Fat Burning Foods
By: Ray Doughty
Updated: June 25, 2010
Staying slim and trim is about more than exercise.
Experts say there are foods that can help you crank up your metabolism naturally.
Personal trainer Ray Wetterlund makes his clients work hard inside the gym, but he tells them it's about more than exercise.
He recommends a small meal an hour and a half before you work out, made up of 75% carbs, 25% protein, and then within about 30 minutes after your workout -- something with a 3-to-1 ratio of carbs to protein to get your body what it needs to recover and rebuild.
Wetterlund recommends chocolate milk.
"It's very convenient. A low fat chocolate milk because it gives you the ratios you need, it'll give you all of the nutrients to recover," he explains.
Alex Fiorini is also in the nutrition and fitness business.
Even if you're not that great about sticking to an exercise plan, foods can still boost your metabolism.
"If you're eating foods that are giving you energy and also filling you up longer periods of time you're not going to eat as many calories in the day so you're going to feel better, so you're going to burn more calories," Fiorini says.
Some fruits, he says, are better than others.
"If you get some of these foods like kiwi, they're really high in zinc, and zinc is a very good vitamin for energy, and blueberries obviously a lot of people always hear having a handful of blueberries is going to give you a lot of energy and that's because of the antioxidant levels."
Fiorini also recommends agave nectar as a sweetener, saying it'll help control your blood sugar level so you have more energy for a longer period of time.
Salmon is another good choice due to its high content of Essential Fatty Acids, or EFAs.
"It's shown that by having one or two servings a day of EFAs, your body will actually burn an extra 400 calories a day," Fiorini says.
He also recommends almonds.
"Almonds in general are fantastic for the metabolism because of the high protein and the good fats that are in them."
Our experts also say green tea is a great metabolism booster.
You can either drink it, or use the powder or extract form in other foods, like smoothies.
