteins, and other vital nutrients. Naturally, each one is high in fiber, low in fat, and safe
when it comes to sodium content, too.
Many have crunchiness and flavor we’ve come to desire in snack and nibbling foods. If you’re like
most of us, you may have a real junk food snacking habit – a habit you’re going to have to change
to slim down. Many of the foods in this section may be worthy substitutes.
Barley
This filling grain stacks up favorably with rice and potatoes. It has 170 calories per cooked cup,
respectable levels of protein and fiber, and relatively low fat. Roman gladiators ate this grain
regularly for strength and complained when they had to eat meat.
Studies at the University of Wisconsin show that barley effectively lowers cholesterol by up to 15
percent and has powerful anti-cancer agents. Israeli scientists say it cures constipation better than
laxatives - and that can promote weight loss, too.
Use it as a substitute for rice in salads, pilaf, or stuffing, or add it to soups and stews. You can also mix
it with rice for an interesting texture. Ground into flour, it makes excellent loaves of bread and muffins.
Beans
Beans are one of the best sources of plant protein. Peas, beans, and chickpeas are collectively known
as legumes. Most common beans have 215 calories per cooked cup (lima beans go up to 260). They
have the most protein with the least fat of any food, and they’re high in potassium but low in
sodium.
Plant protein is incomplete, which means that you need to add something to make it complete.
Combine beans with whole grains – rice, barley, wheat, corn – to provide the amino acids
necessary to form a complete protein. Then you get the same top-quality protein as in meat with just
a fraction of the fat. Studies at the University of Kentucky and in the Netherlands show that eating beans regularly can
lower cholesterol levels.
The most common complaint about beans is that they cause gas. Here’s how to contain that
the problem, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): Before cooking, rinse the beans
and remove foreign particles, put in a kettle and cover with boiling water, soak for four hours or
longer, remove any beans that float to the top, then cook the beans in fresh water.
Berries
This is the perfect weight-loss food. Berries have natural fructose sugar that satisfies your longing
for sweets and enough fiber so you absorb fewer calories that you eat. British researchers found that
the high content of insoluble fiber in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains reduces the absorption of
calories from foods enough to promote width loss without hampering nutrition.
Berries are a great source of potassium that can assist you in blood pressure control. Blackberries
have 74 calories per cup, blueberries 81, raspberries 60, and strawberries 45. So use your
imagination and enjoy the berry of your choice.
Broccoli
Broccoli is America’s favorite vegetable, according to a recent poll. No wonder. A cup of cooked
broccoli has a mere 44 calories. It delivers a staggering nutritional payload and is considered the
number one cancer-fighting vegetable. It has no fat, loads of fiber, cancer-fighting chemicals called
indoles, and carotene, and 21 times the RDA of vitamin C and calcium.
When you’re buying broccoli, pay attention to the color. The tiny florets should be rich green and
free of yellowing. Stems should be firm.
Buckwheat
It’s great for pancakes, slices of bread, cereal, soups, or alone as a grain dish commonly called kasha. It has
155 calories per cooked cup. Research at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences shows diets
including buckwheat lead to excellent blood sugar regulation, resistance to diabetes, and lower
cholesterol levels. You cook buckwheat the same way you would rice or barley. Bring two to three
cups of water to a boil, add the grain, cover the pan, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes
or until the water is absorbed.
Cabbage
This Eastern Europe staple is a true wonder food. There are only 33 calories in a cup of cooked
shredded cabbage, and it retains all its nutritional goodness no matter how long you cook it. Eating
cabbage raw (18 calories per shredded cup), cooked, as sauerkraut (27 calories per drained cup), or
coleslaw (calories depend on the dressing) only once a week is enough to protect against colon cancer.
And it may be a longevity-enhancing food. Surveys in the United States, Greece, and Japan show
that people who eat a lot of it have the least colon cancer and the lowest death rates overall.
Carrots
What list of health-promoting, fat-fighting foods would be complete without Bugs Bunny’s
favorite? A medium-sized carrot carries about 55 calories and is a nutritional powerhouse. The
orange color comes from beta carotene, a powerful cancer-preventing nutrient (provitamin A).
Chop and toss them with pasta, grate them into rice or add them to a stir-fry. Combine them with
parsnips, oranges, raisins, lemon juice, chicken, potatoes, broccoli, or lamb to create flavorful
dishes. Spice them with tarragon, dill, cinnamon, or nutmeg. Add finely chopped carrots to soups
and spaghetti sauce – they impart a natural sweetness without adding sugar.
