Changing your diet is an essential part of any weight loss plan. In addition to reading your grocery list thoroughly, making the healthiest selections when ordering in or dining out may make a huge impact in your weight reduction efforts. You may improve your calorie-burning potential by eating certain “brown fat” activating foods, which are not on your typical grocery list.
According to Harvard Medical School, brown fat (or “brown adipose tissue”) is a kind of fat that responds favorably to lower temperatures. Brown fat’s primary function is heat production, which helps control core body temperature. That’s because it has a caloric-burning effect. Weight reduction may be aided by the calories burned in this activity. Certain dietary components promote brown fat activation and the “browning” of white adipose tissue, according to study published in Frontiers in Physiology. The health advantages of these meals are many as well.
Capsaicin (Hot Pepper)
The key component in chilli peppers, capsaicin, “increases fat-burning and energy expenditure and can even help to burn belly fat,” say the Nutrition Twins. Brown fat is a metabolically active kind of fat that actually promotes fat burning, and capsaicin appears to help boost it.
The Nutrition Twins recommend adding chili peppers or spicy peppers to any dish you can handle the heat of, including spaghetti, rice, eggs, guacamole, seafood, and anything else you eat, if you’re seeking for methods to increase your daily intake of capsaicin. The twins also include recipes for a spicy “metabolism booster” and spicy carrot fries.
Green Tea
The powerful catechin epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and caffeine in green tea help the body burn more fat and calories, as explained by the Nutrition Twins. “Some studies have shown that caffeine and EGCG have a synergistic effect on fat burning. Although there is evidence that green tea may boost brown fat (the beneficial fat that helps you stay slim), further studies are needed to prove this.” Antioxidants in green tea have been shown to reduce inflammation, block inflammatory pathways, and protect against illness.
Want to get your green tea mojo going? To liven up your water, try making green tea “ice cubes,” to prevent your next stir-fry from sticking to the pan, to add green tea powder to your smoothies, or to make green tea popsicles. Green tea lattes and the “Flat Belly” Tea from the Nutrition Twins are great alternatives to coffee in the morning.
Curcumin (Turmeric)
According to the Nutrition Twins, “Curcumin is found in the extract of turmeric root, and it appears to be promising in the fight against obesity.” Researchers found that it aided in fat loss, weight loss, and a reduction in both waist and hip size. Brown fat, thermogenesis, and calorie expenditure have all been demonstrated to rise with curcumin in other research. Remember that the experiments relied on extremely high dosages of curcumin. Curcumin is not easily absorbed because of its limited bioavailability. You can get the same results with a lower dosage by selecting a product with a high bioavailability.
Don’t be shy about using turmeric. Soups, marinades, beans, stews, eggs, and rice are just some of the foods the Nutrition Twins recommend incorporating it into. Adding black pepper to your turmeric may increase its bioavailability, according to studies. Weight reduction is hindered by oxidative stress and inflammation, but the Nutrition Twins say that eating turmeric can help. “Turmeric contains potent antioxidants,” they write.
Menthol (Peppermint and Spearmint)
The Nutrition Twins say that “long-term use of menthol has been shown to increase metabolically active brown fat,” which in turn increases caloric expenditure, prevents weight gain from a high-fat diet, and even reverses insulin sensitivity. The findings provide hope for future efforts to combat obesity and its related disorders.
Mixing mint into a cup of yogurt with fresh berries, making a refreshing spritzer with seltzer and mint, or boiling a pitcher of iced tea with mint leaves are all simple ways to incorporate mint into your diet. Add some mint leaves for a burst of flavor to your salad or start your day off right with this Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie.
Fish-derived Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA can aid in weight loss, according to studies. “The good news is that if you don’t like eating fatty fish like salmon, the supplements have been shown to be beneficial, too,” the Nutrition Twins say. “Fish oil supplements have been shown to increase the protein in the interscapular brown fat of rats,” and “eating fatty fish has been found to reduce visceral fat (the fat that wraps around your belly and organs) while increasing interscapular brown fat.”
Even if these studies show some encouraging findings, the Nutrition Twins point out that most of them were conducted on rats. However, increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids is a good idea since they help avoid inflammation, which is a major factor in the difficulty of losing weight. Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, and anchovies are a great way to increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids.