Bella Adams
If you want to fight your belly fat, you should also pay attention to your diet: Certain foods can support fat loss and thus weight loss. Here you can find out what they are and how they work.
Some foods are considered fat burners that automatically boost metabolism and fat burning when eaten – and are therefore particularly recommended for weight loss.
They contain certain ingredients, such as enzymes in fruit, tea, and coffee, hot spices like chili, and L-carnitine, which are found in dairy products and meat.
One thing in advance: If you want to lose weight, you should pay attention to a balanced diet overall, instead of putting your hopes in certain foods.
Certain foods can be simply additionally supportive to get rid of belly fat faster.
The prerequisite for fat burning is a sport in combination with a healthy diet. You should focus on plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, protein-rich foods, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
Can foods really burn fat?
Unfortunately, to get rid of stubborn belly fat permanently, it is often not enough to exercise regularly. True to the motto “Abs are made in the kitchen” – a healthy diet plays the most important role.
And indeed: some foods are better for fat loss than others.
Why? Because they stimulate the metabolism and ensure that the body burns fatter at rest. In addition, they influence hormone control in the body and thus also support the process of fat burning.
The influence of insulin
Insulin levels play an important role in this process. If this is too high, less energy is utilized from the fat cells. For example, sugary foods can drive the insulin level up sharply, so the consequence is that less fat is used for energy production, but quick energy is drawn from the sugars.
That’s why the following applies in principle: foods containing fiber that raise blood sugar levels in a controlled manner are better for losing weight than sugar bombs.
Testosterone increases fat loss
If our hormone balance is in disarray, our fat metabolism also no longer functions properly. The sex hormones testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone have a particular influence: low testosterone and progesterone levels inhibit fat loss. Whereas an increased estrogen content supports fat building, but unfortunately results in unsightly water retention in the body.
For the body’s own production of testosterone, the body needs fat: unsaturated fat as well as saturated fat. For example, walnuts, olive oil, avocados, and coconut oil provide the body with healthy fats.
These foods stimulate fat burning
The prerequisite for you to achieve a weight loss effect with certain foods is a healthy lifestyle and the right amount.
So if you reach for a double cheeseburger with remoulade on the sofa on a “Netflix & Chill” day and sip a hot cup of green tea to go with it, you’re tricking yourself.
Better: the diet should be balanced overall. Combine the foods against belly fat with other healthy fitness foods.
Green tea, cinnamon, chili, and grapefruit heat up your metabolism and help you lose weight. But these foods are also real fat burners and should get at least as much attention:
Papaya
The so-called tree melon is not only low in calories (35 calories per 100 grams), but also has the fat-burning enzyme papain. It helps digest protein – that’s why papaya accelerates fat burning.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil plays a significant role in testosterone production due to its saturated fat content – and high testosterone levels support fat loss. Just one teaspoon of tropical oil per day is enough to support production.
Red peppers
Foods containing vitamin C, such as bell peppers, provide increased fat-burning. Vitamin C helps the body produce the hormone norepinephrine and dissolves fat out of cells in the body.
Lemons
They are tops among citrus fruits in terms of vitamin C content. The immune power substance is indispensable for fat metabolism because, together with niacin and vitamin B 6, it controls the production of L-carnitine in the human body and thus promotes fat burning in the muscle. Essential oils of lemons promote detoxification via the liver.
Turmeric
Turmeric stimulates the production of bile in the gallbladder, which in turn supports fat burning. In addition, it curbs the appetite.
Barley grass
Two glasses of barley grass juice daily stimulate metabolic processes and can have a corresponding positive effect on reducing belly fat. To do this, mix a heaping teaspoon of organic barley grass powder in a glass of water and drink it for 20 minutes before eating.
Barley grass has a high content of chlorophyll, which has a positive effect on fat burning. In addition, chlorophyll promotes the flushing of toxins from the body and supports the cleansing of the liver.
A cleansed liver ensures that fat cells are eliminated more quickly. In addition, barley grass regulates blood sugar levels, prevents cravings, and increases the feeling of fullness.
These foods inhibit the metabolism
Only by taking the mentioned foods, your metabolism is really revved up. However, there are also foods that can hinder fat burning and thus the weight loss process.
- Sin number one: alcohol. After just one drink, the body is busy breaking down the cellular toxin, which almost completely stops fat metabolism.
Wine, beer, and cocktails also contain a lot of sugar, which is responsible for a rapid rise and subsequent drop in insulin levels. And: Alcohol causes us to consume additional calories. As a result, the fat-burning effect is slowed down.
