Foods That Burn Belly Fat
All over the internet, you will see lists. There are lists of foods that help burn fat, lists of fruits that are “making you fat,” or any number of arbitrary lists designed as clickbait to sell you the latest weight loss fad.
In reality, some foods help you burn fat, and some foods don’t. Of course, you already know that alcohol and junk food will hinder your weight loss goals, but have you ever wondered which foods will help you lose weight?
The answer may surprise you.
What food burns the most belly fat?
I apologize. I buried the lede a bit on this one. Foods do not burn belly fat. Burning belly fat results from eating fewer calories than you burn throughout the day. Aka, a calorie deficit. You can create a calorie deficit any way you’d like, and you can even lose weight eating nothing but ice cream, although I’d strongly discourage it.
The only thing that matters is eating fewer overall calories. Of course, that doesn’t account for how terrible you’d look and feel if you only ate ice cream, but you’d still lose weight.
Since all you have to do to burn belly fat is maintain a calorie deficit, the best foods for burning belly fat are foods that help you maintain a calorie deficit.
Which foods are the best for maintaining a calorie deficit?
Foods with a high nutrient density and have a high fullness factor.
Nutrient density is how much beneficial stuff (fats, vitamins, proteins, etc.) a food has relative to the calories. A high fullness factor is a made-up term for how satiating a food is.
So healthy foods that keep you full are the best for maintaining a calorie deficit and burning belly fat.
What makes food satiating?
Several factors come into play when ranking how satiating a food is but anything that ranks high in fullness factor is one of three things, high protein, high fiber, or high water content.
Let’s discuss each one of the fullness factors and the best foods per category for burning belly fat:
SATIATING HIGH PROTEIN FOODS FOR FAT LOSS
High protein foods have been known for their fullness factor for a while now. It is one of the reasons common weight loss advice often recommends eating protein for breakfast. Being full after breakfast may reduce your intake for the rest of the day.
Since you may find that adding more protein to your diet helps keep you full throughout the day, the best protein-rich foods for burning fat are the lowest calorie high, protein foods.
Eggs: Eggs are a perfect protein, and at between 50-and 80 calories per egg, they are relatively low calories—a great way to start your day or a great high protein snack.
Fish: Calories per ounce of fish vary based on the type of fish and the fat content. Although overall, fish is a very nutrient-dense food and high in protein. Salmon might be one of the highest nutrient density foods on earth.
Cottage Cheese: For those of you who don’t eat meat, cottage cheese is one of the lowest-calorie dairy products with high protein content.
SATIATING HIGH FIBER FOODS FOR FAT LOSS
High Fiber foods are generally healthy foods. Fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains are high-fiber foods. So it should be no surprise that these foods can help you lose weight, and the higher the fiber, the higher the fullness factor.
Beans: While there are a lot of varieties of beans, your average serving of beans contains about 15 grams of fiber, half your daily recommended intake. In addition, when eaten in conjunction with rice, beans are a complete protein(All nine essential amino acids).
Oatmeal: Oatmeal is not the highest fiber food out there. However, it is incredibly filling nonetheless. Two cups of oatmeal are around 300 calories, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been hungry after two cups of oatmeal.
Potatoes: Potatoes are the number one fullness factor food. When eaten with the skin, a potato has some fiber, and like oatmeal, it is pretty filling. A baked medium-sized russet potato has around 170 calories. Could you imagine trying to eat ten potatoes in a day?
Popcorn: Popcorn is one of the only dessert foods that isn’t terrible for you. Popcorn is a low-calorie and high-fiber snack. If you hold the butter and some of the salt, popcorn is a great food to help fill the dessert void when trying to lose belly fat.
SATIATING HIGH WATER CONTENT FOODS FOR FAT LOSS
Water has zero calories, and generally, the more you consume of it, the less you consume of other crap. In fact, you can lose weight by drinking water alone. With that in mind, it should be no surprise that eating high water content food can help you maintain a calorie deficit.
Cucumber: Cucumbers are a great weight-loss food. They have almost no calories, and they are pretty filling.
Watermelon: Watermelon is a great dessert fruit. It is sweet, filling, and healthier than any other dessert. Don’t eat it too close to bedtime, though, or you’ll probably have to take a midnight trip to the privy.
Soup: Soups are as healthy as you make them. If you make a homemade vegetable soup from scratch, you are looking at a filling, low-calorie meal. However, anything with the word chowder in it likely won’t help your fat-burning goals.
What foods burn belly fat overnight?
People often wonder what they should eat before bed for optimal weight loss. The truth is, nutrient timing doesn’t make that much of a difference in terms of burning belly fat.
As a big proponent of intermittent fasting, this may shock my readers, but intermittent fasting is only as effective as the calorie deficit it creates. Therefore eat when is best for you.
There is no one size fits all ideal diet. Every person is different and reacts differently to different stimuli. So when it comes to dieting, you have to find what works for you.
Instead of thinking about what foods you are trying to eliminate from your diet, try focusing on what foods you will add to your diet. Adding these high fullness factor foods to your diet is much easier than telling yourself, “I’ll never eat pizza again.”
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Can You Lose Weight Intermittent Fasting Alone?
Can You Lose Weight Just By Drinking Water?