Apr 28, 2009 12:59 pm US/Eastern
Top 5 Foods To Fight 'Over-40 Fat'
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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By swapping sugar for sweet flavorings in your coffee, you can save a couple hundred calories a week -- enough to shed two to three pounds a year.
WBZ
Many people in their 20s can eat just about anything and not gain too much weight, but by the time you hit 40, everything seems to go right to your hips, belly or backside.
"The body composition starts to change in a not so fabulous way," Dietician Leslie Bonci explains.
Once you're 40, fat deposits quicker in your body, so the older you get, the fewer calories you can eat. But she has five foods to help you fight that over-40 fat.
ADD SPICES TO YOUR FOOD
"The active ingredient in all these things -- capsaicin, may have a role to play, although it's a temporary one. For a half an hour it can actually boost the metabolism," said Bonci.
Add jalapenos in your eggs, hot peppers in your stir fry or just a dash of cayenne with Mexican.
And if it's really hot, you won't be able to eat any more... plus you'll drink lots of water which is the number two food to fight fat over 40. "When you drink a glass of water, this actually fills the stomach," said Bonci.
DRINK WATER
Bonci says at least four glasses of water a day helps the body burn fat instead of muscle, and of course, it's zero calorie.
But if you can't replace that morning cup of joe with water, how about adding cinnamon instead of sugar to sweeten your coffee.
SWEET FLAVORINGS
Sweet flavorings are the number three food to fight over-40 fat. Things like cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and almond essence. "Because they do have an element of sweetness, they take the edge off," said Bonci. "You don't need to be using as much sugar or honey when you use these items and second of all, there's no calories in them."
By replacing sugar in your coffee alone, you can save a couple hundred calories a week -- enough to shed two to three pounds a year.
EAT LEAN PROTEIN
The number four food to fight over-40 fat is lean protein. "When you eat (lean protein), it makes us feel more satisfied as well as holding us over longer between meals and often times when people increase the amount of protein they eat, they find they eat less overall," explains Bonci.
She says you should have lean protein with every meal -- not just once or twice a day ---- things like skinless chicken, pork, fish, shellfish, lean red meat and eggs.
DON'T FORGET THE FIBER
And number five on our list is food with fiber, which includes whole wheat bread, apples, broccoli, and many cereals, as well as foods fortified with fiber, like granola bars.
"When we eat food with fiber, it tends to cause us to pull more water into the stomach, the benefit of that is we actually feel fuller longer, so if we're full, we're not likely to be gorging ourselves quite as much," Bonci said.
It's not about giving up everything you love to eat. It's about making a few tradeoffs everyday. If you want a glass of wine or soda with dinner, then maybe you skip the potato as a tradeoff for the extra calories, or try seltzer water instead of the soda.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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