The Best Foods For Fat Loss
Before I get into it, this is kind of a trick title as there are no foods that burn fat like so many people claim. You see people claiming that there are foods and drinks that boost your metabolism for fat burning affects, but this is not true. Certain foods may slightly boost your metabolism but more on the scale of pouring a tablespoon of salt in a swimming pool, so don’t waste your time picking these food for fat burning. Having said that there are foods that will aid your fat burning more than others.
Firstly lets talk about what foods don’t help you burn fat. Have you ever heard of the term empty calories? Empty calories are the foods that do not contribute to your body, they do not help aid your body to repair or recover, they do not aid your body on converting fuel for energy or your immune system. These calories take up your daily intake but do not help you at all, this is why they are empty calories. Examples would be pizza, sugary sweets, donuts, cake, the list goes on. These foods are very high in added sugar, they may give you an initial energy boost for 20 minutes and then soon after you are left with less energy than before. But what about the surge of energy I get after sweets? Sugar sends a signal to the brain that releases endorphins (the feel good hormone) this is the initial high feeling. When consuming glucose your body releases insulin to absorb the glucose in your blood stream and stabilise your sugar levels. Once your body has finished this job you soon after start to feel the crash and the endorphins have run out. Sugar causes your body to have a fake high rather than a real source of energy. Now just because these foods are in the list doesn’t mean you should try cutting them from your diet completely, I mean why cut out the best tasting foods right? Instead try and limit them so you aren’t eating them too often as they will affect your energy levels. The less energy you have the less you will move around, the less you move around the less calories you will burn which will not help you reach your goals.
Now onto the foods that will aid your fat loss goals. The foods that will help aid your goals are the ones that are going to help give you lots of energy throughout the day, support growth and the immune system. Lets start with foods that help with energy.
High Energy Foods
The best food sources for energy are fats and carbohydrates, carbohydrates are our bodies preferred source as it is the easiest food to convert into energy. The best sources of carbohydrates are:
Sweet Potatoes
White Potato
White Rice
Brown Rice
Oats
Cereals (not chocolate covered unfortunately)
Wholemeal pasta’s
Beans
These are my go to foods for my carbohydrates as they give a good supply of energy. Brown carbs tend to give a longer supply of energy throughout the day where as white carbs are more fast reacting and give bigger burst for shorter periods. I tend to have white carbs (fast releasing) just before a training session to get the most energy and brown carbs (slow realising) afterwards to maintain energy throughout the day and night.
Fats are the second best energy supply for your body, they are harder for your body to convert into energy but have higher amounts of energy per gram. This is why people tend to cut out carbs so it allows your body to use fat as energy over carbohydrates but you don’t need to do this. Good sources of fats are:
Nuts
Oily Fish
Avocados
Dairy Products
Oils (not vegetable oils)
Peanut Butter
Eggs
These are my go to foods for healthy fats they taste good and are a great supply of energy your body needs. Be careful with your serving sizes when it comes to fats as they are more calorific than carbohydrates and protein. I tend to consume most of my fats at the start of the day with breakfast and snacks, but that is just preference due to what I eat.
Foods For Growth
Foods that help aid growth help with fat loss as they help prevent your body from turning catabolic (muscle wastage). If your body goes into a catabolic state you will start losing your muscle mass, the less muscle you have the less calories your burn. For every 1lb of muscle you burn around 30-50 calories extra per day, so losing that muscle will slow down your ability to burn fat. The best food source for this is protein, protein is the building blocks of our body it helps aid your body to repair and grow. It also plays a vital row in building new cells, skin, bones and muscle, this is because our body is made up of protein. Protein is also great at satiety, meaning it will leave you feeling fuller than carbohydrates or fats would, which is great news if you are trying to lose weight. Good sources of protein are:
Chicken
Lean Beef
Pork Medalions
Fish
Eggs
Beans
Milk
Yoghurt
Whey Protein
Casein Protein
This is a list of my go to protein sources minus the pork as I’m not a huge fan (unless its the occasional bacon sandwich of corse). I eat protein at every mean meal I have and in my snacks, you should try and focus to get one source of protein with every meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Foods for the immune system
To have a strong and healthy immune system your body needs energy (carbohydrates and fats) for it to run effectively when protecting you from illness. It also needs to have the ability to build and repair cells (protein) to help fight against infections and germs. By ensuring you have the foods above in your diet will help give your immune system the energy and building tools it needs. The body also require certain vitamins and minerals in order to function and maintain strong. You may wonder why foods that help the immune system are being considered as to helping you with your fat burning goals. Being ill often is going to hindrance your progress, not only will you be burning less calories when you are laying in bed all day but you will fall behind on your workout regime. This is why we need to stay strong and fit as often as we can. Here is a list of good food sources containing vitamins and minerals:
Oranges - Vitamin C
Red Peppers - Vitamin C
Broccoli - Vitamins A, C, E & Antioxidants
Spinach - Vitamins A, C & Antioxidants
Almonds - Vitamin E & healthy fats
Kiwi - Potassium & Vitamin C & K
Shellfish - Zinc
Poultry - Vitamin B-6
I eat these pretty much all day, vegetables and protein sources with my meals, fruits and nuts with my snacks. Make sure you include plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet, but try avoid bleeding huge portions of fruit together as this will be high in sugar.
There are many other foods that fall into these 3 categories but you get the picture from these examples. I hope this helps clear up the fat burning food myths and gives you a better understanding of what you need. These foods here will help you become more energised for your workouts and your days as well as ensuring your body is functioning to its best ability.
Thanks for reading :)
Don’t forget you can contact me through my facebook page The Lemon Frog Fitness Company, my Instagram @lemon_frog_fitness or email louis@lemonfrogfitness.org.