Foods That Burn Fat

Good nutrition is a big part of any fitness endeavour. I prefer to use the term 'Good Nutrition' rather than the word 'Diet.' Diet just sounds like hassle to most people, hassle and pain, and to be honest it is. They also don't work. The very definition of the word means, a severe restriction of calories that is temporary.
Diets are always temporary, so that means you have to come off them at some point, and that's when the problems begin. You have triggered the body's starvation response, because you have restricted your caloric intake. This evolutionary throwback, from a time when humans didn't know where the next meal was coming from, was great for our ancestors, but not so great for today's modern society, where food is fast, fat ladled and plentiful. These days it's just a hindrance to any person trying to shed the pounds.
The key is not to limit the food you eat, but simply change it. I think everyone who has an interest in nutrition has heard of the 6 meals a day theory. Most people agree that it sounds like a good idea, but then very few actually give it a go. Personally, I think it's a must for anyone wanting to lose weight.
Eating 5 or 6 small, balanced meals every day will get your metabolism burning calories like a furnace. It isn't always possible for some people, especially with work commitments, but just try eat something every 3-4 hours and you will be surprised at the results. Plan ahead!
So what should you eat then? Well below is a list of foods that I believe you can't go wrong with.
CARBOHYDRATES: (the good kind)
Brown Rice
Potatoes (especially sweet potato)
Carrots
Whole Grain Cereals & breads.
Most Pasta - just look on the pack and make sure it says wholegrain!
Fresh fruit
Anything with the whole grain is good for you
Green vegetables or fibrous veg
Eg:
Lentils
Broccoli
Sprouts
Asparagus
Peppers
Tomatoes
Spinach
Beans
Black eye peas
You can eat as much veg as you like.
Combining green veg with a good protein is like nature's fat loss wonder drug!
All these complex carbs are great for energy
GOOD PROTEIN:
Turkey
Chicken
Egg Whites
Most Fish & Shellfish (they also contain the essential fats)
Lean cuts of steak
Cottage Cheese (non fat)
Dairy products are a good source of protein. Just try and get the low fat kind.
These foods are great for building muscle.
You can also get low fat ham & sausages. I wouldn't class them as top grade protein, but they are fine for a bit of variation. The same goes for Beef and red meat. Eat it now and again for its nutritional benefits, like vitamin B-12 & iron, but try and find lean cuts, and keep portion sizes small.
I know the list isn't that big, but I'm just giving you the facts. If you want to lose weight and get lean - these are the foods that should be the building blocks of your diet. Throw in the odd indulgence day, maybe on the weekend. A day where you can eat anything you like! Just work twice as hard in the gym the next day ;)
For breakfast:
Chose from the dozens of whole grain cereals on the market.
Scrambled eggs (It is a good idea to remove the Yolkes every so often).
Fruit
Meal 2
Oatmeal,
Wholegrain Toast,
Banana
Meal 3
Brown Rice,
Lean cuts of Turkey,
Veg (Green Beans)
Meal 4
Chicken,
Sweet Potato,
More Veg. Plenty to choose from
Meal 5
Fish,
Jacket Potato,
Salad
If you can manage a 6th meal, try a combination of anything mentioned.
It sounds a lot, but lower your portions and you should be fine. The idea is not to be bloated after any meal. Build up to it if you have to.
Obviously this isn't a comprehensive guide. It's just my 2 penneth amidst all the confusion surrounding food these days. Combine this with visits to the gym and you will see dramatic results.
Good luck

