10 Evidence-Based Fat-Burning Foods and

Beverages
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When it comes to losing weight, not all foods are the same.
Some foods can increase the amount of calories you burn, kill your appetite,
or both.
This can be caused by protein, fiber, as well as many substances found
naturally in foods.
Here are 10 evidence-based fat-burning foods and beverages.

1. Nuts
Despite being high in fat, nuts are among the most weight loss friendly foods
in existence.
They are low in carbs, but high in fiber, healthy fats and protein.
Because of the way nuts are structured, the calories in them are pretty hard
for the body to access, and about 10-15% dont even get absorbed (1).
Nuts are also highly satiating, so they make you feel more full with fewer
calories. There is also some evidence that they can boost your metabolism
(2).
People who eat nuts (or peanuts) tend to weigh less, and controlled trials
show that they cause weight loss and lead to significant reductions in waist
size (3, 4, 5, 6).
In one study, a low-calorie diet supplemented with almonds caused 62%
greater weight loss than the same diet supplemented with complex
carbohydrates (7).

Bottom Line: Nuts and peanuts are among the most weight loss friendly
foods on earth. They are very fulfilling, can boost metabolism, and a
significant part of the calories in them is wasted.

2. Coconut Oil
The fats in coconut oil are not the same as most other fats.
They consist mostly of fatty acids called medium-chain triglycerides.
These types of fats are metabolized differently, and can have potent
biological effects (8).
Some studies have shown that these fatty acids can make you feel so full
that you eat up to 256 fewer calories per day, and boost the number of
calories you burn by up to 120 calories per day (9, 10).
Interestingly, studies have looked at whether coconut oil can cause weight
loss in humans.
These studies did not find a reduction in weight, but they did show a
significant reduction in waist circumference in people who ate 30 mL (2
tablespoons) of coconut oil per day (11, 12).
What this means, is that coconut oil is particularly effective at helping
you lose belly fat, the harmful fat that tends to build up around the organs.
Bottom Line: Coconut oil contains fats called medium-chain triglycerides,
which can reduce appetite, increase fat burning and help you lose belly fat.

3. Boiled Potatoes
Potatoes can either make you fat, or help you lose weight, depending on how
you prepare them.
While french fries and potato chips can be highly fattening, the same is not
true for whole, plain potatoes.
There is a scale called the satiety index, which measures the ability of foods
to cause fullness and make people eat fewer calories at subsequent meals.
Interestingly, white, boiled potatoes score by far the highest of all foods
tested (13).
What this means, is that if you eat more potatoes, you
should automatically eat less of other foods instead.

There is some evidence that this is partly mediated by a protein in potatoes

called protease inhibitor 2, which is believed to have beneficial effects on
appetite hormones, but this needs to be studied further (14, 15).
If you want to boost the weight loss effects of potatoes even further, then
cool them down after boiling them. This greatly increases their content
of resistant starch, a fiber-like substance that can help you lose weight
(16,17).
Bottom Line: Boiled, white potatoes are very effective at inducing satiety
and making you feel full. This should help you eat fewer overall calories.

4. Coffee
Coffee is not the devil it has been made out to be.
It is actually very healthy, and loaded with antioxidants and bioactive
compounds (18).
There is quite a bit of evidence that caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee,
can boost fat burning and help with weight control (19, 20).
In fact, caffeine has been shown to temporarily boost metabolism by 3-11%,
and temporarily increase fat burning by up to 10-29% (21, 22, 23, 24).
According to one study, 600 mg of caffeine per day (4-6 cups of coffee) can
help you burn an additional 79-150 calories per day (25).
However, a tolerance to the effects can build up quickly, so this may not
apply to people who drink coffee every day.
Bottom Line: Caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee, has repeatedly been
shown to boost metabolism and increase fat burning in the body.

5. Fish and Lean Meats

When it comes to losing weight, protein is the king of nutrients.
Some of the best sources of quality protein in the diet include fish and lean
meats.

