Summer seems to finally be here. June in New England was literally a washout, but the sun came out for the Fourth of July holiday. While it hasn’t exactly been beach weather lately, it hopefully will be very soon. This means, of course, that a person needs to have a “beach-ready” body, right?
Most of us know that losing weight and staying fit (and managing diabetes!) requires a certain measure of discipline to choose the right foods in the right amounts and to stay active on a fairly regular basis. But it’s hard, and temptations sometimes get in the way of good intentions. When’s that magic pill coming?
It may not be here yet, but what about all those “fat-burning” foods we hear and read about? Is there something to them? Let’s find out.
Vinegar
Vinegar is acidic, so it can be irritating to the mouth, throat, and stomach if ingested in too high a quantity. But it has its benefits. Vinegar is thought to help slow the rise in blood glucose after a meal (essentially lowering the glycemic index of a meal), and it may also help with blood pressure control.
It used to be one of those old wives’ tales — swallow a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before your meals and you’ll rev up your metabolism. Vinegar supposedly helps curb appetite and cut cravings. But until lately, there was no credible research proving any of this.
However, Japanese scientists have found that there may actually be something to vinegar and weight loss: The researchers gave two groups of mice white vinegar (in various concentrations) via a stomach tube and gave another group of mice water. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet. The vinegar-fed mice had 10% less body fat than the water-fed mice. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which may turn on genes that signal the body to break down fat, preventing it from accumulating in body tissue.
Should you take vinegar for weight loss? It’s hard to say. It’s certainly fine to use vinegar as a marinade or in salad dressings. If you decide to try it before meals, dilute it with some water to reduce possible irritation.
Spicy Foods
Do you love hot, spicy dishes? Is Tabasco sauce one of your must-have condiments? If so, you may be in luck — with regard to your metabolism, that is. Some studies show that eating foods seasoned with chili pepper or black pepper can boost metabolism by up to 23%.
When you eat a spicy dish, your body generates more heat, which, in turn, helps burn calories. But unless you eat spicy foods constantly (and maybe you do!), the amount of calories that you actually burn may be negligible. And the effect on metabolism only lasts for about 30 minutes.
However, spicy foods may offer another benefit: making you feel more full. In fact, in one study, men who were fed appetizers seasoned with hot sauce before eating a meal ate about 200 fewer calories than men who didn’t eat the hot sauce. The researchers think that the sauce, which contained capsaicin (the chemical that makes certain peppers hot), helped to blunt their appetites. So, spice up your meals with some red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or even ginger. But be careful if you have heartburn, as these spices may aggravate the condition.
Green Tea
Green tea has received a lot of press over the past few years, particularly in the realm of helping to fight heart disease and some types of cancer. Green tea is rich in certain polyphenols (types of antioxidants) called catechins that have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties.
But green tea may do more than fight disease. Some evidence shows that drinking green tea may also help with weight loss. In one study, Japanese men were given oolong tea infused with green tea extract. A control group drank oolong tea without green tea extract. After three months, those who drank the green tea extract lost an average of 5.3 pounds, while those who didn’t drink the extract lost only 2.9 pounds. And in research looking at mice prone to obesity, those who ate food containing green tea extract gained less weight and body fat. It may be that the catechins in the green tea increase thermogenesis, or the burning of calories as body heat. At any rate, if you’re thinking of trying green tea to help with your weight, be prepared to drink between 4 to 7 cups of it each day.
Eggs
OK, eggs don’t have magical fat-burning properties (although, to be honest, not many foods actually do!). But a study published last year in the International Journal of Obesity showed that men and women who ate two eggs for breakfast (as part of a lower-calorie diet) lost 65% more weight and had a 34% greater reduction in their waist circumference than men and women who ate a bagel for breakfast. The secret? Eggs very likely increased satiety (a feeling of fullness) so that folks ended up eating less. I’ve mentioned eggs in previous postings — they can be part of pretty much anyone’s eating plan.
So maybe there aren’t any foods that will melt away the fat. But the foods I’ve mentioned above can certainly be part of an eating plan geared to help you lose and maintain a healthy weight.
Amy,
Posted by Erik | Jul 08, 2009 at 3:06 pmGreat information. I am currently enjoying a boiled egg with vinegar and tabasco with a cup of green tea and my pants are feeling looser. OK, not quite but these are easy ideas to incorporate into a lifestyle diet that might provide just a little extra help. Thanks for the info.
Erik
My husband started drinking a mixture of V-8 juice mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of cayanne pepper and lowered his blood pressure almost 40 points as a result. I tried it and it kicked up my acid reflux and had to stop but he swears by its benefits. We drink green tea…the other ideas are interesting and I may try and incorporate some of them into our eating plans.
Posted by Kathryn | Jul 09, 2009 at 1:39 amThanks, Erik. And you never know — maybe the combination of vinegar, Tabasco sauce, eggs, and green tea is the secret to slimming down!
Posted by acampbell | Jul 09, 2009 at 7:50 amThe liquid ingredient of hot sauce is usually vinegar, everybody. Double Score!
Posted by Jimmy T | Jul 10, 2009 at 3:27 pmRegarding vinegar: My brother in law eats vinegar based / accented foods everyday and he is thin as a rail. His diet rarely contains anything with a cream base. If given a choice, he chooses vinegar based dressings, never eats mayo etc.
Posted by Elizabeth | Jul 14, 2009 at 2:28 amA fairly reliable method to lose weight:
stop eating so much, cut sizer of portions, eat healthy foods and avoid the fat-making stuff–breads, cakes and you know the rest.
and then exercise, exercise, exercise
Posted by fred lapides | Jul 14, 2009 at 11:10 amYou don;t need all the other stuff, though it may be helpful.
Note how in many European nations, fat is not the problem it is in America. Why?
Why do you mention eggs specifically for their ability to keep you feeling full for longer? Surely the point is that plenty of protein at breakfast will have that effect, and many foods are full of luvverly protein.
In the same way, if the essential point about vinegar is its acidity, why not use lemon juice and get a good dose of vitamin C at the same time?
Fred, if by “fat” you mean obesity, here in England rising obesity levels are a big problem (I blame the car, making people frightened to use the roads and therefore getting less exercise): if you mean grease in food, remember that the US has a very meat based diet, even with added fat, such as you have in hamburgers.
Posted by d | Jul 29, 2009 at 1:44 pmHi d,
I mentioned eggs and vinegar because these are the two foods that researchers used in their respective studies. One might be able to extrapolate that other sources of protein, for example, would have a similar effect on satiety. The issue is that eggs (when not fried in butter or bacon grease!) are a relatively lean protein food, and other, traditional breakfast foods can be higher in fat, so one needs to choose wisely. In the case of vinegar and glycemic index, lemon juice can also lower the glycemic index of a food, since it’s an acid. But lemon juice doesn’t contain acetic acid — this is in vinegar, and again, is what the Japanese scientists used in their study.
Posted by acampbell | Jul 29, 2009 at 3:23 pm