Good Fat Burning Foods

Digestion of any type of food burns calories. Foods considered fat burners, however, use more energy for digestion than other foods do, or are known to boost metabolism for a short time. Some foods that have very few calories fit the bill, but higher-calorie options that require fat-burning digestive work are available. These are lean meats, fish and low-fat dairy products.

Vegetables

• Many vegetables fall into the "negative calorie" arena, so low in calories that digestion requires nearly the same number of calories as the amount consumed. You may have heard about celery as a negative-calorie food. Others include asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans, leeks, radishes, spinach and zucchini.

Hot Peppers

• Jalapeno, habanero, cayenne, chili and other hot peppers speed up metabolism by increasing heart rate.

Lean Meats

• Lean meats, including wild game, speed up metabolism and burn fat because they require substantial energy for digestion.

Fish

• Fish with large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids also speed up metabolism. Some excellent kinds are salmon, tuna and sardines.

Whole Grains

• Whole grains in breads and cereals prevent fat storage by keeping insulin levels normal.

Dairy

• Calcium in dairy products, including low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt, also is an effective fat burner.