Forget about slimming products if you want to lose weight. They key to a healthy weight loss is good old fashion grocery shopping, cooking your own meals and controlling each bite of food you have. New research shows there are over a dozen foods, from beans to beef, that can help you defeat the sensation of hunger, kick your chocolate addiction, boost your metabolism and eventually help you shed pounds. And some of these superfoods come with health benefits as well.
1. Green Tea: What gives green tea its slimming power is the amount of antioxidants it contains. They’re called catechins and have been proven to help speed metabolism and fat burning. In a recent Japanese research, 35 people who drank a bottle of oolong tea mixed with green tea catechins lost weight, had a metabolism boost, and also experienced a significant drop in their body mass index. Plus, a health bonus: the subjects also lowered their (bad) LDL cholesterol.
2. Beans: Most likely the word cholecystokinin does not ring a bell to you. The fact is, it’s one of your best weight-loss pals. It’s a digestive hormone and a natural appetite suppressant. So how do you get more cholecystokinin in your diet? One way, according to researchers at the University of California at Davis, would be eating beans: A study of eight men proved that their levels of the hormone were twice as high after a meal containing beans than after a low-fiber meal consisting of rice and dry milk. There’s also some evidence that beans keep blood sugar on a steady level, plus high-fiber beans can lower your cholesterol.
3. Olive Oil: Olive oil has been for a long time considered a miraculous ingredient. The truth is olive oil is just about as close to a miracle as you can get. Extra virgin olive oil can help you fight off middle age pounds. It’s a monounsaturated fat, and according to experts it’ll help you burn calories. In an Australian study, 12 postmenopausal women (ages 57 to 73) were given a cereal breakfast dressed either with a mixture of cream and skim milk or half an ounce of olive oil and skim milk. The women who ate the olive oil-laced muesli boosted their metabolism. Olive oil works just as fine in salad dressings, as a bread dip, or for sautéing.
