Q: I’ve heard that there are some foods you should not mix in order to avoid fat storage. For instance: Don’t consume a fat with a carb or a carb with a protein. I may have the combinations wrong but is there any truth to this and if so, what are the best combinations to maximize fat burning?
LM, Rocky Hill
A: There isn’t enough evidence to support the claim that eating certain foods together maximizes fat burning. But there are several diet and lifestyle patterns that maximize fat burning.
Avoid crash dieting. Restricting calories to less than 1,200 calories a day if you are a woman or less than 1,800 calories a day if you are man may help with short-term weight loss but can slow down your metabolism and lead to weight gain in the long-run. This is because not getting enough protein and calories could cause you to lose muscle mass.
Get active. Metabolic rate is higher in people with more muscle mass because it takes more energy to maintain a pound of muscle (about six calories a day) than a pound of fat (two calories a day). The best way to maintain muscle mass is to exercise regularly, so aim for thirty minutes of heart-pumping exercise three-to-five days a week and consider adding strength training to build muscle and enhance calorie burn. Exercise does more than just burn calories. It releases endorphins — feel-good molecules — that reduce stress and food cravings.
Increase dietary fiber intake from vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. Adequate dietary fiber intake reduces food cravings and enhances weight loss. In fact, increasing fiber intake leads to greater weight loss than calorie restriction alone.
Stay hydrated. Water is essential for all metabolic reactions so even mild dehydration can slow metabolic rate. Drinking unsweetened beverages such as water and tea first thing in the morning and before meals boosts metabolism and supports fat burning.
Sip a cup or two of tea. Drinking tea combines the calorie burning benefits of caffeine and catechins — such as the primary antioxidant in green tea (EGCG or epigallocatechin gallate). Caffeine and catechins increase the release of fat into the blood stream, where it can be burned as fuel. So, sipping tea could help you burn more calories from fat during exercise1. The caffeine in coffee can also increase metabolism for a short period of time, but remember that adding cream and sugar ruins that calorie-burning potential. For example, a grande (16-ounce) Eggnog Latte from Starbucks has 450 calories and 52 grams of sugar.
Get lean with protein. It takes more energy to digest protein than carbohydrates and fat, so replacing some carbohydrate-rich foods with lean, protein can rev up your metabolism during digestion. Good sources of lean protein include: fish, poultry, tofu, beans, eggs and low-fat dairy.
Get enough of the right kind of fat. Research shows that switching from saturated fats (such as butter) to liquid fats (olive oil and omega-3s) increase metabolic rate. Omega-3 fatty acids found primarily in fatty fish have been shown to boost metabolism by enhancing the activation of fat-burning enzymes so aim to get 8 ounces — two servings — of sardines, wild salmon, mackerel or trout per week. Ground flaxseed and walnuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids.