Fat Burning Low Carb Foods
A low carbohydrate diet is effective for weight loss and can become even more effective by including foods that are "fat burning." Fat-burning foods may help increase your metabolism to help make weight loss faster. Which low-carb foods can help boost weight loss efforts by being great fat-burners as well? Read on to make your low-carb diet the most effective by choosing the foods that help with fat burning.
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Background
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Your body uses energy in food for fuel. If you use more energy than you take in, your body burns stores of fat for fuel and you lose weight. A low-carbohydrate diet results in weight loss because it cuts back on sugars, decreases insulin production and directs the body to burn fat. "Fat-burning" foods are those that require more energy to process than they bring into the body. The result of eating low-carb, fat-burning food may be increased or faster weight loss when on a low-carbohydrate diet. Fat-burning foods may be fruits, vegetables, protein or dairy products; though not all are low in carbohydrates, some are and can become part of your low-carb diet.
Fiber and Fat Burning
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When the amount of fiber is greater than or equal to the usable carbohydrates in a food, it can help burn fat. High-fiber foods require more energy to process than other foods and can be an excellent addition to a low-carb diet. These include foods such as flaxseeds, wheat bran, unsweetened coconut flour and coconut. Each of these foods provides more fiber--in the case of wheat bran, twice as much--than carbohydrate. These foods can help your body burn more fat, whether it is at rest or when exercising.
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Low-Carb, Fat-Burning Vegetables
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Some of the best fat burners for a low-carb diet are vegetables, because they are relatively low in carbs and high in fiber. Vegetables with the highest fiber/carb ratio include greens, such as collard greens, kale, mustard greens, chard, chicory, spinach and endive. (These vegetables also have high water content, which can help with weight loss.) Other high-fiber, low-sugar vegetables that are fat burners for a low-carb diet include broccoli and cauliflower, along with asparagus and celery.
Fat-Burning Fruits
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Because most fruits are high in sugar, many types are not suggested for low-carb diets. But some fruits are effective fat burners and low in carbohydrates. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are helpful for fat-burning and are winners for being the fruits lowest in carbohydrates and high in fiber. Rhubarb and unsweetened cranberries are also low in sugar and carbs and offer fat-burning qualities.
Fat-Burning Protein
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Eating lean protein while on a low-carbohydrate diet may help burn fat. Cod, flounder and salmon are all good fish choices. Nuts that are low in carbohydates, high in protein and good for burning fat include pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts and walnuts. Tofu and eggs--especially egg whites, which are high in protein and do not contain carbohydrates--may help with fat burning as well.
Considerations
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Foods that burn fat tend to be low in fat themselves. Low-carbohydrate diets tend to be low in sugars and higher in fat than other diets. To help the fat-burning qualities of low-carb foods, avoid meats and dairy products that are high in fat, even if they are low in carbohydrates. They will lessen the effect of eating low-carb, fat-burning foods, and may slow weight loss. However, the low-fat, low-carb options are many, and as fat burners can actually have "negative" intake effect, helping you to lose weight faster.
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