1. Cheesesticks
Pick up a pack of fresh mozzarella sticks and enjoy the nutritional benefits without the empty carbs from the pizza base. As it’s made from milk, mozzarella is loaded with calcium and protein, strengthening bones and providing a great post-gym snack to keep your metabolism frying fat. Low in carbs and packing no sugar, a few of these will keep you strong as well as skinny.
2. Chillies
Best head to your local Indian restaurant and work on that asbestos mouth: the chilli is back. A study from Purdue University in the US found that 1g of cayenne pepper reduced cravings for salty, sweet and fatty foods, even increasing energy expenditure. Throw an extra handful of scotch bonnet into the pot to reap the burning benefits. Hot stuff.
3. Protein power
The good stuff, anyway. Lots of powders are chock-full of sugar and other sweeteners, but Lambert recommends keeping it 100 per cent natural This burns fat by increasing the calorie consumption needed to break the food down into energy, which Lambert calls the “thermogenic effect.”
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4. Eggs
With science poo-pooing bacon, sausages, red meat and anything fun, it’s comforting to know that you can still fry an egg in good conscience. A study from the University of Eriangen-Nuremberg confirms a protein breakfast is perfect, as it produces muscle while lowering cortisol levels, the stress hormone that increases weight gain.
5. Avocado
Despite being adopted by every health nut with a twitter feed, your average avocado contains more calories than one-and-a-half Mars bars. So why is it so good for us? The Journal of the American Heart Association put 45 overweight people on one of three different diets for five weeks. Low-fat diets paled in comparision to the avocado’s low density lipoproteins and healthy fats that create another thermogenic effect. Go green for a better belly.
6. Coffee
Yes, your long black could be rescuing you from that spare tyre. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found coffee speeds metabolism within hours after you drink it. This doesn’t work with all caffeine, so no tanking sugary energy drinks for the same effect.
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7. Cinnamon
Yep – that gorgeous coating on your bagels and cakes has benefits that belie its sweet taste. “Cinnamon stabilises sugar levels and tempers insulin release, stopping dips in mood and energy,” says Lambert. Not bad for a cookie condiment.
This story originally appeared on Menshealth.co.uk
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