Are some fruits better for weight loss than others? Glad you asked! Gather in a circle, my chubby friends! The fruit section of grocery stores is full of fruits rich in vitamins and antioxidants. But when it comes to getting rid of visceral fat (fat that is deposited on the internal organs), certain fruits stand out. All of them have a visual cue: they are red. Here they are: six fruits for weight loss!
grapefruit
A study published in the journal Metabolism showed that eating half a grapefruit before meals can help you lose fat and lower your cholesterol levels. Participants in a six-week study who ate a grapefruit at every meal said their waists were an inch narrower! The researchers attribute the results to the combination of phytochemicals and vitamin C in grapefruit. Eat half a grapefruit before your morning oatmeal and add a few pieces to your salad.
Cherry
Don’t confuse it with the pitted cherries we’re used to. Cherry has shown good results in a study on obese rats. A 9-week University of Michigan study found that rats fed antioxidant-rich cherries showed a XNUMX% reduction in body fat compared to rats fed a Western diet. In addition, the researchers concluded that eating cherries helps to change the value of fatness genes.
Berries
Berries – raspberries, strawberries, blueberries – are rich in polyphenols, natural substances that help you lose weight – and even prevent fat formation! In a recent Texas Women’s University study, researchers found that feeding mice three servings of berries a day reduced fat cell formation by up to 73 percent! A University of Michigan study produced similar results. The rats fed the blueberry powder at the end of the 90-day study weighed less than the rats that did not eat the berries.
Apples “Pink Lady”
Apples are one of the best sources of fiber among fruits, which research shows helps burn fat. A recent study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center showed that for every 10 grams of daily soluble fiber intake increased, visceral fat lost 5% of its volume over 3,7 years. In addition, an increase in activity (30 minutes of intense exercise 3-4 times a week) resulted in burning 7,4% of fat over the same period.
Advice! A study by the University of Western Australia found that Pink Lady contains the highest levels of antioxidant flavonoids.
Watermelon
Watermelons are sometimes criticized for their high sugar content, but they are very healthy. A University of Kentucky study found that eating watermelon can improve lipid profile and reduce fat storage. In addition, a study among athletes at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain found that watermelon juice reduced muscle soreness – great news for belly wrestlers who work hard on their abs!
Nectarines, peaches and plums
A new study from Texas AgriLife Research suggests that peaches, plums and nectarines may prevent metabolic syndrome: a group of risk factors in which belly fat is the main symptom. These factors increase the risk of obesity-related diseases, including diabetes. The beneficial properties of stone fruit stem from phenolic compounds that can modulate the expression of the fullness gene. In addition, fruits with pits contain the least amount of fructose, or fruit sugar.