These 7 shocking Fatty (but healthy) super-foods can actually help you to burn body fat faster!
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-sellers: The Fat Burning Kitchen & The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging
At this point, the anti-fat propaganda has died and almost everybody
understands by now that eating fat doesn't necessarily make you fat. In
fact, it's absolutely imperative to get enough healthy fats in your
diet to keep your hormones balanced, blood sugar under control, and
prevent cravings. Here are 7 examples of "fatty" foods that can
actually HELP you to get lean...
1. Super Dark Chocolate (at least 72% cacao content or higher)
It might not be a secret anymore, but yes, dark chocolate (NOT milk
chocolate) can be a very healthy food, even though it is technically
calorie dense.
However, I would contend that dark chocolate can actually HELP you to
burn off more body fat if you're the type of person that has a sweet
tooth and likes to eat a lot of desserts. In this case, just 1 or 2
small squares of dark chocolate can many times satisfy your sweet tooth
for only 30 or 40 calories as opposed to 500 calories for a piece of
chocolate cake or a piece of pie.
Also some brands of dark chocolate that are in the mid 70's in %
cacao content or higher, can have a fairly high ratio of fiber content
(I've seen some brands have 5 grams of fiber out of 15 grams of total
carbs per serving), and relatively low sugar content compared to the
amount of healthy fats. In fact, that's one of the "tricks" I use to
select a good quality chocolate... I look for more total fat than total
carbs (or about the same number of grams of each).
The importance of that fact is that it means many dark chocolates
will not greatly affect your blood sugar and will have a fairly blunted
blood sugar response compared to other "sweets".
In addition, dark chocolate is also very rich in healthful antioxidants, including a powerful compound called
theobromine
which has been shown to help lower blood pressure and have other health
benefits. The fat content in a good dark chocolate should come solely
from the natural healthy fats occuring in cocoa butter and not from any
other added fats. Any chocolates with added fats or other additives
will generally not be as healthy.
The reason I say to choose dark chocolates with at least 72% cacao
content is that the higher the % of cacao, the lower the % of sugar.
However, this does mean that any chocolate over 80% cacao content will
generally start to get a more bitter taste and have very little
sweetness. If you like this type of taste, then the higher % cocao, the
better. Otherwise, a good 75% dark chocolate is in my opinion an almost
perfect combination of lightly sweet with a rich chocolate taste. Just
remember to keep those daily quantities of chocolate small as it is
calorie dense!
You can also reap the benefits of the antioxidants and fiber without all of the calories by using
organic unsweetened cocoa powder in your smoothies or other recipes.
2. Coconut milk, coconut flour, and coconut oil
Coconut milk and oil are great sources of a super healthy type of saturated fat called
medium chain triglycerides
(MCTs), including a component called lauric acid, which is a powerful
nutrient for your immune system, and is lacking in most western diets.
In addition, MCTs are readily used for energy by the body and less
likely to be stored as bodyfat compared to other types of fats.
Along with coconut milk and coconut oil as healthy fat choices, we've
also got coconut flour as a healthier flour option for baking. Coconut
flour is an extremely high fiber flour alternative (almost ALL of the
carbs in this flour are fiber and not starch!). Coconut flour is also
VERY high in protein compared to most flours and is also gluten free!
Just beware that if you're going to use coconut flour for baking, it
absolutely NEEDS to be mixed with other flours as it sucks up moisture
like crazy... I've made delicious baked goods by mixing coconut flour
with almond flour and quinoa flour in equal parts, and adding slightly
more liquid ingredients than the recipe calls for.
3. Grass-fed (pasture-raised) butter
Yes, delicious smooth and rich BUTTER (real butter, not deadly
margarine!)... It's delicious, contains loads of healthy nutritional
factors, and does NOT have to be avoided in order to get lean. In fact,
I eat a couple pats of grass-fed butter daily and maintain single digit
bodyfat most times of the year.
There's a lot of confusion about this topic... in fact, I just saw a
TV show today that was talking about unhealthy foods and one of the
first things they showed was butter. It just shows that the majority of
the population has zero idea that butter (grass-fed only!) can actually
be a healthy part of your diet.
In fact, there's even ample evidence that REAL butter can even help you to lose body fat for a couple of main reasons:
a. Grass-fed butter is known to have high levels
of a healthy fat called CLA, which has been shown to have anti-cancer
properties, and also has been shown to help burn abdominal fat and build
lean muscle.
b. Grass-fed butter also has an ideal balance of
omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids (unlike conventional grain-fed
butter) which helps fight inflammation in your body, and can help
balance hormones.
c. The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also
contain MCTs, which help to boost your immune system and are readily
burned by the body for energy. The healthy fats in grass-fed butter
also help to satisfy your appetite and control blood sugar levels, both
of which help you to stay lean!
If you have a hard time finding a grass-fed butter at your grocery store, Kerrygold Irish butter is
one of my favorites, and even though the label doesn't clearly state
"grass-fed", the cows are 100% grass-fed on lush green pastures in
Ireland. It's one of the richest butters in color that I've seen, which
indicates high levels of carotenoids.
4. Whole Eggs, including the yolk (not just egg whites)
Most people know that eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein. However, most people don't know that the
egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg... that's where almost all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in eggs.
In fact, the
egg yolks contain
more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6,
folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the
yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg,
as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids. Also, the protein of
whole eggs is more bio-available than egg whites alone due to a more
balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build.
Just make sure to choose free-range organic eggs instead of normal
grocery store eggs. Similar to the grass-fed beef scenerio, the
nutrient content of the eggs and the balance between healthy omega-3
fatty acids and inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (in excess) is
controlled by the diet of the hens.