By Nicolas Thomas

Belly Bloat - How to Get Rid of Bloating Fast

What causes bloating?
Mostly overeating, eating foods which do not agree with you thus producing excess gas, and constipation. Other causes include menstruation, food allergy/food intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome.
Suffering from belly bloat is a common but annoying disorder. You feel uncomfortable, lethargic, unmotivated, embarrassed because of your bulging belly and the rumble it makes, and are sometimes in pain.
Let us look at how to stop bloating and the basic lifestyle changes you can implement which are especially effective if you feel bloated after eating.
Stop overeating
Eat smaller, more frequent meals for better health and a bloat-free waistline.
Change your eating habits
Eating quickly increases pressure on your stomach and produces more gas. Sit down, chew your food well, and eat your meals in a leisurely manner, giving the food plenty of time to digest.
Drinking tea or coffee on the run is equally bad with excess air accompanying each sip and gulp. Savor your beverages by drinking them slowly.
Limit sugar substitutes
Sodas, sweets and chewing gum contain huge quantities of artificial sweeteners, especially sorbitol and xylitol which many people find difficult to digest, resulting in bloating, gas and diarrhea. Rather have real sugar than substitutes.
Cut out sodas
The bubbles in fizzy drinks cause bloating. Also refrain from drinking excessively hot or cold beverages.
Stop eating junk and processed food
Fried, oily food and high salt content cause bloating.
Abstain from carbohydrates at night
Bread and pasta cause you to retain water. Avoid eating them at night to be puff-free the next morning.
Early morning water and lemon juice
Start your day by drinking a glass of warm water with the juice of half a lemon; it speeds up waste elimination and removes toxins.
Eat potassium rich foods
Bananas, cantaloupe, mangoes, spinach, tomatoes, nuts, asparagus and fresh chopped parsley regulate the fluid balance in your body and stop bloating.
If you suffer from constipation, eating sufficient fruit, vegetables and high fiber, such as oatmeal, will improve your digestion and remedy your bloating problem.
Drink water
Water flushes out your system and aids digestion. Instead of alcohol, caffeine and colas, drink plain water and natural teas.
Limit excess air
Do not eat and talk at the same time, drink out of a straw, chew gum nor smoke because the surplus air accompanying these activities causes you to bloat.
Eat foods easily digested by your body
Bland foods, such as fish, chicken, soya based foods, yogurt and rice do not tax your digestive system.
Limit gas producing foods
Notice which raw vegetables cause you to bloat, then either boil them or do not eat them at all. The cellulose in cabbage, peas and beans is hard to digest and may cause you to puff up.
Other common gas producing foods are cruciferous vegetables, root vegetables, lentils, prunes and garlic.
Menstruation
Bloating, together with water weight gain and mood swings, are associated with premenstrual tension. Ensure you get 1200 milligrams calcium and 200 to 400 milligrams magnesium daily. Both nutrients help relieve PMS symptoms, including bloating. If you wish, take Midol which contains a mild diuretic.
Natural remedies
Add turmeric, coriander, caraway and cumin when cooking.
Naturists claim teas made of ginger, savory from the mint family, lime from a linden tree, peppermint, rosemary, and caraway are effective for bloating relief.
They may be right because ginger tea helps with stomach upsets and peppermint oil in tea or warm water after a big meal aids digestion.
Exercise
Walking for 15 to 20 minutes a day moves food through your digestive tract, thereby reducing bloating and combating constipation. Other benefits include less severe menstrual cramps, eliminating toxins by perspiring, and shedding body fat.
Apply pressure
Massaging your abdomen helps evacuate gas and reduces bloating. Start by pressing your fingers near your right hip, slide up towards the ribs, move across and down in a circular motion.
Supplements and home remedies
Taking a digestive enzyme with each meal provides relief, especially when bloating results from a problem with your digestive tract, such as diverticulosis. Obtain digestive enzymes with the active ingredients lipase, protease and amylase, from any health store. Restaurant owners should actually hand out digestive enzymes instead of after-dinner mints to all patrons who selected anything other than raw foods from their menus.
Probiotics are 'good bacteria' which help keep you regular and bloat-free. Your intestinal tract has loads of bacteria, some beneficial, some harmful, which play an important role in the functioning of your digestive and immune systems.
Probiotics encourage the growth and replenishment of healthy microflora. They crowd out the bad bacteria which cause disease, yeasts and parasites in your intestines, they help digest and absorb your food, eliminate wastes and toxins by restoring normal and regular bowel function, and maintain a healthy intestinal function.
Ideally 85% of your bacteria should be friendly with 15% unfriendly. Probiotic supplements can be found in capsule, powder or liquid form, or in foods such as kefir and yogurt.
If you do not consume enough fruit and vegetables, take nutritional supplements that contain dietary fibers especially during the holidays or when celebrating to better handle the foods that cause you to swell up.
Apple cider vinegar helps ease digestive symptoms and gets rid of bloating and gas pain.
Lactobacillus supplements also help maintain intestinal health.
Bismuth, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol, is an element on the periodic table. 100% natural, taken before or directly after a meal reduces swelling caused by food allergies and neutralizes the odor of your flatulence.
Medication
If you take antibiotics, which destroy your friendly bacteria, take B complex vitamins too.
Some oral contraceptive pills cause your stomach to distend, in which case ask your physician to prescribe a different one.
Once you incorporate these lifestyle changes, they should cure you or at least relieve bloating.
If your condition persists, let us look at what else it might be and what you can do about it.
Food allergy
If you bloat after eating certain foods, keep a food journal where you write down everything you eat, together with any symptoms which appear. Rotate foods until you identify which foods trigger bloating and avoid them.
Although you may not test positive for food allergies, you may have a food intolerance. Common culprits include yeast, wheat, where the gluten causes excess gas to be produced, and milk.
Lactose intolerance
This means your body does not produce the enzyme lactase and your digestive system cannot digest the lactose in dairy foods. It then ferments and forms gases which overstretch your bowel.
How do you know if you are lactose intolerant? Drink a glass of milk. If you experience gas, bloating or diarrhea, avoid dairy products or drink lactose free milk.
Yogurt's active bacteria cultures produce lactase, so if you want to eat cheese without bloating afterwards, add a bowl of yogurt to your morning ritual.
Irritable bowel syndrome
IBS, characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea, may be the cause of your bloating.
Eat more fiber and give up coffee, cigarettes and spicy foods which irritate your colon.
Some people swear by going on a detoxification diet two or three times a year to give your body a chance to cleanse itself of accumulated toxins.
Diabetes
Diabetics often have problems with bloating and diarrhea, especially if they take large doses of metformin or glucophage.
Diabetics with nerve damage in their stomach may find food collects but does not empty properly, resulting in excessive belching. Medication eases this problem.
Medication
Although over-the-counter products offer quick relief by suppressing the symptoms, the benefits will be short-lived because they do not eliminate the cause.
Common effective medications such as Gas-X, Beano, Phazyme and Flatulex, when taken with each meal, help break up gas pockets in the stomach, thereby relieving bloating and gas pain.
The pain is not actually caused by your swollen stomach but by abdominal contractions not synchronizing properly. When your intestinal wall pulls in different directions it feels like stomach cramps.
Most bloating medication contain enzymes like alpha-galactosidase which help digest the sugars in carbohydrates, the main culprit of your indigestion problems.
Pink Pepto-Bismol type products have a salicylate ingredient which is like aspirin. It will alleviate some of your abdominal pain but if it disagrees with you, try Gas-X or Phazyme which contain simethicone.
Activated charcoal
Consider using this over-the-counter supplement. When taken with meals, it prevents or at least reduces the amount of gas produced.
It sometimes causes irregular looking stools and constipation so do not be alarmed, and in case it affects the absorption of prescription medicine, take it an hour or two after any scheduled medication.
Tips and warning
Bloating and gas pain should dissipate quite quickly. If not, if it becomes more than a slight annoyance, or if accompanied by bloody or tarry stools, fever, night sweats or weight loss, consult your doctor.
He might suggest a colonoscopy to help him diagnose your problem. Endure it because your colon plays a major role in your life and until it is sorted out, you will feel unwell. Once he determines the medical cause, he will treat and cure you of your suffering.
Bloating is also one of the primary symptoms of ovarian cancer, a 'silent' disease difficult to detect early.
Although the remote possibility exists of it being something serious, bloating is much more likely to be a minor inconvenience which you can get rid of fast by making simple lifestyle changes.

