Five foods that help burn fat

When it comes to weight loss, it’s the million dollar question: what food should we eat to burn fat?

To answer the question, you need to first understand the positive role fat plays in our lives. Quite simply, our bodies need fat. It protects our organs, keeps us warm, aids cell growth, and gives us a long-lasting form of energy. But, as with anything, you can get too much of a good thing.

Excess fat in our bodies is harmful and can lead to serious health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, especially if it is stored around the midriff, coating important organs. According to the UK’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey, we habitually exceed the recommended intake in saturated fat – hence our rather unflattering nickname, The Fat Man of Europe.

Cutting down on fat normally involves two things: swapping saturated (bad) fats for unsaturated (good) fats, and limiting your overall calorie intake so that the body is forced to burn some of its fat stores for energy.

To help limit the amount of calories you eat, new research published by the University of Warwick recommends a diet of foods such as sirloin steak, mackerel, and avocado. These cause a reaction in the brain that makes people feel fuller, which means you're likely to eat less in one sitting.

Another way of cutting down on blubber is to add fat burning foods to your diet. These increase the body’s fat metabolism or energy expenditure, and prevent fat absorption.

Upping your intake of these foods may aid your weight loss…

1. Chilli peppers

According to a 2010 study by the American Chemical Society, capsaicin – found in chilli peppers – may cause weight loss and fight fat build up. This has led scientists to consider further research into how they can be used to treat obesity.

2. Grapefruit

Eating half of a grapefruit per day will meet 64pc of your vitamin C needs. However, its benefits don't stop there, because grapefruit is often heralded as a fruit that speeds up your metabolism.

The fruit's fat-burning abilities are supported by a 2006 study by the Department of Nutrition and Metabolic Research in California. After 91 obese people were monitored over 12 weeks, the study found that half a fresh grapefruit eaten before meals was associated with significant weight loss.

3. Green Tea

The bitter-tasting refreshment has been of growing interest for dieters because of its ability to stimulate fat oxidation. How does it work? It’s all down to catechin polyphenols. Absent in black tea as a result of its fermentation process, catechins are thought to stimulate fat oxidation and have the potential to increase fat metabolism.

4. Seaweed

Seaweed contains fucoxanthin. Animal studies have shown that long-term fucoxanthin supplementation can result in weight loss because it increases resting energy expenditure, burning more fat. The one study that has been conducted on humans showed significant weight loss after taking daily fucoxanthin extract. However, scientists say there is not enough evidence to draw a solid conclusion.

5. Cinnamon

Could this woody spice help reduce the harmful effects of a high fat diet? A 12 week animal study by the American Heart Association found that a high-fat diet supplemented with cinnamon resulted in less weight gain and healthier blood levels of fat, sugar and insulin compared with a high-fat diet without cinnamon.

According to the study, it is the presence of polyphenol that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may reduce these risk factors.