Chickens that are allowed to roam free outside and eat a more natural
diet will give you healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs with a healthier
fat balance compared with your typical grocery store eggs (that came
from chickens fed nothing but soy and corn and crowded inside "egg
factories" all day long).
If you want more details on eggs,
here is my full article that details more about why egg yolks are BETTER for you than egg whites.
5. Grass-fed beef or bison (NOT the typical grain-fed grocery store beef!)
I know most people think that red meat is unhealthy for you, but
that's because they do not understand how the health of the animal
affects how healthy the meat is for consumption. Keep this in mind --
"an unhealthy animal provides unhealthy meat, but a healthy animal
provides healthy meat".
Typical beef or bison that you see at the grocery store is raised on
grains, mainly corn (and to some extent, soybeans). Soy and corn are NOT
the natural diet of cattle or bison, and therefore changes the chemical
balance of fats and other nutrients in the beef or bison. Grain-fed
beef and bison is typically WAY too high in omega-6 fats and WAY too low
in omega-3 fats. In addition, the practice of feeding cattle corn and
soy as the main portion of their diet upsets their digestive system and
makes them sick... and it also increases the amount of dangerous e-coli
in the meat. This is not the case with grass-fed meat.
On
the other hand, grass-fed beef from cattle and buffalo (or bison) that
were raised on the type of natural foods that they were meant to eat in
nature (grass and other forage), have much higher levels of healthy
omega-3 fats and lower levels of inflammatory omega-6 fats (that most
people already eat way too much of) compared to grain fed beef or
bison.
Grass fed meats also typically contain up to 3 times the Vitamin E as in grain fed meats.
In addition, grass-fed meat from healthy cattle or bison also contain a
special healthy fat
called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in MUCH higher levels than
grain-fed meat. CLA has been proven in scientific studies in recent
years to
help in burning fat and building lean muscle
(which can help you lose weight!). These benefits are on top of the
fact that grass-fed meats are some of the highest quality proteins that
you can possibly eat... and this also aids in burning fat and building
lean muscle.
Grass-fed meats are a little harder to find, but just ask your
butcher or find a specialty grocery store and they usually have cuts
available. I've also found a great site to order grass-fed meats online and have gotten to know the owner of this company well, and they are dedicated to the quality of their foods.
6. Avocados
Even though avocados are typically thought of as a "fatty food", they are chock full of
healthy fats!
Not only is this fruit (yes, surprisingly, avocados are actually a
fruit) super-high in monounsaturated fat, but also chock full of
vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, and antioxidants.
Also, in my opinion, guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion,
tomato, pepper, etc) is one of the most delicious food toppings ever
created, and you can be happy to know that it's also one of the
healthiest toppings you can use on your foods. Try sliced avocados or
guacamole on sandwiches, burgers, eggs or omelets, on salads or with
fish, or as a delicious side to just about any meal.
The quality dose of healthy fats, fiber, and micronutrients that you
get from avocados helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones
that help with fat loss and muscle building. Also, since avocados are
an extremely satiating food, eating them helps to
reduce your appetite
in the hours after your meal. Say goodbye to junk food cravings and
bring on that fat burning! I personally eat anywhere from a
half to a full avocado DAILY and it only helps to keep me lean.
7. Nuts: Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Macadamias, etc
Yes, this is yet another "fatty food" that can actually help you
burn belly fat!
Although nuts are generally between 75-90% fat in terms of a ratio of
fat calories to total calories, this is another type of food that is all
healthy fats, along with high levels of micronutrients such as
vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Nuts are also a good source of
fiber and protein, which of course, you know helps to control blood sugar and can
aid in fat loss.
Nuts also help to maintain good levels of
fat burning hormones
in your body (adequate healthy fat intake is vitally important to
hormone balance) as well as helping to control appetite and cravings so
that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you're
consuming a high-fat food. My favorite healthy nuts are pecans, pistachios,
almonds, macadamias, and walnuts, and by eating them in variety, you
help to broaden the types of vitamins and minerals and also the balance
of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fats you obtain.
Try to find
raw nuts instead of roasted nuts if you can, as it helps to maintain the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat.
Also, try to broaden your horizons beyond the typical peanut butter
that most people eat, and try almond butter, cashew butter, pecan
butter, or macadamia butter to add variety to your diet.
One of the little "tricks" that I've used with clients when trying to
cut down body fat is to have them eat a handful of nuts such as almonds
or pecans about
20 minutes before lunch and dinner.
This ends up being a perfect time to control your appetite before lunch
or dinner and helps you to eat less overall calories on that meal.
I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the healthiest "fatty"
fat-burning foods you can possibly eat. I could list a ton more, but
wanted to give you a few of my favorites for now. Enjoy!
But BEWARE...
Although these "fatty" foods may be a super-healthy choice for
achieving your lean, strong, and energetic body... I've discovered that
there are at least 23 popular foods that most people falsely think are
"healthy", but they
actually HARM your metabolism and pack on belly fat.
Discover what these
metabolism-harming foods are on the next page:
These 23 "healthy" foods HARM your metabolism & pack on belly fat (avoid these!)
Due
to biochemical reactions in your body that occur with every type of
food you eat on a daily basis, some foods age you FASTER than your real
age, while other foods help to FIGHT aging.
First,
start with a warm, but NOT hot, shower to begin your day, and then at
the end of your shower, slowly begin to make the water cooler and
cooler.
While
so many men and women are out there depriving themselves with trendy
diets, and exercising to the point of exhaustion there are actually
several little things you can do right now that can have an even bigger
impact on your weight loss efforts.
Here’s
a powerful, eye-opening example. When you eat just ONE handful of “Zero
Trans Fat” crackers you poison your body with a couple grams of toxic,
fat-storing trans fat – WITHOUT even being aware of it.