By Sharon Dell

How To Effectively Reduce Belly Fat

Jelly Belly. Love Handles. Dunlap Disease. Whatever you want to call it, the excess fat around your midsection that wiggles and jiggles in all the wrong places just isn't pretty. Not only is belly fat unattractive, it can be downright dangerous to your health. Extra fat carried around your abdomen can increase your risk of heart disease. With so many pills, potions and programs flooding the weight loss industry today, many people are left feeling just plain confused about how to effectively reduce belly fat.

The first thing you must know about how to effectively reduce belly fat is that there is no magic bullet when it comes to weight loss. Reducing body fat levels requires a three pronged approach that doesn't come from popping diet pills or gulping down foul tasting drinks. Belly fat also won't come off by trying to spot reduce only doing sit-ups or crunches. It's just not possible to spot reduce, so don't waste your time.

So, the question remains, how do you effectively reduce belly fat? Here is a safe, practical three pronged approach to get rid of belly fat.

1. Healthy Meals. Notice the word diet isn't part of the equation. That's because the word diet conjures up visions of carrots and celery and not much else. The word diet gives us nightmares of deprivation and hunger, and that's not the image we're looking for with permanent weight loss. Just because the word diet isn't used does not mean you're free to gorge on junk food at will. Healthy meals consist of lean protein, lots of vegetables, whole grains and some fruit. Your should consistantly choose foods that are as close as possible to their natural state.

2. Cardiovascular Exercise. Regular cardiovascular exercise will reduce body fat levels. Where should you start? Wallking is great cardio! Put your shoes on and get moving for at least 30 minutes per day. It doesn't matter how fast or how far you walk in the beginning, the most important point is that you're moving your body aerobically on a regular basis. If you don't enjoy walking then ride a bike, rollerskate, jog, run. Participate in whatever aerobic activity you enjoy.

3. Lift Weights. Yes, you did read that correctly! If you're wondering what lifting weights has to do with effectively reducing belly fat, then read on. Regular weight lifting has several beneficial effects for those folks trying to reduce their body fat levels. Muscles burn extra calories. The more muscle you carry on your frame, the more calories you burn in a 24 hour period which translates into extra fat burning power. Muscles take up about one third less space than fat. Muscles give you the power to carry on your daily activities more effectively and with energy to spare.

Learning how to effectively reduce belly fat isn't a difficult task. The three principle keys to getting rid of your gut rely on diet, cardiovascular exercise and weight lifting on a regular basis. Remember, you didn't sprout belly fat overnight and you can't get rid of belly fat in a day, but you can reduce belly fat if you're willing to put forth a bit of effort.
Rebecca Welch