THERMOGENIC FOODS: BURN FAT AND BOOST ENERGY

Despite the several weight loss products in the market, losing weight is still a major problem for many people out there. In fact, most of these products are only out to drain pockets and waste your ever-precious time.

The general rule when it comes to weight loss is to eat less amount of calories than your body burns. However, food quality matters as much as the quantity. While there’s no single food out there that can lead to weight loss, there are a lot of foods that work to boost your body’s metabolism. If you are looking for a new, natural, safe, and proven way to lose weight without so much hassle, then thermogenic foods might be all you will ever need. In this article, we will learn about what thermogenic foods are, and how they can help you lose weight.

What are thermogenic foods?

Thermogenic foods are those foods that can increase your body’s metabolism and improve its calorie-burning rate — through a process known as thermogenesis, which refers to the activity through which our body burns calories and dissipate heat to process the food we eat. On a normal basis, when we eat food, a lot of things start to work in a coordinated fashion to break it down. Our stomach produces enzymes, its muscular walls work to churn food materials, and the intestinal villi absorb the available nutrients. All these processes require a certain amount of energy. With thermogenic foods, more calories are burned during the processing and breakdown of food materials. These food are commonly incorporated into different diet plans like Agoge Diet or the Pro Metabolic Diet since besides being extremely healthy, they help to boost the energy levels and increase the metabolic rate.

So, what thermogenic foods actually do is to ensure that more calories are burned off during food processing. This is why it is often recommended to use a mix of such foods in your diet, as they can help you cut back on the total amount of calories that get in your body.

Thermogenesis or the “thermic effect of food,” which is the amount of energy that’s needed to breakdown food materials, varies significantly across various types of foods. Generally, it is thought that the body utilizes about 10% of the total calories one consumes in a day in the process of food processing. Fats for examples, have some of the lowest thermic effect of all foods. To process 1 gram of fat which provides 9 calories, the body only utilizes 0-3% of those calories. On the other hand, proteins foods have a higher thermic effect. To process a gram of protein that provides 4 calories of energy, the body would have to utilize up to 20-30% of those calories, which means fewer calories for your body.

So, when your body uses a significant portion of the energy a food provides in the activity of processing, it reduces the total amount of calories that stays in your body. This is especially helpful if you are to attain a calorie-deficit state, which is crucial to losing weight.

Examples of thermogenic foods

Well, now that we know what thermogenic foods are, its time we look at some of the best foods out there that can boost your overall metabolism, and allow you to shed off those extra pounds of flesh.

Turmeric

This powerful Indian spice works wonders in the body. It contains an active ingredient known as curcumin, which has been attributed to most of its beneficial properties.

In a scientific-research review published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine journal, turmeric was regarded as one of the foods that can significantly impact energy metabolism, and thus, drive weight loss. In addition to its ability to boost metabolism, turmeric as a spice possess powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The anti-inflammatory effect in particular has been shown by research to help greatly when it comes to fighting weight loss. In fact, the curcumin in turmeric has been found to directly interact with adipocytes, which are the specialized cells that store up energy in the body as fat.

Ginger

Ginger as a thermogenic food, can significantly increase your body’s metabolism. This has been proven by a clinical research, where consumption of ginger powder in a hot water beverage was able to significantly increase thermogenesis and increase feelings of satiety, which are all crucial aspects of weight management. The  study showed that ginger powder when dissolved in hot water can significantly raise the thermic effect of a standardized breakfast meal by up to 43kcal relative to hot water.

Ginger also contains certain compounds like the gingerols and shogaols. Research-based findings have also shown that these gingerols possess anti-obesity effects. They can decrease body weight, blood sugar, and tissue lipids.

Green tea

In a research published in Journal of medicinal food, green tea extract was found to induce weight loss due to its thermogenic effects, which can significantly raise the metabolic rate of the human body. In another research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Green tea extract that’s rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine was found to possess strong thermogenic effects, as it was able to increase energy expenditure and promote fat oxidation.

Generally, green tea is believed to be one of the healthiest beverages on earth. It’s loaded with antioxidants that can promote fat loss, improve immunity, and protect against cancer and cardiovascular conditions. It is rich in polyphenols, which are compounds with proven anti-inflammatory effects. It also contains a particular catechin known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). This catechin is believed to be one of the most powerful compounds in green tea, and has been attributed to most of its therapeutic applications, including its weight-loss inducing property.

