When it comes to burning body fat and getting lean most specialists will tell you that its all about calories in vs. calories out. To put it simply, it doesn’t matter so much what foods you eat, as long as you meet your macronutrient goals for the day. However, getting your body fat below the ten percent benchmark is not an easy goal and one should keep in mind that not all foods are equal. I personally choose specific foods as part of my dieting, since every food is unique and has advantages when it comes to stimulating the body’s fat burning mechanisms. On top of that, it’s wise to choose foods that score high on the antioxidant and fiber index, as they help you clean the body from toxins built up and harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. Burning body fat and detoxing often go hand-in-hand. It’s important to focus not only on burning body fat, but also making it in the healthiest way possible.
When it comes to professional fat burning, you should understand that the issue is more complex than it seems. Now straight to the list of my top 3 choices for fat burning foods and ideas on how to implement them in your nutritional plan:
Salmon (wild) – We all know protein is the core macronutrient of every fitness nutritional plan. When it comes to healthy protein choice, there is nothing close to salmon, especially if it is wild caught. Salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 essential fats, which are crucial not only to your overall health, but to your ability to burn fat efficiently and preserve muscle while dieting. Besides the numerous other health benefits, omega-3 increases your resting metabolic rate, decreases cortisol and increase the permeability of the cell membrane, which enables better nutrient delivery and toxin removal from cells. I would recommend consuming 500 to 700 grams per day depending on your bodyweight, but if you cannot afford it, try supplementing with 3 to 6 grams of quality omega-3 per day, spread evenly with meals.
Broccoli (raw) – Broccoli is arguably the most effective vegetable that you can incorporate in your nutritional regiment, along with asparagus. Broccoli is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It also has functional ingredients like indole-3-carbinol, which lower estradiol levels, thus causing less water retention and harder muscle appearance. Broccoli is very rich in fiber and is my favorite choice for vegetable while cutting as it also strongly detoxifies the body and consequently improves fat loss. I would recommend consuming anywhere between 400 and 1000 grams of broccoli per day. It makes it so much easier to endure low carb diets!
Grapefruit (pink)– If you thought all fruits are bad for dieting – you were wrong! Grapefruit is a staple in my cutting regiment, since it naturally increases thermogenesis in the body and has a slight diuretic effect. Grapefruit detoxifies the body strongly, cleanses the digestive tract and is very rich in vitamin C and other essential nutrients. Because of its super low glycemic index, grapefruit doesn’t raise insulin, thus sustaining a fat-burning environment. I would recommend consuming 1 to 4 pink grapefruits per day with breakfast and pre-workout meals.
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