Our diets are so important in creating a healthy body and maintaining a balanced weight, but what foods can you eat to burn fat? Most of the time, exact ingredients or quantities aren’t listed so it can be tricky knowing what to eat. Eating a varied diet is, of course, important but there’s always room for improvement. Low carb diets aren’t necessary or overly effective when it comes to long-term weight management, but there are some advantages to a higher protein diet for fat loss purposes, according to recent studies. It’s believed that these include a lowered appetite, ‘automatic’ control and a higher thermic effect from the food. In the past, nutrition experts have advised that almost any hypocaloric diet that follows some semblance of logic can work, at the very least in the short term. But it’s not so much about the low carb argument – it’s more to do with the control of your calorie intake and compliance. Restricted diets can be difficult to maintain, which means that more often than not we end up falling off the wagon. The best way to burn fat is to shift away from pointless diets and opt for building a programme that helps to achieve results without missing out on the enjoyment of food.
Eating a wide variety of high nutrient-rich foods that are low in calories is the best way to do this. You’ll avoid the fat but stay within the muscle-building guidelines. While commitment is still necessary, you’ll be more inclined to stick within the guidelines if you’re eating delicious food that’s good for you. So to begin with, you need to know what ingredients you can use within your diet. Where carbohydrates and whole grains are concerned, oatmeal, brown rice, white potatoes and sweet potatoes are all great choices. Beans are also ideal for padding out meals with healthy carbs. Vegetables are, naturally, great for you but some are better than others. Broccoli, spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, salad greens and peppers are all fantastic bases for meals. If you want to add protein to your meals, you should look to chicken and turkey breasts, salmon, egg whites and steaks. Fruit is high in sugar but it’s still loaded with nutrients, so look to oranges, bananas, grapefruit, apples, blueberries and melon. Pineapple, strawberries, grapes and peaches are also fine. Healthy fats are necessary to get your dose of omega oils, so be sure to include almonds, extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, flax-seeds and avocados.
Dairy products are a difficult topic, because so many people believe them to be bad for our health. Dairy is vital for our health, as you need the calcium and vitamin D, but opt for skimmed versions to avoid the calories. With this diet, compliance also plays a part so you can give yourself two or three meals a week where you can eat whatever you want – pizza, sushi and other meals not on the list. You need to be able to treat yourself to foods that you’re craving in order to stay motivated to continue. Consider yourself healthy 95 per cent of the time, then the odd treat won’t make that much of a dent in your diet plans. Too much fat in your diet can lead to a number of health problems, from heart disease to strokes, so it’s vital that you amend your lifestyle to accommodate a healthier way of living.