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If you’ve never heard of fat burning foods then this is the perfect place to start. I’ll show you some of my personal favorites, and some of the most delicious foods that burn fat!

Oatmeal – Steel rolled and regular rolled oats are the top choice here. For some people oatmeal is just way too plain, but I say it is a blank canvas! Why not add some of the nuts and berries listed below for a delicious meal. Don’t fall into the trap of going for the instant, sweetened or flavored varieties though.

The Science: Oatmeal is very high in soluble fiber, a powerful tool in any fat burning diet. Fiber helps to regulate blood sugar levels, prevents insulin spikes and releases energy slowly. Perfect conditions for fat burning hormones. Oats have also been proven to breakdown bad fatty acids and cholesterol in your blood, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

Shop For: Steel rolled oats (if you can find and afford them) or regular rolled oats.

Avoid: Don’t be tempted by flavored and sweetened varieties. These are packed with gut bulging artificial sweeteners!

Tip: Don’t add sugars and syrups, instead try organic honey, berries and nuts for more flavor.

Nuts (Almonds, Cashew, Macadamia etc) – Without a doubt nuts are my number one snack food. A small hand full of these will fill you up nicely in between meals, and actually contain healthy fats, vital for weight loss. Don’t fall into the “low fat foods” trap. Essential fats are needed for good health and to boost your metabolism.

The Science: Nuts are perfect if you are looking to lose belly fat. They are excellent sources of fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. Like I’ve said many times before, eating fat doesn’t make you fat. Eating the wrong kinds of fat is the problem. Nuts do not fall into the “bad” category. Actually they are quite the opposite.

The fact that nuts are high in fibre, protein and fat means that they fill you up quickly and leave you feeling full for longer. So not only do they promote fat burning hormones, they also reduce junk food cravings. A double benefit then.

Shop For: Raw, organic nuts only. Mixed nuts provide healthy variety because each type of nut contains different amounts of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Unsweetened peanut butter is healthy and tasty too!

Avoid: Definitely steer clear of the dry roasted and salted variety.

Tip: By varying your nut intake you’ll get a good cocktail of vitamins, minerals, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Peanut butter is also an excellent substitute for margarine or butter for sandwiches but once again you must go for the natural, unsweetened variety if you’re going for fast abs.

Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries etc) – Is it sad that berries get me excited? They’re so versatile you can add them to plain old oatmeal, a post-workout shake, salads or your mixed nuts. Their natural sweetness and taste is a great way of adding to your satisfaction factor and further reducing junk food cravings.

The Science: Berries are the perfect source of natural sugars (that don’t spike blood sugar like refined sugars will), fibre (slows sugar and carb absorption further and fills you up), vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and falvonoids (proven cancer prevention links). It’s hard to believe that you get all of this with low calories too. Perfect if you’re looking to burn belly flab.

Shop For: Fresh berries if possible, frozen berries are cost effective.

Avoid: Tinned berried with added sugar.

Tip: Why not try exotic berries (e.g. the Goji which boasts one of the highest levels of antioxidants of any food on the planet!) and don’t be afraid to add them to salads, or have them as a dessert.

Red Meat: Red meat (beef, bison, game) has been given a bad name thanks to poor cooking techniques and battery farmed, grain reared animals. Meat that comes from grass-fed animals actually has 30% less fat that the grain-fed equivalent. Not to mention the composition of this fat is much more favorable, with a perfect ratio of good to bad fatty acids.

The Science: Well exercised, grass fed animals produce a meat that is high in vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids and top quality protein. On the other hand, beef raised on grain (not the animal’s natural diet) produces poor quality meat, lacking in nutrients and containing bad fats. So the free range, grass fed option is the clear healthy, fat burning choice.

Shop for: Organic is best. Bison, beef and game that are free to roam and graze as nature intended produce top quality meat!

Tip: Avoid grain fed, mass production animals. The protein in this meat is harder to digest, not to mention the higher ‘bad fat’ content.

Whole eggs: Eggs have been given some bad press because they are seen as high in fat and cholesterol. However, free range, organic, whole eggs contain essential fats and have no affect on blood cholesterol what so ever. If you’re serious about dropping unwanted weight then whole eggs command your respect.

The Science: Eggs contain iron, zinc, phosphorus, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid. But you’ll actually find that 90% of these nutrients are found in the yolk, so it’s important to eat whole eggs. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids. Also, the protein of whole eggs is easier to digest than egg whites alone, due to a more balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build.

Shop for: Just like red meat, free range and organic is the only way to go.

Tip: Small farm shops are a great source of free-range eggs. Some of the “free range” eggs you find in the grocery store come from hens that are allowed out for about 10 minutes a day! Remember, the natural foods a free range hen eats basically decides the quality of the nutrients you’ll get from her eggs!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article, but this list of fat burning foods is just the start. To learn more about foods that burn fat and for some important fat burning advice check out my blog.