I was reading Prevention magazine the other day and I learned something new. The article was talking about blasting off belly fat, which I have plenty of, and dropping 2 sizes fast. Of course I was going to read the article! Who wouldn't?!
I always though that eating 500 calories of doughnut would be the same as eating 500 calories of celery stalks for example. 500 calories is 500 calories and my body will burn it off the same. WRONG!!! There are things called active and couch potato calories. Really? Not fair!
The article said that some foods take more chewing to eat and therefore burn more calories while you are digesting them. Quoting the article "Just the act of chewing foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat can increase your calorie burn by up to 30%!" (Prevention magazine, March 2011) Why didn't I know this before??
So what are the couch potato calories? They are things like candy bars, candy, fruit punch, fruit juice cocktails, sweetened cereals, soda, sweet tea, breaded chicken patties, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, white rice, pasta, muffins, bagels, donuts, ice cream etc.
Active calories on the other hand are lean meats, whole fruits and veggies, whole grains, brown rice, dark chocolate, green tea, garlic, peppers, cinnamon, ginger, mustard, cloves, vinegar for example.
Japanese researchers found that if you eat foods from the active calorie category, you will have a slimmer waistline. If you want to up the calorie burn, consider adding spices (chiles, cinnamon, ginger) and tea to your meals. They can boost calorie burn by 12%. 30 + 12 = 42% WOW!
Challenge issued and now I am following Prevention's meal plan for 5 days. I've attached a link it and the article so go check it out. This is information we all should know so I highly recommend this article.
Till later!
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