The best fat-burning foods

There is a lot of misunderstanding out there around how to eat in order to lose fat. If I had a pound for the number of clients who tell me: ‘I know it’s only a matter of calories in, calories out…’ This is an enormously inaccurate statement.

When it comes to burning fat, there is no one food that causes weight loss. Weight loss comes down to the biochemical relationships that occur within the body. A great starting place is to consider whether you rely on carbohydrates (glucose) or fat for fuel. Regardless of how much protein you eat, your body will only a fraction of the intake for fuel.  The ‘Western diet’ of refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and sugars, promote glucose-use for fuel. However, the trick to fat loss and managing your weight can be to train your body to burn fat for fuel.

An easy way to understand this is to look at blood sugar. One of the main reasons the ‘calories in, calories out’ equation is insufficient is because it doesn’t account for the hormone insulin. When we rely on glucose for fuel, we usually reach for foods like sandwiches, rice or pasta, baked goods, fruit, sugar, or caffeine. These foods cause our blood sugar levels to spike, triggering the pancreas to secrete insulin. Insulin’s job is to bring our blood sugar levels into a safe range by shipping glucose off to our cells. Once the glucose has been stored, there is no longer any glucose available in our blood to be used for energy. This makes us feel hungry and tired, which results in over-eating of all the wrong foods.

However, when we rely on quality fats for fuel, they are converted into fatty acids in the blood. Unlike glucose, fatty acids have the ability to move in and out of our cells and are always available to be used as fuel. When we eat quality fats for fuel, our body can effectively burn fat, including our body fat.

Here are some of the best fat-burning foods to eat.

Free-range eggs

These yellow wonders are rich in countless nutrients including vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids, choline, and beta-carotene. Despite the cholesterol controversy, adequate amounts of cholesterol are very important for hormone production and cell development. Eggs also help to build muscle. The choline in eggs supports improved metabolism, which helps to lose fat.  Because eggs consist of healthy fats and protein, they are both satisfying and energising, helping you to avoid those sugary afternoon snacks. Eating eggs will train your body to burn fat for fuel.

Avocados

Avocados are a great source of nutrient-dense fat; they stabilise blood sugar levels, reduce insulin levels, and promote fat burning in the body. Avocados are one of those foods you can add to anything; slice avocado over slow-cooked meat, mash avocado with your morning eggs, or cut them in chunks to go with your salad.

Grass-fed butter

Butter from grass-fed cows is one of the healthiest fats you could consume to encourage fat burning, as it contains significantly higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than butter from grain-fed cows. These include vitamins A, D, K, E and the minerals selenium, zinc, chromium and copper, as well as good amounts of quality cholesterol. The best ways to incorporate butter into your daily diet is to melt it over steamed vegetables, cook your eggs in butter, even stir butter through your coffee instead of milk.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil contains two significantly healthy fats – caprylic acid and capric acid, which are both available to be used as energy immediately after consumption. Coconut oil is an energising food and encourages the body to burn fat for fuel instead of glucose.

Both quality fats and carbohydrates are part of a healthy diet, but real fat-burning begins when the ratio of the two leans towards fats.