What Foods Burn Fat?

by QuickieChick Laurel House

Losing weight is not just about what you leave out, it's also about what you put in your body. Certain foods can help your body break down fat, speed up your metabolism, keep you full longer, and burn calories faster.

Eat Bites with Benefits to get the most out of everything you put in your mouth. Use this Fat-Burning Foods Shopping List next time you're at the grocery store. Then make sure to eat at least 1 fat-burner a day (even better, 1 with every meal of the day!)

Trying to slim down? Here are some foods to eat up!

FAT-BURNING- Cinnamon, Szechuan, Jalapeno, Green Tea

FAT-REJECTING- Peanuts, Apples, Soybeans (it's the lecithin and pectin)

FAT BREAKDOWN- Tangerine, Grapefruit.

When it comes to foods that fight fat, there are several approaches to take: breaking down fat, burning fat, and flushing out fat.

READ: Bites with Benefits for De-Puffing

FAT-BURNING

Fat-burning foods tend to literally be "burning"- mouth burning that is. The naturally "hot herbs" heat up the body while helping to increase digestion, circulation, and the metabolism. A few include:

-Fresh Ginger

-Szechuan Peppercorn

-Cayenne Pepper

-Jalapeno Pepper

-Cinnamon Bark

-Fennel

Recipe: Healthy Cold Nachos

-1 bag tortilla popchips salsa flavor

-1/2 cup hot salsa

-1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

Fact is, traditional nachos can be seriously fatty! Combine the fried tortilla chips with the cheese, sour cream, refried beans… it's a full fat field day! But it doesn't have to be. A perfect snack, side dish, or even a light meal is cold nachos with the new tortilla popchips which have 0 grams of trans fat, are made with stoneground corn masa, and half the fat of regular flavored tortilla chips. Then you add in the fat-burning flavor of both the chili and lemon! Dip that sucker into some spicy salsa with a little low fat cottage cheese and you will be shocked by the tasty factor.

READ: 5 Easy Ways to Get Flat Abs

FAT-REJECTING

Another way to avert fat from attacking? Fruit pectin and lecithin. The naturally occurring chemicals keep fat from being absorbed by your cells, flushing them out before they have a chance to bind to your body. Here are a few to know:

-Soybeans

-Peanuts

-Apples

-Berries

Recipe: Soybean Hummus

1 cup frozen, shelled edamame (green soybeans)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

6 (6-inch) pitas, cut into 8 wedges

Combine soybeans, oil, juice, salt, garlic, and hot pepper sauce in a food processor; process until smooth. Add parsley, and process until blended. Serve with pita wedges.

Next time you go to the grocery store, don't forget your Bites with Benefits shopping list for Fat-Burning!

READ: Perky, Lifted, and Shaped: How to Get a Better Bikini Butt

FAT-BREAKDOWN

There's a reason for the old-fashioned grapefruit diet. Citrus is great at fat breakdown and digestion. A natural fat-fighter, Vitamin C helps minimize fats' effectiveness, actually liquefying the sticky stuff and making it less likely to latch on and bulk you up. Most citrus fruits will work, but two of the most potent include:

-Tangerine peel

-Grapefruit

Recipe: Grapefruit Simply Peeled

There is something about organic grapefruit. If you're not a believer in organics, that's fine, but try organic grapefruit. It is sweeter, doesn't have the bitter taste that puckers your face, and it is a perfect afternoon snack. Here's how to simply peel it- just like an orange!

Laurel House is a lifestyle author, expert, writer, personal trainer and the "QuickieChick." Her "quickies" are all about making the most out of every moment- whether it's a saddlebag-burning "Quickie Workout in Bed," a de-puffing "Bites with Benefits" meal, or how to get a $150 spa-quality skin peel out of a $1 tomato and lemon at-home Refrigerator Facial. Her YouTube videos have received over 8 million views and now you can get even more Quickie Tips in her new book "

QuickieChick's Cheat Sheet to Life, Love, Food, Fitness, Fashion and Finance on a Less than Fabulous Budget" (St. Martin's, May 2012).