During a weight-loss diet, take advantage of the boost from certain foods that will help you lose fat faster.
Although they won’t perform miracles, these fruits, vegetables and plants can be a useful aid, notably because of the lipolytic effect of some.
Read on after the list for more on the effect of these foods on weight loss.
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1. Eggplant
Rich in pectin, eggplant flesh binds fats and traps them, thus promoting their natural elimination by the body. Eggplant is also very low in calories and helps improve intestinal transit.
Recipe ideas : If you want to lose weight, favor roasted eggplant in the oven or steamed, lightly seasoned with miso and soy sauce, ideal to accompany grilled fish or poultry. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds to complete the dish.
2. Green tea
Beyond its diuretic properties, green tea is also an excellent fat-burning food because of its catechin content, known to increase thermogenesis and therefore fat burning. Made from whole green tea leaves ground into a powder, matcha tea is even more interesting than regular green tea because it contains more caffeine and antioxidants.
Recipe ideas: To enjoy the many benefits of green tea, specialists recommend consuming at least 3 cups per day. However, be careful not to overdo it because tea reduces iron absorption and the theine it contains could cause difficulty falling asleep.
3. Kiwi
Low in calories, the kiwi is also very rich in vitamin C, essential for the synthesis of carnitine, an amino acid that facilitates fat loss. And it promotes intestinal transit, thus allowing good elimination of ingested fats.
Recipe ideas: To improve your transit and replenish vitamin C, eat a kiwi every morning at breakfast. You can also blend it with spinach, apple, banana and a little lemon juice to make a delicious green smoothie!
4. Lemon
The citric acid contained in lemon helps break down fats, sugars and proteins. Lemon also stimulates the metabolism and helps the liver digest better, acting as a real detoxifier for the body.
Recipe ideas: Rich in vitamin C and low in calories, you can consume it throughout the day, diluted in sparkling water, for a tasty and energizing drink.
5. Apple
Very rich in pectin, the apple is a satiating fruit that helps eliminate fat by improving bowel transit. A true natural appetite suppressant, it also contains many interesting nutrients such as vitamin C and beta-carotene, an antioxidant essential in the synthesis of vitamin A.
Recipe ideas: To fully benefit from the apple’s appetite-suppressing action, eat it preferably whole, by biting into it. But don’t hesitate to vary things a bit by preparing compotes flavored with cinnamon or by roasting it in the oven. A real treat!
6. Pineapple
A fat-burning fruit par excellence, pineapple contains bromelain, a blend of enzymes capable of digesting proteins. It is also a food rich in fiber and micronutrients that will help improve intestinal transit.
Recipe ideas: It can be eaten fresh or cooked! Pineapple is indeed delicious pan-seared with a little vanilla or cinnamon, or as a crumble, under a mixture of rolled oats and coconut butter.
7. Coffee
Like green tea, coffee is an excellent fat burner! The caffeine it contains indeed helps stimulate lipolysis, that is, the breakdown of fats in the body. However, be careful to not exceed 3 cups of coffee per day because an excess of caffeine can promote, among other things, high blood pressure.
Recipe ideas: To choose a good coffee full of aroma and flavor, opt for coffees grown at high altitude, which are less caffeinated and more flavorful, and guaranteed ‘artisan roasting’.
8. Oat bran
Sometimes confused with rolled oats, oat bran is the hull that surrounds the oat grain. Composed of soluble and insoluble fibers, it’s an excellent natural appetite suppressant and helps trap ingested fats.
Recipe ideas: It’s perfect for breakfast, served with yogurt, plant-based milk, or fresh fruit, but you can also sprinkle it on salads or use it to make bread or pancakes.
9. Bell pepper
Rich in fiber and vitamin C, the bell pepper is a low-calorie food that has a rightful place in a balanced diet. In addition, the capsaicin it contains would stimulate the metabolism and prevent the development of immature fat cells, and therefore body fat. A real asset against fat storage!
Recipe ideas: It’s eaten raw, in salads or blended into a refreshing gazpacho, or grilled and seasoned with a little olive oil.
10. Cinnamon
Cinnamon may help speed up metabolism and lower blood sugar levels to prevent it from being stored as fat. Very flavorful, it also has an appetite-suppressing effect that can be particularly useful when trying to lose weight. The flavonoids it contains would help control blood sugar levels (glycemia), which, when too low, can trigger hunger pangs and sugar cravings.
Recipe ideas : It is incorporated into the daily diet by sprinkling it on yogurts, smoothies and compotes or by preparing a porridge made with rolled oats and cinnamon for breakfast.
11. Raspberry
Red berries, and more specifically raspberries, contain a ketone, a natural active substance that captures fat and promotes its burning. The ketone found in red berries would also stimulate the production of adiponectin, a molecule involved, among other things, in the regulation of lipid metabolism.
Recipe ideas : To fully enjoy the benefits of raspberries, make delicious fruit salads by mixing them with other fat-burning fruits such as apple and kiwi. Otherwise, blend them into smoothies, add them to yogurt to give them a pleasantly tangy note…
12. Cabbage
Very low in calories, cabbage, whether green, white, Brussels or curly, is also very rich in insoluble fiber. Its digestion therefore leads to a large energy expenditure, thereby promoting weight loss. Cabbage also helps improve intestinal transit, thus facilitating the elimination of fats.