Chicken
White meat contains 245 calories per four-ounce serving and dark meat, 285. It’s an excellent
source of protein, iron, niacin, and zinc. Skinned chicken is healthiest, but most experts recommend
waiting until after cooking to remove it because the skin keeps the meat moist during cooking.
Corn
It’s a grain – not a vegetable – and is another food that’s gotten a bum rap. People think it has
little to offer nutritionally and that just isn’t so. There are 178 calories in a cup of cooked kernels. It
contains good amounts of iron, zinc, and potassium, and University of Nebraska researchers say it
delivers a high quality of protein, too.
The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico eat corn, beans, and hardly anything else. Virgil Brown, M.D., of
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, points out that high blood cholesterol and
cardiovascular heart disease is almost nonexistent among them.
Cottage Cheese
As long as we’re talking about losing weight and fat-fighting foods, we had to mention cottage
cheese.
Low-fat (2%) cottage cheese has 205 calories per cup and is admirably low in fat while providing
respectable amounts of calcium and the B vitamin riboflavin. Season with spices such as dill, or
garden fresh vegetables such as scallions and chives for extra zip.
To make it sweeter, add raisins or one of the fruit spreads with no sugar added. You can also use
cottage cheese in cooking, baking, fillings, and dips where you would otherwise use sour cream or
cream cheese.
Figs
Fiber-rich figs are low in calories at 37 per medium (2.25” diameter) raw fig and 48 per dried fig. A
recent study by the USDA demonstrated that they contribute to a feeling of fullness and prevent
overeating. Subjects complained of being asked to eat too much food when fed a diet
containing more figs than a similar diet with an identical number of calories.
Serve them with other fruits and cheeses. Or poach them in fruit juice and serve them warm or cold.
You can stuff them with mild white cheese or puree them to use as a filling for cookies and low-calorie pastries.
Fish
The health benefits of fish are greater than experts imagined – and they’ve always considered it a
health food.
The calorie count in the average four-ounce serving of a deep-sea fish runs from a low of 90
calories in abalone to a high of 236 in herring. Water-packed tuna, for example, has 154 calories.
It’s hard to gain weight eating seafood.
As far back as 1985, articles in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a clear link between
eating fish regularly and lower rates of heart disease. The reason is that oils in fish thin the blood,
reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol.
Dr. Joel Kremer, at Albany Medical College in New York, discovered that daily supplements of fish
oil brought dramatic relief to the inflammation and stiff joints of rheumatoid arthritis.
Greens
We’re talking collard, chicory, beet, kale, mustard, Swiss chard, and turnip greens. They all belong
to the same family as spinach, and that’s one of the super-stars. No matter how hard you try, you
can’t load a cup of plain cooked greens with any more than 50 calories.
They’re full of fiber, loaded with vitamins A and C and free of fat. You can use them in salads,
soups, casseroles, or any dish where you would normally use spinach.
Kiwi
This New Zealand native is a sweet treat at only 46 calories per fruit. Chinese public health officials
praise the tasty fruit for its high vitamin C content and potassium. It stores easily in the refrigerator
for up to a month. Most people like it peeled, but the fuzzy skin is also edible.
Leeks
These members of the onion family look like giant scallions and are every bit as healthful and
flavorful as their better-known cousins. They come as close to calorie-free as it gets at a mere 32
calories per cooked cup. You can poach or broil halved leeks and then marinate them in vinaigrette or season with Romano
cheese, fine mustard, or herbs. They also make good soup.
Lettuce
People think lettuce is nutritionally worthless, but nothing could be farther from the truth. You can’t
leave it out of your weight-loss plans, not at 10 calories per cup of raw romaine. It provides a lot of
filling bulk for so few calories. And it’s full of vitamin C, too. Go beyond iceberg lettuce with
Boston, bibb, and cos varieties or try watercress, arugula, radicchio, dandelion greens, purslane, and
even parsley to liven up your salads.
Melons
Now, there's great taste and great nutrition in a low-calorie package! One cup of cantaloupe balls has
62 calories, one cup of casaba balls has 44 calories, one cup of honeydew balls has 62 calories and
one cup of watermelon balls has 49 calories. They have some of the highest fiber content of any
food and are delicious. Throw in handsome quantities of vitamins A and C plus a whopping 547
mg of potassium in that cup of cantaloupe, and you have a fat-burning health food beyond
compare.
