If your exercise and diet routine seem to be tuned in and you still can’t seem to lose the extra pounds (that is if you NEED to lose the extra weight), these three nutrients might help you blast to the next level.
- Green Tea: Swapping out your coffee for green tea might just help! Green tea helps clear nasty toxins from your body which we know can aid in weight loss. A group of 115- women with a body mass index greater than 27 were given high dose green tea or placebo (1). Those drinking the green tea extract lost an average of about 2.4 pounds more than the control group. Sure, that’s a modest weight loss, but it counts! Green tea also has added positive benefits for your gut health.
- Capsaicin (or Cayenne Pepper): If you don’t like your food spicy, don’t worry, the source of heat in a hot pepper is called capsaicin is also available as a supplement at the natural food store. I prefer culinary uses with cayenne pepper, jalapeno and habanero, but don’t despair if your tastebuds do not enjoy the heat. When a group of 91 overweight individuals ate a low-calorie diet for four week and were then given capsaicin pill, they experienced more fat breakdown than placebo (2).
- Conjugated Linoleic Acid: This fat, also called CLA, is an essential omega-6 oil that has been shown to safely reduce fat levels and increase lean body mass. In a 6-month study of 118 people who took either 3 or 4 grams of CLA/day or placebo, all of those who took CLA experienced a significant weight loss (3). Best part is, no adverse side-effects were observed in those supplementing with CLA.
Are any of these nutrients a magic pill? Absolutely not. But they do offer some support if you are serious about ensuring you keep a healthy diet, reduce exposure to toxins and are getting regular exercise.
