Countdown to Summer: Fat Fighting Foods

Among my many subscriptions to health and fitness e-newsletters is a subscription to WebMD.  Last week's message included a link to a slide show that caught my attention.

The headline "Fat Fighting Foods" had me at the click of my mouse.  Despite a brain full of knowledge about what it takes to truly burn fat, it's amazing how a tempting headline can still catch my attention.

The slide show encourages high fiber, high protein, and high water food choices to keep you satisfied.  Despite what you may have heard about grapefruit and other foods on the list, none of them will magically burn away fat just by eating them; however, replacing a higher calorie food in your diet every day with one of their recommendations may just cut enough calories to lead to weight [fat] loss afterall!

Try these 6 tips using the "Fat Fighting Foods":

1.  Replace your regular 8 ounce fruit on the bottom style yogurt with a container of 6 ounce Greek yogurt.  My personal fave is Fage but there are many great brands on the market now.  Look for one with no more than 150 calories and 10-15 grams of protein per serving.

2.  Replace white rice or couscous with quinoa.  If you are looking for ideas on ways to cook with quinoa, visit my other blog, Weekly Wellness Digest (scroll down to the March 14th article).

3.  Replace your morning 12 ounce OJ with half of a grapefruit for more fiber and less calories. 

4.  Replace your afternoon sweet treat with sweet fruit instead.  Watermelon, berries, pears, grapes or apples make great fiber-filled choices.

5.  Replace your loaded baked potato with a baked mashed sweet potato.  If sweet potatoes are not naturally sweet enough for you, try mixing one baked sweet potato, a splash of vanilla extract, splash of skim milk, and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar or honey until smooth.  You get the flavor of sweet potato casserole without all the added calories.

6.  Replace your carb-heavy breakfast with eggs a few times per week.  Recent research has shown eating 30 grams of protein in the first hour post workout aids in muscle repair and may fuel fat burning.  My favorite way to get 30 grams of protein post workout?  An omelet made with 2 eggs, 1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese, 1/4 cup skim milk, and diced onions, red bell pepper, and zucchini with a slice of high fiber bread topped with 1 Tbsp of natural peanut butter and 1/2 banana.  (This meal is about 500 calories.)