Fat Fighting FoodsTired of that spare tire? Sick of your love handles? You can increase your body’s fat-burning power by eating more fat fighting foods that strengthen your liver (your body’s main fat-metabolizing organ) to burn fat better. The result? A leaner you! There are many great liver boosting foods, but here are some of my favorites:
Spinach, spring mix, mustard greens, and other dark leafy greens are good sources of fiber and powerhouses of nutrition. Research demonstrates that their high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants helps prevent hunger while protecting you from heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and memory loss.
Legumes are the best source of fiber of any foods. They help to stabilize blood sugar while keeping you regular. They are also high in potassium, a critical mineral that reduces dehydration and the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
This dynamic duo of foods contains phytochemicals that break down fatty deposits in the body. They also breakdown cholesterol; kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi; and protect against heart disease. With a little help from garlic and onions, you can burn fat while warding off illness.
This hot spice lessens the risk of excess insulin in the body by speeding metabolism and lowering blood glucose (sugar) levels before the excess insulin can result in fat stores. Spice up your next meal with cayenne and lessen those love handles.
The popular spice used primarily in Indian cooking is one of the highest known sources of beta carotene. It is an antioxidant that helps protect the liver from free radical damage. Turmeric also helps strengthen your liver while helping your body metabolize fats by decreasing the fat storage rate in liver cells. Add a teaspoon of turmeric into your next curry dish to help your body fight fat.
Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture showed that a quarter to one teaspoon of cinnamon with food helps metabolize sugar up to twenty times better than food not eaten with cinnamon. Excess sugar in the blood can lead to fat storage. Before you sip that chai tea latte or eat your oatmeal, sprinkle on the cinnamon.
These seeds and oil attract oil-soluble toxins that become lodged in the fatty tissues of the body. Once attracted, they help to escort fat-soluble toxins out. That spells fewer fat stores and a trimmer you.
And if you are having a difficult time choosing to eat healthy foods like vegetables and fruit, it’s important to remember to make them look good and palatable. Keep in mind that we are bombarded constantly with junk food advertisements. An article in Media Psychology notes…”promoting healthy foods (Bruce et al., 2016; Hanks, Just, & Brumberg, 2016; Papies, 2016; Hanks et al. (2016) revealed that children chose to eat twice as many vegetables when they were advertised through fun appeals: depicting healthy foods as humanized cheerful cartoon characters.”[1]
1Samson, Lelia, and Moniek Buijzen. “Craving healthy foods?! How sensory appeals increase appetitive motivational processing of healthy foods in adolescents.” Media Psychology 23.2 (2020): 159-183.
