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These 7 shocking Fatty (but healthy) super-foods can actually help you to lose belly fat faster! As we came to the end of the anti-fat propaganda, nearly evereone understands that eating fat doesn't necessarily make you fat. In fact, it's a must to get enough healthy fats in your diet to keep your hormones balanced, blood sugar under control, and prevent cravings. Here are 7 examples of "fatty" foods that can actually ASSIST you to become slim... 1. Super Dark Chocolate (at least 72% cacao content or higher) By now almost everyone knows that dark chocolate (NOT milk chocolate) can be a very healthy food, although it is scientifically calorie dense. However, I would assert that dark chocolate can definitely HELP you to lose more body fat if you're the type of person that has a sweet tooth and likes to eat a lot of desserts. In this case, just 1 or 2 small squares of dark chocolate can fully satisfy your sweet tooth for only 30 or 40 calories compared to 500 calories for a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of pie. Some brands of dark chocolate that are on the market with in the mid 70's in % cacao content or higher, can have a fairly high ratio of fiber content (I've seen some brands have 5 grams of fiber out of 15 grams of total carbs per serving), and relatively low sugar content compared to the amount of healthy fats. In fact, that's one of the "tricks". I normally look for a good quality chocolate... I look for more total fat than total carbs (or about the same number of grams of each). It's important to know that many dark chocolates will keep your blood sugar quite low and the blood sugar response is quite blunt if you compare it with other "sweets". In addition, dark chocolate is very rich in healthy antioxidants, and include a powerful compound called theobromine which has proven to help lower blood pressure and have other health benefits. The fat content in a good dark chocolate should come solely from the natural healthy fats content of the cocoa butter and not from any other added fats. Any chocolates with added fats or other additives will be less healthy. The reason I say to choose dark chocolates with at least 72% cacao content is that the higher the % of cacao, the lower the % of sugar. However, this does mean that it will taste more bitter for any chocolate over 80% cacao content and has hardly any sweetness. If you like this type of taste, then the higher % cocao, the better. Otherwise, a good 75% dark chocolate is in my opinion an almost perfect combination of lightly sweet with a rich chocolate taste. Just remember to take only small daily quantities of chocolate as it has a high calorie densety! Another way to reap the benefits of the antioxidants and fiber without all of the calories is by using organic unsweetened cocoa powder in your smoothies or other recipes. 2. Coconut milk, coconut flour, and coconut oil Coconut milk and oil contain a very healthy type of saturated fat called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), including a component called lauric acid, which is a strong nutrient for your immune system, and is missing in most western diets. Also, your body use MCTs for energy and there is little chance that it will be stored as bodyfat compared to other types of fats. Besides coconut milk and coconut oil as a healthy fat choice, we've also got coconut flour as a healthier flour option for baking. Coconut flour is an extremely high fiber flour alternative (almost ALL of the carbs in this flour are fiber and not starch!). On top of that Coconut flour has a VERY high protein content compared to most flours and it is gluten free! Please take note of the fact that if you want to use coconut flour for baking, it has to be mixed with other flours as it sucks up moisture like crazy... I've made delicious baked goods by mixing coconut flour with almond flour and quinoa flour in equal parts, and adding slightly more liquid ingredients than the recipe calls for. 3. Grass-fed (pasture-raised) butter Yes, BUTTER is delicious, smooth and rich (compared to deadly margarine!)... It's delicious,and contains a lot of healthy nutritional factors, and you DON'T have to avoid it in order to get lean. In fact, I eat a couple pats of grass-fed butter every day and keep low body fat most of the year. There are a lot of different opinions about this topic... in fact, I just saw a TV show today and the subject was unhealthy foods and butter was one of the first things they showed. It just proves that the public at large has no idea that butter (grass-fed only!) can definitely be a healthy part of your diet. It's a proven fact that REAL butter can even assist you in losing body fat for the main reasons: a. Grass-fed butter contains high levels of a healthy fat called CLA. Research has shown that it has anti-cancer properties, and it also help to burn abdominal fat and build lean muscle. b. Grass-fed butter also has a perfect balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids (unlike conventional grain-fed butter) which helps to fight inflammation in your body, and can help to balance hormones. c. The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also contain MCTs, which help to boost your immune system and are readily burned by the body for energy. The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also help to satisfy your appetite and control blood sugar levels, both of which help you to stay lean! d. The vitally important nutrient vitamin K2 is also found in grass-fed butter. Vitamin K2 works together with vitamin D and calcium for proper calcium metabolism in your body, and is also responsible for hormone balancing by making vitamin D more powerful. Vitamin K2 is generally only found in grass-fed animal products such as butter, cream, full fat cheeses, and organ meats, so it's hard to obtain from plant sources except for certain types of fermented foods. It's one of THE most important vitamins for general health that many people are missing, and it's found in that beautiful grass-fed butter that we all love! If it's hard for you to find a grass-fed butter at your grocery store, Kerrygold Irish butter is one of my favorites, and the cows are 100% grass-fed on lush green pastures in Ireland. It's one of the richest butters in color that I've seen, which indicates high levels of carotenoids. Organic Valley also has some excellent grass-fed butter that's rich in nutrients as well. 4. Whole Eggs, including the yolk (not just egg whites) It's a well known fact that eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein. However, what most people don't know is that the egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg... that's where almost all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in eggs. Basicly, more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid is found in the egg yolk. 