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Maximum Fat-Burning Foods

Dieting today is more sophisticated than counting calories and doing sit-ups. People are more aware of how chemicals in foods react and stimulate the body's metabolism, and there is a continual search for foods that burn the maximum amount of fat.

  1. Hot Peppers

    • Cayenne and jalapeño peppers contain capsaicin, a chemical that burns the herbs' flavors into the tongue. Capsaicin also increases heart rate, boosts body temperature, and makes the metabolism work faster and burn more fat. Researchers at Laval University in Quebec found that pepper-rich snacks helped men burn an average of 1,000 more calories a day.

    Sardines and Tuna

    • Sardines and tuna contain omega-3 fatty acids that reduce leptin, a hormone that plays a role in determining whether the body will use calories as energy or store them as fat. Researchers at Rockefeller University studied leptin in mice, and found those with lower levels of the hormone had lower levels of fat.

    Green Tea

    • In the search for fat-busting foods, green tea seems to make almost every list. In one of the more recent studies, Japanese researcher Nagao Tomonori found that green tea's high level of catechins reduces body fat and cholesterol, and lowers the risk of chronic disease.

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