Recipe ideas : To make cabbage more appealing, cook it stir-fried in a wok with a little soy sauce and sesame seeds. You can also prepare an Auvergne-style stew with potatoes, carrots and boiled meat. Ideal for warming up on long winter evenings!
13. Guarana
Native to Brazil, guarana is often included in dietary supplements because of its stimulating and energizing properties and its effect on metabolism. It helps activate metabolism, thus burning more calories even at rest. It also helps eliminate bad cholesterol.
Recipe ideas: Not easy to cook with, but guarana powder can be mixed into juice or sprinkled over yogurt. It is also available in capsules and drinks (but be sure to check the guarana content).
14. Avocado
Despite appearances, avocado is an excellent fat burner because it is rich in omega-3s and in monounsaturated fats, the ‘good fats’ that prevent fat storage. It also helps lower cholesterol and supports liver function.
Recipe ideas: Delicious, avocado can be eaten both savory and sweet! Stuff it with tuna or shrimp, prepare it as guacamole, blend it into a chilled soup, mash it on your morning toast, the list goes on!
Discover our avocado recipe with aloe vera sauce vierge, a delicious and detoxifying appetizer!
15. Papaya
Containing papain and pepsin, digestive enzymes that facilitate fat digestion, papaya is a very interesting fruit for people looking to lose weight. A true slimming ally, it would also help improve intestinal transit and reduce cellulite.
Recipe ideas : Papaya is delicious freshly cut but can also be baked in the oven with coconut milk and a little powdered vanilla for an even more exotic dessert.
16. Yerba mate
Well known to Argentinians who drink it as an infusion throughout the day, Mate or Yerba Mate comes from an Amazonian plant related to holly. Rich in vitamins A, B and C, magnesium, calcium and antioxidants, this plant also promotes weight loss thanks to the caffeine it contains. Caffeine indeed plays a role in increasing basal metabolic rate and has an appetite-suppressing effect.
Recipe ideas: You will find dried, cut Mate that you only need to steep in boiling water, but know that it is also available in capsule form if you don’t particularly enjoy its flavor.
Understanding fat storage in the body
To properly understand how certain foods can help us burn fat, it’s essential to go back and first explain the process of fat creation in the body.
The food we consume on a daily basis is made up of three main groups of nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Proteins come mainly from meat, fish, eggs, and legumes; carbohydrates from fruits, cereals and starchy foods; fats from oilseeds, dairy products and certain dried fruits.
During digestion, our body converts proteins into amino acids, carbohydrates into glucose, and fats into fatty acids. But when we consume excess fats, they cannot be converted into fatty acids and are stored as clumps of fat in adipose tissue.
But fat also originates from the glucose produced by carbohydrates and the amino acids contained in proteins. In this case, it is the excess glucose that cannot be stored as glycogen that is converted into fatty acids and stored as fat.
To slow down fat storage, therefore, one must not only limit fat intake but also carbohydrates and proteins! In other words, it is essential to adopt a balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, with high-quality proteins and healthy fats.
How is fat used by the body?
Now that we better understand how the fat storage mechanism works, we can move on to the next step: how to get rid of our excess body fat?
In humans, but also in animals, fat allows the storage of a significant amount of energy for later use. But fat also contributes to the body’s thermal regulation by producing heat.
In other words, to burn the fat stored in the body you must expend energy. To do this, several options are available to us: increase your level of physical activity or raise your basal metabolic rate, that is the energy required to keep the body alive by ensuring organ function, breathing, cell repair, etc.
The good news is that there are foods that can increase basal metabolic rate and reduce fat storage: they are called fat-burning foods!
The different actions of fat-burning foods
Foods that stimulate lipolysis
Fat-burning foods are those that stimulate thermogenesis, meaning the body’s production of heat through an increase in cellular metabolism. This thermogenesis increases our energy expenditure by transforming the fatty acid molecules present in fat cells to promote their breakdown.
Put simply, a fat-burning food is one that stimulates the dissolution of fats in the body — or lipolysis. Among these foods are notably tea and coffee.
Appetite-suppressing foods
Although they do not strictly act on the dissolution of fats in the body, some foods are nevertheless considered fat burners because of their effect on the feeling of satiety.
Rich in natural fiber, fats, or protein, they indeed help regulate appetite and reduce the urge to snack. Among these appetite-suppressing foods, the apple, loaded with pectins, is certainly the best known!
Foods that stimulate intestinal transit
Finally, it also happens that foods that trap fats and facilitate their elimination, such as eggplant or green vegetables in general, are included on the list of fat burners. Rich in fiber, they stimulate intestinal transit and therefore help the body avoid storing fat.
How to incorporate fat-burning foods into our diet?
Consuming fat-burning foods can help us lose weight because they promote the body’s natural fat burning.
But if you really want to get back in shape, their consumption must be part of a balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber, lean proteins and quality fats, accompanied by regular physical activity.
