Question: Are there any 'fat-burning' foods that may help me lose weight?

Answer: Anything you eat will increase your metabolism within half an hour or so. This is because food digestion requires energy and burns additional calories for that purpose referred to as the thermal effect of food (TEF). Protein digestion and absorption uses up about 25% more energy than that of carbohydrates. Fat, on the other hand, needs the least amount of fuel and is processed much more slowly.

Some foods such as celery and lettuce are said to produce “negative calories” because these foods require more energy for the digestion, absorption, transportation and metabolism than the actual energy found in them. These “negative calorie foods” include most fresh vegetables and may increase your energy expenditure by 6-16 percent for as long as 8-10 hours while foods high in fat and sugar may actually lower the TEF.

Another category of fat-burning foods is found on your spice rack. Some studies have shown hot pepper and very spicy foods can heat up your body and increase metabolism by about 20% for about 30 minutes after eating a meal high in fat and/or carbohydrates. Consider that higher than normal amounts of fat or carbs means additional calories, and your hot peppery meals may not help to burn your power meals. Some fat-loss supplements also add active ingredients from spices, but they have also shown to increase appetite.

The same appears true for green tea, which contains a substance called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a powerful antioxidant believed to bring about the same kind of calorie-burning effect as hot pepper. Researchers found that 90 milligrams of EGCG taken with 50 milligrams of caffeine boosted 24-hour energy expenditure by 4%. This small increase in metabolism is too small to aid in weight loss, but drinking green tea for other health benefits is still greatly encouraged.

By Elena Voropay