12 Fat-Burning Foods to Burn Calories Effortlessly

If you’re looking to lose a few pounds, you might find yourself looking for the latest fad diet. However, this is completely unnecessary because there are several ordinary foods that will allow you to burn fat while actually enjoying them.  So, let’s take a look at the list of fat-burning foods, and you’ll be ready to hit the grocery store and start a unique “diet plan”. These foods will allow you to feel full of energy while also losing weight, which almost seems too good to be true make sure you check out our post about healthy snacks after you've read this.

Eggs

Most of you associate eggs with breakfast, but they’re actually a great food choice for any meal. The nice thing about eggs is that they’re also very high in protein and low in calories, so you’ll have higher energy levels throughout the day, which will naturally cause you to burn more fat. Don’t just buy the cheapest eggs you can find, however, because some of these include fillers (more calories and fat) to improve their taste. Cage-free eggs are one option you can’t go wrong with because the chickens are restricted to a certain diet, and they don’t receive the chemical injections that many other chickens get. Additionally, organic (cage free) eggs have been proven to contain higher levels of essential oils, such as Omega 3 and Omega 6.

Low-Fat Dairy

Most of us love to drink that gigantic glass of milk in the morning or throw a piece of cheese on a burger, but this can lead to a lot of weight gain. You don’t need to give up your milk and cheese, but you should substitute them with 2% (reduced fat) or nonfat variations. Trust me, you won’t notice a major change in taste, but you’ll notice a change in weight. Also, you should try to steer away from flavored milk, such as chocolate and strawberry as the sugar in the flavoring offsets the calcium and protein source you are receiving from the milk. Avoiding flavored cheese, such as pepper jack is also a good idea because its additional flavoring will likely cause your cholesterol to spike.

Whole Grains

Whole grains are a great way to start your morning off right. Oatmeal and whole grain cereals are two great options because they are high in fiber, which speeds up your metabolism and helps to regulate your digestion. Studies have also proven that eating either of these whole grain sources for breakfast can speed up your metabolism by 10%, which means if you normally eat 2,000 calories per day, you can now eat 2,200 because you’ll burn off the extra. Did you know that studies have also proven that oatmeal and other sources of whole grains are good for your heart? That’s right, oatmeal has been proven to lower your cholesterol by up to 10% over a period of 6 months, and lower cholesterol can also allow you to burn more fat.

Lean Meats

Lean meats; you’ve all heard of them, but you might not know which meats are considered to be lean. Essentially, the true lean meats are fish, chicken and other poultry; however, there are also lean variations of hamburgers. If you are going to go the burger route, you’ll want to look for either 90/10 or 93/7, which equates to 10% and 7% of the burger being pure fat. This is much better than the cheap burgers, which can be as high as 73/27. Chicken and fish are still your best options because they are even lower in fat and calories, and they contain essential nutrients, such as Omega-3 (fish oil).

Pasta

Pasta is a great food for burning fat, but you should limit the amount of sauce you put on it. Average nutritional facts for a cup of pasta show that it has less than 160 calories. Even if you put a little sauce on it, you should still stay under the 200-calories mark. If you want an even better variation, you should consider whole-wheat pasta, which is even lower in calories, so you can eat more, and it will give you even more energy. Pasta is also rich in nutrients, such as iron, zinc and manganese.

Potatoes

The average-size potato contains just 85 calories. However, it’ll provide your body with an excellent source of potassium and fiber, which will give you yet another source of energy, and it’ll also help to lower your cholesterol. If you’re looking to add a little taste to potatoes, you should try substituting the butter and sour cream with yogurt; it sounds like a weird combination, but it actually tastes great.

Rice

One cup of cooked rice can be enjoyed as a side dish with any of your meals, or it can make for a great snack during the afternoon. A whole-grain cup of brown rice only has about 180 calories, and you’ll get full on this amount because of how big the portion will appear to be. If you’re not quite ready to go the whole-grain route, white rice has just a little over 230 calories for the same serving, which still isn’t bad.

Cottage Cheese

A four-ounce serving of 2% cottage cheese has just 102 calories, but it’s rich in Vitamin-B (riboflavin). Riboflavin is used to allow your body to turn stored carbohydrates into energy, so you’ll feel more energized and burn more fat. Studies have also proven that this vitamin can speed up your metabolism, so you’ll have the ability to control your weight loss even better in the future.

Peanut Butter

Ever since you were a little kid, you have loved the taste of peanut butter, but I bet you didn’t know that it was actually healthy. Now, it’s not a good idea to eat a whole jar of peanut butter, but a teaspoon per day on a piece of whole wheat toast would be a great idea. Peanut butter will provide you with a great source of protein, which can turn fat into muscle, and it gives you energy. If you want a healthier variation, you’ll want to consider buying natural peanut butter, which won’t taste quite as sweet, but you’ll burn even more fat.

Beans

While they’re not the tastiest food out there, beans can also help you burn those unwanted pounds. A mixture of green, black and pinto beans will be your best choices, but if you’re looking for something a little tastier, baked beans aren’t the worst choice. Green beans contain plenty of fiber to regulate your digestive system, and they’re not a bad source of protein, either. Black and pinta beans also both contain a good amount of fiber, and they’re also rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants specifically can aid in fat-burning because they allow your system to remove harmful chemicals, which can act as a barrier against your body receiving the healthy nutrients it needs. Ideally, you should eat anywhere from two to four cups of beans per week.

Hot Peppers

Vegetables are one thing that most of you likely never cared for, but this is likely because you’re used to eating bland vegetables, which are also good for you. However, if you want to mix things up, try eating jalapenos, habaneros or chili peppers. You’ll be receiving the vitamins and minerals your body needs, and you’ll also be boosting your metabolism. The reason hot peppers boost your metabolism is because studies have shown that they slightly elevate your heart rate, which will cause you to feel fuller than you actually are. These peppers also include capsaicin, which can help to relieve pain and clear up sinus problems. So, if you don’t eat hot peppers now, perhaps, you should consider adding them to your diet in the near future.

Other Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables, such as honeydew, apples, berries, broccoli, cabbage, corn and celery are also great for losing some weight. Honeydew will allow you to get a little bit of a sweet-tooth fix in without giving into the chocolate bar sitting in your refrigerator. In addition, honeydew includes Vitamin-C and potassium, both of which are healthy for your body and can help to speed up weight loss as a result. Apples are a good source of fiber, and they’re low in calories, which makes them a perfect snack anytime during the day. Berries are rich in antioxidants, and they taste great, so you will be cleaning out your system without even knowing it. Broccoli might not taste quite as good as berries to you, but it still has plenty of antioxidants, and it’s rich in Vitamin-C. If you want another reason to eat broccoli, you should also know that it has been linked to fighting off cancer-cell growth. Corn and celery are two other great vegetable sources to burn fat, and they make for tasty side dishes for supper. However, you should avoid dousing your corn in butter because you’ll likely forget to include the butter’s nutritional facts when recording your daily log.