4 Foods That Fight Fat

Most people find it hard to believe that eating and weight loss go hand in hand {sounds too good to be true, but it is} and it's because most of us think of deprivation and starvation when we envision weight loss. Images and bad memories of shakes, cans of tuna, celery stalks and endless boring salads come to mind, blah. None of that, I'm talking about eating real, healthy, wholesome foods that nourish your body and soul, fire up your metabolism and convert your body into a temple of wellness. Om...

Let's get you started with four foods/food groups that you should
incorporate into your daily diet a.s.a.p so you can start shedding pounds, feel energized and get healthy.

Whole-Grains: Foods high in fiber take the body longer to digest, resulting in a slow release of calories. A slow supply of calories enables your body to quickly burn them rather than store them as fat. Instead of eating pasta, bread, and cereal made with refined white flour, choose whole-grain options that provide complex carbs and the fiber needed to rev up your metabolism. Go with bran flakes instead of a bagel, whole wheat bread over white bread, and whole-grain pastas. When buying whole wheat products, look for labels that read "100% whole wheat" or "100% whole grain," and don't settle for anything less than 100%.

Protein & Dairy: Give your metabolism a boost with foods high in protein. Foods high in protein also make your body work harder to digest them e.i burn more calories. Meat, poultry, and fish are all great sources of protein. Be sure to choose lean meats like chicken, turkey, lamb, and game meats {buffalo, venison, elk}. Salmon, tuna, and other fatty fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which increase your metabolism and the rate at which you burn fat. The calcium found in milk and other dairy products also work to activate your metabolism, as well as keeping your insulin levels low. Good protein sources for vegan/vegetarians are beans, nuts, seed, chia seeds, tofu, tempeh, eggs, and Greek yogurt.

Fruits: All fruits are healthy, but those fruits that are especially high in vitamin C are powerhouses when it comes to burning fat. Vitamin C helps dilute fat and cholesterol. Some of the best are citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes. Personally, I add fresh lime juice to all my hot and cold water based drinks, it gives them a punch of flavor and it feels good to know that that lime juice is steady burning the fat in my body. Take that fatty-fat! High-fiber fruits are also fat burners; again because your body has to work hard to digest them, burning calories in the process. These fruits include apples, raspberries, and pears.

Vegetables: Vegetables, like fruits, are low in fat and contain good amounts of vitamins and minerals. All the Green-Yellow-Orange vegetables are rich sources of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, beta-carotene, vitamin B-complex, vitamin-C, vitamin A, and vitamin K. When it comes to burning fat, choose veggies that are low in calories and filling at the same time. Examples include white and sweet potatoes{arguably starches, but veggies to me}, squashes and pumpkins, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, beans, mushrooms, and cauliflower. With fall approaching, a delicious way to fill up on hearty vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, fennel, and parsnips is to chop them, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper, whole garlic cloves, quartered onions and roast to caramelized perfection. Whenever possible, buy your produce from your local farmer's market, locally grown produce is the freshest and therefore the healthiest.

Now, my challenge to you is to go out and buy minimum two items from each of the four groups mentioned above and incorporate them into your daily diet. If you are already enjoying these food on a regular kudos to you. And be sure to share your comments, questions and experiences on the Diet to Lifestyle Facebook and twitter pages. It has been proven time and time again that having support is essential on the journey to weight loss and wellness, remember you're not traveling this road alone. I call shotgun!

Are you eating less but your clothes still fit tight? Is the scale not budging even though you're working out more? Do you feel like you're always dieting but never losing weight?

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