Most of us have heard that the essential fatty acids found in fish and fish-oil capsules help our bodies burn fat. Now there’s another blubber burner in the fat family: monounsaturated fats. According to the February ’08 issue of Prevention, a study conducted at Reina Sofia University Hospital in Córdoba, Spain, fed overweight subjects various diets that contained the same number of calories but with different carb and fat contents. The diet rich in monounsaturated fats prevented the accumulation of belly fat—both the subcutaneous fat that’s just below the skin and the visceral fat, the deeper, most dangerous type.
So where do you get monounsaturated fats? From the oils of certain plants and plant foods, like olives, nuts and avocado. Two other studies of interest: One found that a diet high in monounsaturated fat helped subjects lose weight, albeit in small increments, without changing their calorie intake. Another found that a breakfast high in monounsaturated fat can boost calorie burn for five hours. Guacamole dip for breakfast? No, but maybe some nuts on your cereal would work
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
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