This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

6 Power Foods: Don't Eat Less, Eat Right

Lori Murphy, Personal Trainer and Nutritionist, lists 6 Power Foodsto that give our bodies what it needs to build muscle, lose fat, stimulate our metabolism and leave us feeling energetic and healthy.

6 Power Foods: Don’t Eat Less, Eat Right!

Processed foods filled with chemicals and calories are not going to help you reach your weight-loss and fitness goals. Are drive-thrus, frozen dinners, and other processed foods part of your life?  Meals of that sort are quick and easy, but offer our bodies very little nutritional value.  We need to begin to think of food as fuel for the machine that is  our highly complex body.

These 6 power nutrients are an important part of making sure your body has what it needs to build muscle, lose fat and leave you feeling energetic and healthy.  Include them in your daily diet.  Not only are they healthy and nutritious, but they will also stimulate your metabolism by triggering your fat-loss hormones.

Find out what's happening in Brightonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Red Beans

A key starch in beans— known as resistant starch, repairs the lining of your intestine to help you fight inflammation, cancer, and harmful bacteria. The hefty fiber content of beans also helps you feel full, store less fat, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, and improves insulin sensitivity.

Find out what's happening in Brightonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The B vitamins and zinc in beans boost testosterone.  Even women need testosterone.  It helps to increase energy and build more calorie-burning muscle.

Garlic

Garlic and other foods in the allium family (onions, leeks, chives, shallots, and scallions) work to stimulate the production of glutathione, an antioxidant that is especially important in the liver, where it helps remove hormone-disrupting chemicals.

Alliums also lower total cholesterol while raising the level of HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind). Preliminary research suggests that garlic may boost testosterone, giving you more energy, while onions have anthocyanins, effective free-radical destroyers that might also help combat obesity and diabetes. Crushing, chopping, or chewing garlic helps release enzymes that trigger many of its beneficial actions.

Here are some easy ways to fit garlic into your diet:

  • Pair garlic with olive oil to release even more disease-fighting compounds.
  • Let chopped garlic stand for ten minutes before cooking; this will allow the enzymes to be activated.
  • Add garlic to homemade salad dressings, marinades, soups and sautéed vegetables for a flavor kick.

Berries: Raspberries and Strawberries

These juicy red berries contain anthocyanins, which some studies have found stop individual fat cells from getting larger, while also encouraging them to release adiponectin, a hormone that helps reduce inflammation, lower blood sugar, and reverse leptin and insulin resistance. Certain polyphenols found in raspberries and strawberries block the digestive enzyme activity of specific starches and fats, reducing your body’s absorption of them.

All these great metabolism-boosting qualities make these berries serious power foods. Add strawberries to a yogurt or cup of cottage cheese for breakfast, cut some up for a dessert, or mix them into a smoothie.

Broccoli

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage pack serious nutritional power in just a few calories per bite. They have high water and fiber content; this combination helps you feel full AND increases your body’s ability to burn fat by as much as 30 percent. Plus, studies have consistently shown that people who eat the most fiber gain the LEAST amount of weight and these veggies are a great fiber source.

Whole Grains

Whole grains like oats and barley have great nutritional value and can even help control your appetite. The short-chain fatty acids from whole grains help us eat less because they stimulate fat cells in our stomachs to release leptin, the satiety (or “I’m full”) hormone . The high levels of fiber in whole grains also help us feel full by slowing blood-sugar spikes and steadying insulin levels. The trick is to eat grains that are truly whole — no refined carbs like white bread.

Other tips about whole grains:

  • If you’re buying a processed whole-grain product, look at the list of ingredients — whole grain should be the first one listed.
  • Sprouted breads, such as Ezekiel, are dense and packed with nutrients.
  • Oatmeal is a perfect breakfast because it keeps your blood sugar stable longer than many other foods.

 Green Tea

It’s time to put the coffee pot down. When caffeine is abused, it damages your metabolism and hormone balance.  On the other hand, caffeine, when used correctly, can be an excellent energy and metabolism boost.  When you overdose on it, it taxes your adrenal glands, stressing you out, leaving you tired and run down.  The key with caffeine is to not consume more than 400 mg in a day. That’s the equivalent to two strong cups of coffee.   Green tea is the healthier choice.  You will still get a caffeine boost, but green tea has been shown to promote fat oxidation at rest and is believed to prevent obesity and improve insulin sensitivity.  Limit yourself to one or two caffeinated beverages a day, and drink one extra glass of water for each caffeinated beverage you consume.

Yours in Health & Fitness

Lori Murphy

Personal Trainer & Nutrionist

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?