Donuts, French rolls, or chocolate: sugar is a real killer for the metabolism – especially foods with a high sugar content such as sweets or white flour products. - The reason: After consumption (as with alcohol), the blood sugar level is abruptly driven up. The pancreas then releases insulin, which ensures that the sugar can be absorbed into the cells.
However, if too much insulin is released, this is critical: If the insulin level is high, no fat is needed for energy production. So when losing weight, it’s better to reduce sugar consumption. - No surprise: fast food impedes fat metabolism. Why? Burgers, frozen pizzas, and fries have a lot of calories and hardly any healthy nutrients.
The problem: They consist largely of saturated fatty acids, and sugar and are low in vitamins and fiber. Instead, fast food is full of flavors and artificial additives – unnecessary ballast for our digestion. - Sweeteners: Those who rely on light products may wonder why, despite eating calorie-reduced foods, losing weight doesn’t quite work. Reason: Light products often contain sweeteners – for example, cyclamate, acesulfame K, sucralose, stevia, or aspartame.
- The problem: According to recent studies, the consumption of sweeteners is linked to weight gain. Experts believe that sweeteners not only increase body fat but also permanently upset hormone balance.
Food for weight loss: The best combinations
Try eating healthy foods that boost your metabolism more often. A handful of almonds makes a great afternoon snack. Go with coffee or green tea – plain, without milk, sugar or sweetener.
Turmeric and ginger make fiery curries, and cinnamon makes your porridge even healthier.
Salad, chili con carne, or a green smoothie: almost everything tastes better with avocado. But beware: even though avocado contains good fats, it will quickly drive up the calorie count of your meal.
But the best thing to do is to eat certain foods in combination. This boosts the metabolism and helps burn fat.
Salmon and ginger
You probably already know this mixture from your last visit to the sushi restaurant: fish and ginger taste just great together. But not only that: Combined, the two become a real fat burner. In addition to proteins and omega-3 fatty acids, salmon also contains many vitamins and minerals.
Eating it helps break down excess fat and build muscle. Moreover, oily fish is generally considered to be beneficial to health. Add ginger to the mix, and your metabolism gets a huge boost. Another positive property of the super tuber: it has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Broccoli and eggs
Because they are particularly rich in nutrients, you should eat eggs two to three times a week, according to the German Nutrition Society. In combination with green vegetables, for example, broccoli, they become even healthier.
Eggs have a high protein content and therefore keep you full for a long time. If you eat broccoli with them, eggs also help you to better absorb the antioxidants contained in the vegetables. The so-called carotenoids help to protect the cells and make the immune system fit.
Another plus of the combination is: It burns fat, helps build muscle, and strengthens skin and hair.
Oatmeal and berries
If you struggle with cravings during the day, try this breakfast combo: Oatmeal and berries keep you full for an extra long.
Oats are not only the healthiest of all grains, but they also have other great properties. Due to their high magnesium content and unsaturated fatty acids, oats also promote fat burning, for example.
You should eat berries with them because they are very rich in nutrients and surprisingly, they are also responsible for fat loss. The red fruits owe this effect to so-called polyphenols, including resveratrol.
The best thing about this food mix is that it’s very versatile, so you won’t get bored easily. You can eat oatmeal and berries as muesli, porridge, bars, or smoothies.
Criticism of foods for weight loss
According to experts, however, fat-burning foods for weight loss should be treated with caution.
The question of whether it is really true that foods burn fat has already been investigated by scientists in a wide variety of studies. They could even actually find evidence that fat burning could be influenced by caffeine and tannins from green tea.
As great as that sounds at first, according to Professor Andreas Pfeiffer of the Charité in Berlin, there is still a big but: “There are only indications, scientific evidence in humans is missing so far. Most of the findings would come from laboratory experiments, and scientists would also often have used plant extracts or isolated ingredients in high concentrations.
Also, Dr. Matthias Riedl, a nourishing physician from Hamburg, faces natural Fatburnern, in particular in fruit, critically. He explains, “Enzymes are proteins that are broken down in the stomach.” Even before they could theoretically have an effect on fat burning, the enzymes from fruit are therefore split – and thus inactivated.
The intake of these fast digestible carbohydrates increases the blood sugar level fast and satiates however only briefly. If one eats them added to the normal nutrition, the fruits led thus only to the admission of more calories. “Those who eat the fruit in large quantities could therefore be more likely to harm their weight,” says Riedl.
The experts also doubt the effect of Capsaicin in red chilies.
Burn fat – that really helps
According to the experts, there is only one solution for anyone who really wants to burn fat: exercise! “Moderate endurance sports in particular support fat loss,” says Pfeiffer.
With “moderate” load intensity meant, which one already feels as strenuous, with which one can still maintain however for example problem-free. Those who are active in sports also build up muscle mass – and thus consume more energy even at rest.
