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Cardio alone won’t be enough to burn all of the extra fat you want to disappear. You also need to eat. “Making it a habit to add anti-inflammatory foods to your plate each day means controlling hunger over time and preventing weight gain – or re-gain,” says Rachel Swanson, a RDN at Lifespan Medicine. Inflammation in the body leads to hormonal imbalances that increase fat and make weight loss difficult. When you have the right foods at home, it’s simple to eat healthy. Add these to your shopping list!
Flavonoid-Filled Fruits
“If this F word sounds foreign, don’t fret - it simply refers to the bioactive component of fruits and vegetables which have the potential to influence weight,” says Swanson. Upping your intake of flavonoid-filled foods like blueberries, strawberries, apples, pears and oranges is associated with preventing weight gain. Whole fruits are best: they have fiber and are low calorie. Blueberries are particularly outstanding: They are extraordinarily high in polyphenols, micronutrients that combat cellular stress by slowing down and blocking the inflammatory response in the body.
Cauliflower
“Cauliflower is anti-inflammatory and rich in antioxidants, it’s packed with Vitamin C and K, and it aids in detoxification and healthy digestion,” says Dr. Luiza Petre, MD. Try thinking of ways to incorporate cauliflower into your diet aside from roasting it and devouring the entire thing. Oh, is that just us? We’re pretty obsessed with cauliflower. Buy a frozen bag of it already riced. Use it as a base for sautéed veggies, add it in to smoothies, mixed in with turkey burgers or in veggie burritos. Toast a cauliflower pizza crust and top it with a nutritious and fiber-filled avocado, one poached egg, vitamin-K loaded spinach and red pepper flakes that naturally deliver capsaicin, an anti-inflammation compound.
Turmeric
Start your morning with an anti-inflammatory drink that detoxifies cells and facilitates fat loss – especially on your tummy. Dr. Lisa Davis, chief nutrition officer at Terra’s Kitchen, says the fat that sits on your abdomen is no ordinary fat. Aside from being really frustrating, she says that abdominal fat is, “metabolically active tissue that unleashes harmful inflammatory molecules associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.” Turmeric counters this. It contains curcumin, a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound. Brew up the gorgeous orange spice in a hot cup of tea or add it to smoothies.
Barley
We loooove pasta but let us clarify. We love really, really good pasta. If it comes from a box, we’ll pass. Grain bowls have replaced our giant portions of store-bought spaghetti. “Whole grains reduce fat and takes inches off your waist because they’re absorbed into the blood stream at a slow pace,” says weight loss expert Dr. Rachita Reddy, MD. Barley and other whole grains like brown rice, bulgur and steel-cut oats are loaded with fiber that prevents inflammation and a sugar spike. “Without that sugar spike the sugar in your body isn’t convert to and stored as fat,” she says.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cook with extra virgin olive oil. Use it along with fresh lemon juice to make salad dressing. Drizzle a little onto Greek yogurt along with dried herbs for a savory snack. EVOO has been shown to significantly blunt the inflammatory response following high fat meals. Swanson, says people who include it in their diets may have better success at shedding excess pounds. “But remember to take into account the amount of calories oil contains before liberalizing the pour of this golden elixir,” she says. “If you’re looking for improvements on the scale, then a caloric deficit still needs to be achieved at the end of the day no matter what your diet may entail!”
[Photos: Shutterstock]
