Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Top 3 Fat Burning Foods - Surprising Hidden Gems

In all of my years as a professional Nutrition Specialist, I've noticed that most people are shocked to hear some of my picks for the top fat burning foods that are best for weight loss and good health.
I won't bore you with all of the typical "healthy foods" that you hear about all of the time such as fruits and veggies... everybody knows those.  Instead, I'm going to show you some shockers that most people don't realize are super healthy foods for fat loss.
1. Egg Yolks - yes, that's right... full fatty egg yolks with all of their fat and cholesterol.  By the way, you've been mislead about the cholesterol in egg yolks -- it actually raises your GOOD cholesterol and helps balance proper ratios, so don't be afraid of the fat and cholesterol in these little nutrition power packed gems.  And if you choose cage-free eggs from free roaming hens, the omega-3 content is higher with a more balanced fat profile.
Egg yolks are also one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet in terms of vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients.  Trying to list all of the vital nutrients in egg yolks would take up an entire page so I won't even try that here.  Just realize that egg yolks should NOT be avoided in favor of egg whites.  Even the protein is more bioavailable when you include the yolks!
So don't be afraid to eat those delicious and healthy eggs and start burning belly fat faster.
2.  Avocados - This is yet another "fatty food" that is also one of the best fat burning foods! Not only that, but avocados make just about everything creamier and more delicious.  They are also power-packed with healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidants, as well as vitamins and minerals.  The healthy fat in avocados also helps control appetite and fat burning hormones in your body.
Try adding avocado slices or guacamole to everything from morning eggs, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, and starting burning body fat faster! I would definitely consider avocados one of the best healthy super foods.
3.  Grass-fed beef - While most beef you see at the grocery store is grain fed beef from cattle that are in poor health and has lower nutrition values and omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratios that are far out of whack, there is a better option... and that is Grass-Fed Beef!
Grass-fed beef is known to have much higher levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and lower omega-6 fats (which most people get too much of anyway).  Grass-fed beef also contains higher levels of many vitamins and minerals, as well as containing high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is a healthy fat that is known to help muscle building and fat burning.
So don't be afraid to live it up a little and eat more beef, as long as you choose healthy grass-fed beef instead of grain fed beef. Enjoy and start burning more body fat with these so called "fatty" foods!
If you want to lose body fat faster, check out these 5 tips to Burn Stomach Fat the smart and effective way.
Enjoy, and good luck with your fitness endeavors!
Mike Geary
Author - The Truth about Six Pack Abs

The 2 Worst Foods That Make You Fat - One May Shock You

The 2 fattening foods that I'm going to talk about in this article may actually shock you... most people falsely believe these 2 foods are "healthy".  In all of my years working as a Certified Nutrition Specialist, this usually surprises people when I mention they should consider eliminating these foods from their diet.
Everybody these days knows how bad trans fats and high fructose corn syrup are for you, so I figured I'd spare you yet another lecture on those... Instead, read on to see a couple foods that may shock you that they may be packing on the blubber.
The first type of food that is often falsely believed to be healthy is wheat products... this includes most breads, cereals, bagels, muffins, pasta, crackers, and so on.  And yes, I am including "whole wheat" in the category of this fattening food.
First of all, a large percentage of the population has some degree of intolerance to the gluten in wheat and some other grains. Full blown celiacs are the most sensitive to it, but what most people don't realize is that the majority of the population was never meant to eat large quantities of wheat.  The human digestive system has never adapted to large amounts of wheat in the diet.
The introduction of wheat into the human diet has only been in the last couple thousand years, and it has NEVER been in such large quantities in the human diet until the last 80-100 years.  This is a small time frame compared to the traditional diet that the human digestive system developed over several hundred thousand years eating a hunter-gatherer diet of meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
From my experience with many of my clients, when they heed my advice and eliminate wheat from their diet for 2-3 weeks to see if they start to lose weight and feel better, this almost always makes a HUGE difference.  Many times, they not only start losing body fat much faster, but they also finally get rid of headaches and indigestion that has plagued them for years.  Sometimes even skin problems go away when eliminating wheat from the diet.
The 2nd example of the worst fattening foods that shocks many people because it is thought to be "healthy" is -- fruit juice.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not an anti-carb advocate per se... I actually think most fruits are VERY healthy for us. However, we were NOT meant to separate the juice from the rest of the fruit and only drink the high calorie sugary mixture and leave behind the fiber and other beneficial components of the fruit.
When you only drink the juice of fruits (apple juice and orange juice being 2 of the worst culprits in the western diet), you are not getting the appetite satisfying effect of the fiber in the fruit, and you're left craving more carbs.  Also, the fiber in whole fruit helps to slow the blood sugar response when eating whole fruit compared to fruit juice.
Bottom line... overconsuming fruit juices makes you fat.  On the other hand, eating whole fruits including all of the fiber helps you maintain a healthy balanced diet and high nutrient density (as long as the rest of your diet is whole unprocessed foods as well).
If you want the REAL truth on eating strategically for permanent fat loss, read these 5 tips for Losing Body Fat the smart and effective way.
Enjoy, and good luck with your nutrition endeavors!
Mike Geary -
Certified Nutrition Specialist,
Certified Personal Trainer,
Author of the world-wide best-seller: The Truth about Six Pack Abs
Mike Geary - EzineArticles Expert Author