Eat these three foods if you want to burn fat in a healthy way

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Guest post by Jennifer McGregor

If you’re like many Americans trying to lose weight, your 2016 probably got started with a bang as you tackled your New Year’s weight loss goals with ferocity, forsaking all bread and vowing to hit the gym no less than a dozen times a week. But now, as summer looms, your efforts have likely long since ground to a screeching halt.

The good news is that burning off any excess pounds you’ve gained in recent months doesn’t have to feel like walking across hot coals. In fact, if you incorporate these three foods into your diet, you can literally shed pounds without even trying.

Bone Broth

You’ve heard of the miraculous powers of bone broth — how it cures leaky guts and improves digestion, while making skin, hair and nails look youthful and radiant. But you may not know that the wonder elixir can help you shed pounds, too. According to bone broth expert Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, the massive amounts of collagen in the broth help your body burn fat and build lean muscle (which then burns even more fat). The broth also contains the amino acids glycine and proline, which help your body to shed unwanted toxins, and if that wasn’t enough, the broth is an easy and delicious way to satiate cravings and fill your tummy (use it as a base for soup or drink straight from a mug) with very few calories.

Pea Protein

Whether you eat veggies only or prefer to serve bacon at every meal, or even if you won’t touch food that’s been heated over 118 degrees, there’s a diet plan out there with your name on it. But despite all of these opposing viewpoints, there is still one universal truth when it comes to losing weight: Protein is important for weight loss.

One of the most convenient ways to make sure you’re getting enough protein on a daily basis is to scoop some into a smoothie or meal replacement shake, and in a sea of protein powders, pea protein stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. In addition to being high in protein and low in carbs, it contains peptides that slow the secretion of the hormone ghrelin — the same hormone that tells your brain when you’re hungry. It’s also hypoallergenic, grain-free and perfect for vegetarians and vegans.

Coconut Oil

Experts are beginning to understand that healthy fats are a real thing — in fact, some fats actually help burn fat — and coconut oil is one of them. There are few foods that offer as many wide-ranging health benefits as coconut oil (the stuff is good for everything from moisturizing skin to improving Alzheimer’s symptoms), but it’s best use may be as a fat burning supplement. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides, a type of fatty acid that is metabolized very differently from most fats. They are processed by the liver, where they are immediately converted to energy, instead of being stored as fat, thus revving the metabolism. Additionally, a 1985 study published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health showed that capric acid (one of the fatty acids in coconut oil) caused a decrease in appetite — and a parallel loss of body weight — in test subjects.

How easy is it to incorporate coconut oil into your daily diet? Add a spoonful to your morning cuppa joe or breakfast smoothie, use it to replace all of your other cooking oils, or just eat it straight!

Jennifer McGregor is a pre-med student who loves learning about health and wellness. She wants people of all ages to have access to reliable health information and that’s why she created PublicHealthLibrary.org with a classmate. In her free time, Jennifer loves spending time with her dog at the park.