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 more bio-available than egg whites alone due to a more balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build. Always choose free-range organic eggs instead of normal grocery store eggs. Likewise with the grass-fed beef scenerio, the nutrient content of the eggs and the balance between healthy omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (in excess) depends on the diet of the hens. Free, outside roaming chickens eat a more natural diet and will give you healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs with a healthier fat balance, compared with your typical grocery store eggs (that came from chickens fed only soy and corn and crowded inside "egg factories" the whole day). 5. Grass-fed beef or bison (NOT the typical grain-fed grocery store beef!) Most people think that red meat is unhealthy for you, but that's because they do not realize that the health of the animal affects how healthy the meat is for consumption. Keep this in mind -- "Only a healthy animal can produce healthy meat". Beef or bison in general that you see at the grocery store is raised on grains, mainly corn (and to some extent, soybeans). Soy and corn are NOT part of the natural diet of cattle or bison, and therefore changes the chemical balance of fats and other nutrients in the beef or bison. Grain-fed beef and bison is typically WAY too high in omega-6 fats and WAY too low in omega-3 fats. In addition, the practice of feeding cattle corn and soy as the main portion of their diet upsets their digestive system and makes them sick... and it also increases the amount of dangerous e-coli in the meat. This is not the case with grass-fed meat. On the other hand, grass-fed beef from cattle and buffalo (or bison) that were raised on the type of natural foods that they were meant to eat in nature (grass and other forage), have much higher levels of healthy omega-3 fats and lower levels of inflammatory omega-6 fats (that most people already eat way too much of) compared to grain fed beef or bison. Also, grass fed meats contain up to 3 times the Vitamin E as in grain fed meats. In addition, grass-fed meat from healthy cattle or bison also contain a special healthy fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in MUCH higher levels than grain-fed meat. CLA has been shown in recent years to help in burning fat and building lean muscle (which can help you lose weight!). These benefits are in addition to the fact that grass-fed meats are some of the highest quality proteins that you can possibly eat... and this also helps in burning fat and building lean muscle. It's a bit harder to find Grass-fed meats , but just ask your butcher or find a specialty grocery store and they usually have cuts available. I found a great site to order grass-fed meats online and got to know the owner of this company well, and they are dedicated to the quality of their foods. 6. Avocados Although avocados are generally known of as a "fatty food", they are chock full of healthy fats! Not only is this fruit (yes, surprisingly, avocados are actually a fruit) super-high in monounsaturated fat, but also chock full of vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, and antioxidants. Also, in my opinion, guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, etc) is one of the most delicious food toppings ever created, and you can be happy to know that it's also one of the healthiest toppings you can use on your foods. Try sliced avocados or guacamole on sandwiches, burgers, eggs or omelets, on salads or with fish, or as a delicious side to just about any meal. The amount of healthy fats, fiber, and micronutrients that avocados contain, helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones that will assist you with fat loss and muscle building. Also, because avocados are an extremely satiating food, eating them helps to feel satisfied for longer after your meal. Say goodbye to junk food cravings and bring on that fat burning! I personally eat between half to a full avocado DAILY and it also helps me to keep lean. 7. Nuts: Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Macadamias, etc Yes, this is also another "fatty food" that can definitely help you burn belly fat! Although nuts are generally between 75-90% fat in terms of a ratio of fat calories to total calories, this is another type of food that is all healthy fats, along with high levels of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Nuts are also a good source of fiber and protein, which of course, you know helps to control blood sugar and can help in losing fat. Nuts also help to maintain good levels of fat burning hormones in your body (adequate healthy fat intake is vitally important to hormone balance) as well as it will help you to control appetite and cravings so that you basicly eat less calories overall, even though you're consuming a high-fat food. My favorite healthy nuts are pecans, pistachios, almonds, macadamias, and walnuts, and by eating them in variety, you help to broaden the types of vitamins and minerals and also the balance of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fats you obtain. Try to find raw nuts instead of roasted nuts if you can, as it will assist you to keep the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat. Also, aim to broaden your horizons beyond the typical peanut butter that most people eat, and try almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or macadamia butter to give your diet more variety. One of the little "tricks" that I've used with clients who aim to reduce body fat is to have them eat a handful of nuts such as almonds or pecans about 20 minutes before lunch and dinner. This results in being a perfect time to control your appetite before lunch or dinner and helps you to eat less overall calories on that meal. I hope you enjoyed this view at some of the healthiest "fatty" fat-burning foods you can possibly eat. I could list a ton more, but wanted to give you a few of my favorites for now. Enjoy! You can find more articles about diets and fat loss by visiting: www.thebestweightlossdiets.com
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