Ginseng

As a herb that’s packed with antioxidants, ginseng root has been found to enhance thermogenic capacity in laboratory animals. In an interesting study published in the Journal of Ginseng Research, 10 obese middle-aged Korean women took Panax ginseng extracts for a period of 8 weeks, after which their body condition was assessed. The results showed a significant decrease in the body weight of obese subjects, along with changes in the composition of gut microbiota.

Another study published in the Cytotechnology Journal, although in laboratory animals, found that ginseng may be able to fight obesity by interfering with the formation of fat and its absorption in the gut.

Cinnamon

Just like ginseng, cinnamon is also loaded with antioxidants, which can protect the human body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. It contains an active compound known as cinnamaldehyde, which is responsible for its distinct smell and flavor. Most researchers believe that it is this compound that’s behind most of cinnamons beneficial properties, including its ability to increase metabolism.

In a study published in the Journal of metabolism, cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon’s most active compound) was found to have a direct effect on fat cells. Through the process of thermogenesis, cinnamaldehyde induced the adipocytes or fat cells to burn off stored fat. Due to this significant fat-burning effect observed, the research concluded that cinnamon may provide a better alternative to combatting obesity than drugs.

Coffee

It is no coincidence that people often recommend taking coffee to aid weight loss. This is because of the caffeine it contains. Most fat-burning supplements out there also contain this psychoactive substance. Well, caffeine truly does aid weight loss. It can increase the body’s metabolism, and improve fat burning processes. This means when you consume drinks containing caffeine, the amount of calories your body burns while at rest increases.

A study published in the American Journal of Physiology, investigated the effects of caffeine intake on energy metabolism, heart rate, and methylxanthine metabolism in lean and obese women. It found caffeine to stimulate fat burning in lean individuals by as much as 29%. In obese subjects, fat burning occurred as 10% of body weight.

In another research, this time around on the effects of a thermogenic fitness drink containing caffeine on energy expenditure and fat metabolism, caffeine intake was found to significantly raise resting metabolic rate and increase fat oxidation in participants.

Garcinia cambogia

This pumpkin-shaped fruit is well-known for its weight loss promoting property. It contains a compound known as hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which has been shown by research to possess anti-obesity effects. HCA is thought to aid weight loss by suppressing appetite and increasing fat burning processes in the body. Although more research is still needed in order to substantiate such claims.

Pepper

The substance in pepper, capsaicin, which is responsible for its spicy nature, has been attributed to numerous health benefits in the human body. It can increase the feeling of satiety and enhance the body’s metabolic rate. In fact, researchers consider capsaicin to be a potent thermogenic compound. This can be seen in a research, where intake of capsaicin was able to significantly increase energy expenditure by about 50 kcal per day. Capsaicin also increases oxygen consumption and raises body temperature — a condition that also burns more calories.

Eggs

The list of thermogenic foods isn’t complete without the mention of eggs. Eggs are very rich in protein, with a 100 grams of boiled one providing as much as 13 grams of protein.

Proteins are generally among the best foods that speed up metabolism. Their high thermic effect says it all. On average, for the human body to metabolize a gram of protein that provides about 4 calories of energy, it would have to utilize up to 20-30% of those calories. This reduces the total amount of calories that gets added to the body.

Advantages of adding thermogenic foods to your diet

There are numerous benefits you can derive by making thermogenic foods a regular part of your diet. Some of them include:

Increased immune function

If you have read through the list of thermogenic foods above, you must have noticed a peculiarity among them — their richness in antioxidants. Such antioxidants can protect the body against oxidative stress and fight the menace of free radicals, whose activities can cause cancerous growths in the body.

Decreased risk of chronic diseases

Most thermogenic foods have great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They are also rich in nutrients and many important phytochemicals that have been proven by research to protect the body against many diseases and conditions. By incorporating them in your diet, you can decrease your risk of serious conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and many others.

Good for building muscle mass

We have seen that proteins are some of the best thermogenic foods. So, if you are keen to build muscles and lose weight at the same time, going fully “thermogenic” might be the best decision you will ever make. With proteins, you get to increase your metabolism, burn fat, and build muscles faster. Of course, proteins are the building blocks of our muscles.

Increased satiety

Apart from increasing metabolism and fat loss, thermogenic foods usually increases the feeling of satiety. The satiating effect of such foods will allow you to eat less amounts of foods, and also stay fuller for a longer period of time. On the long run, this can put you on track to achieve a sustainable weight loss.

Better digestion

Most thermogenic foods can improve the breakdown of food particles in the gut. A lot of them have high fiber content, which is super friendly for the human gut, as it allows the proliferation of good gut microbiota. Also, fiber has a solid satiating effect on the human body.

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