Oats
A cup of oatmeal or oat bran has only 110 calories. And oats help you lose weight. Subjects in Dr.
James Anderson’s landmark 12-year study at the University of Kentucky lost three pounds in two
months simply by adding 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of oat bran to their daily food intake and nothing
else. Just don’t expect oats alone to perform miracles – you have to eat a balanced diet for total
health.
Onions
Flavorful, aromatic, inexpensive, and low in calories, onions deserve a regular place in your diet.
One cup of chopped raw onions has only 60 calories, and one raw medium onion (2.15” diameter)
has just 42.
They control cholesterol, thin the blood, protect against cholesterol, and may have some value in
counteracting allergic reactions. Most of all, onions taste good and they’re good for you.
Partially boil, peel and bake, basting with olive oil and lemon juice. Or sauté them in white wine
and basil, then spread over pizza. Or roast them in sherry and serve over the paste.
Pasta
The Italians had it right all along. A cup of cooked paste (without a heavy sauce) has only 155
calories and fits the description of a perfect starch-centered staple. Analysis at the American Institute of Baking shows pasta is rich in six minerals, including manganese, iron, phosphorus,
copper, magnesium, and zinc. Also be sure to consider whole wheat pasta, which is even healthier.
Sweet Potatoes
You can make a meal out of them and not worry about gaining a pound – and you sure won’t walk
away from the table feeling hungry. Each sweet potato has about 103 calories. Their creamy orange
flesh is one of the best sources of vitamin A you can consume.
You can bake, steam or microwave them. Or add them to casseroles, soups, and many other dishes.
Flavor with lemon juice or vegetable broth instead of butter.
Tomatoes
A medium tomato (2.5” diameter) has only about 25 calories. These garden delights are low in fat
and sodium, high in potassium and rich in fiber.
A survey at Harvard Medical School found that the chances of dying of cancer are lowest among
people who eat tomatoes (or strawberries) every week.
And don’t overlook canned crushed, peeled, whole, or stewed tomatoes. They make sauces,
casseroles and soups taste great while retaining their nutritional goodness and low-calorie status.
Even plain old spaghetti sauce is a fat-burning bargain when served over pasta, so think about
introducing tomatoes into your diet
Turkey
Give thanks to those pilgrims for starting the wonderful tradition of Thanksgiving turkey. It just so
happens that this healthy food disguised as meat is good year-round for weight control.
A four-ounce serving of roasted white meat turkey has 177 calories and dark meat has 211.
Sadly, many folks are still unaware of the versatility and flavor of ground turkey. Anything
hamburger can do, ground turkey can do at least as well, from conventional burgers to spaghetti
sauce to meatloaf.
Some ground turkey contains skin which slightly increases the fat content. If you want to keep it
lean, opt for ground breast meat. But since this has no added fat, you’ll need to add filler to
make burgers or meat loaves hold together.
Four ounces of ground turkey has approximately 170 calories and nine grams of fat – about what
you’d find in 2.5 teaspoons of butter or margarine. Incredibly, the same amount of regular ground
beef (21% fat) has 298 calories and 23 grams of fat. Buying turkey has become easy. It’s no longer necessary to buy a whole bird unless you want to.
Ground turkey is available fresh or frozen, as are individual parts of the bird, including drumsticks,
thighs, breasts, and cutlets.
Yogurt
The non-fat variety of plain yogurt has 120 calories per cup and the low-fat, 144. It delivers a lot of
protein and, like any dairy food, is rich in calcium and contains zinc and riboflavin.
Yogurt is handy as a breakfast food – cut a banana into it and add the cereal of your choice.
You can find ways to use it in other types of cooking, – sauces, soups, dips, toppings, stuffings, and spreads. Many kitchen gadget departments even sell a simple funnel for making yogurt cheese.
Yogurt can replace heavy creams and whole milk in a wide range of dishes, saving scads of fat and
calories.
You can substitute half or all of the higher fat ingredients. Be creative. For example, combine
yogurt, garlic powder, lemon juice, a dash of pepper, and Worcestershire sauce and use it to top a
baked potato instead of piling on fat-laden sour cream.
Supermarkets and health food stores sell a variety of yogurts, many with added fruit and sugar. To
control calories and fat content, buy plain non-fat yogurt and add fruit yourself. Apple butter or fruit
spreads with little or no added sugar are an excellent way to turn plain yogurt into a delectable
sweet treat.