Studies show that a high-protein diet can boost metabolism by up to 80-100

calories per day, and one studygoes as high as 260 calories per day
(26, 27, 28, 29).
Another study showed that protein at 30% of calories helped women eat 441
fewer calories per day and lose almost a pound of weight per week, without
intentionally restricting anything (30).
A high-protein diet can also reduce cravings and desire for late-night
snacking, and has been shown to help prevent weight regain during a
maintenance phase (31, 32).
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, consider making
a permanent increase in your protein intake.
Eating sufficient protein can be challenging, so it is recommended to use a
nutrition tracker (like Cron-o-meter) for a while to make sure that
youre getting enough.
Bottom Line: Fish and lean meats are some of the best sources of quality
protein. Eating a high protein diet (25-30% of calories) is very effective for
weight loss.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is incredibly popular in the natural health community,
and has been shown to havenumerous benefits.
It can significantly reduce the blood sugar response after a high-carb meal,
and may have modest effects on your weight (33, 34).
Studies have shown that taking vinegar with a high-carb meal can increase
fullness so much that people eat 200-275 fewer calories for the rest of the
day (35, 36).
In one study, taking 15-30 mL (1-2 tablespoons) of vinegar per day caused
weight loss of 2.6 3.7 pounds (1.2 1.7 kg) over a period of 12 weeks (37).
Bottom Line: Apple cider vinegar has been shown to reduce appetite when
taken with high-carb meals, and may cause modest weight loss if taken
every day.

7. Green Tea

Green tea is another weight loss friendly beverage.

Like coffee, it does contain some amount of caffeine, which can aid fat
burning.
However, green tea also contains several other bioactive substances that
can have an effect.
This includes the antioxidant EGCG.
EGCG can increase norepinephrine activity and help liberate fatty acids from
your fat stores (38, 39).
According to some studies, green tea extract can boost metabolism by about
3-4%, and increase fat burning by up to 17% (40, 41, 42).
Although the evidence is mixed, some studies have shown that green tea can
help you lose fat, especially in the belly area (43, 44, 45).
Bottom Line: Green tea contains caffeine and EGCG, substances that have
been shown to boost metabolism and increase fat burning. Several studies
have shown that green tea can help with fat loss.

8. Hot Peppers
Hot peppers, like chili pepper, contain a substance called capsaicin.
Many studies have shown that capsaicin can reduce appetite and boost
metabolism (46, 47, 48).
For this reason, capsaicin is a very popular ingredient in commercial weight
loss supplements.
If you dont mind spicy food, then upping your intake a bit may be useful for
losing weight.
However, this doesnt seem to work for people who eat spicy food all the
time, indicating that a tolerance to the effects can build up (49, 50).
Bottom Line: Hot peppers are high in a substance called capsaicin, which
has been shown to reduce appetite and increase fat burning.

9. Water

Drinking enough water can have many benefits, and is surprisingly effective
for weight loss.

The thing is, drinking half a liter (17 oz) of water can boost your metabolism
by 30% for a period of 1 to 1.5 hours (51).
Drinking your water cold is best, because then the body needs to expend
energy (calories) to heat the water to body temperature.
The best time to drink water is before meals.
Drinking half a liter (17 oz) of water, half an hour before meals, has been
shown to increase fullness and help people on a fat loss diet lose up to 44%
more weight (52).
Bottom Line: Drinking water, especially before meals, can be useful as a
weight loss aid. Water boosts metabolism and helps increase fullness.

10. Whole Eggs

Whole eggs are among the healthiest and most nutritious foods on the
planet.
They were demonized for being high in cholesterol, but new studies show
that they have negligible effects on cholesterol in the blood (53, 54).
There are also some very impressive studies showing that eating eggs for
breakfast can be useful for weight loss.
In one study, eating eggs instead of bagels for breakfast made people feel
more full, so that they ended up eating fewer calories for the next 36 hours
(55).
Another study showed that a breakfast of eggs caused 65% greater weight
loss than a breakfast of bagels, even though both meals contained the same
number of calories (56).
If you cant eat eggs for some reason, then thats fine. Any protein-rich
and nutrient-dense breakfast should work.