Is it true that probiotics and fish oil are good helpers for weight loss? Experts analyze the top 10 weight loss foods

Obesity is a more important issue for health. Experts joked that ROC=Republic of Chubby. ROC has become a synonym for the Republic of Chubby. The overweight and obesity rate of adults in Taiwan from 2016 to 2019 was 47.9%, and it actually grew to 50.3% from 2017 to 2020! That is to say, half of the people have an overweight BMI. The damage that obesity causes to health is that it will cause cardiovascular problems, chronic inflammation in the body, and lead to problems such as the three highs, allergies, sleep disorders, and dementia, so it should be avoided as much as possible.

The most basic way to prevent obesity is exercise and diet control. If you exercise, control calories and other actions under the guidance of an expert, it will definitely be more effective. Of course, there are some special tips and tricks that can make diet control more effective, because not all foods are created equal. Each food has a different nutritional density, and some ingredients also have certain functional properties that can help us enhance metabolism and achieve a more effective weight loss effect while controlling our diet.

Top 10 Foods for Weight Loss

Below is Wayne’s complete analysis of the top 10 weight-loss foods. Come and see which ones are good helpers for your weight and BMI management?

Probiotics

There is increasing evidence that probiotics have a profound relationship between intestinal flora and obesity. There are four to five thousand species of intestinal bacteria in the human body, but the distribution of intestinal bacteria species is very different between fat people and thin people. The most important thing related to obesity is a kind of Bifidobacterium. According to research, the content of Bifidobacterium in the intestines of Japanese people is particularly high compared with other countries. Bifidobacterium is a beneficial bacteria in the intestines. According to other studies, many strains of Bifidobacterium have been shown to help the human body reduce fat absorption, adjust the body's metabolism, and prevent calories from being stored in the body. This may be one of the reasons why there are fewer fat people in Japan. Moreover, if good bacteria live in the body, the physical adjustment effect produced will last.

There is increasing evidence that probiotics have a profound relationship between intestinal flora and obesity.

Studies have shown that supplementing with good bacteria can indeed reduce BMI and fat. After a comprehensive statistical analysis of 25 studies and 1,900 subjects, the conclusion was reached: supplementing with probiotics can indeed reduce BMI and weight, so it is also beneficial for preventing metabolic syndrome such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. The study also pointed out that supplementing with multiple probiotics is more effective than supplementing with only one type. Daily supplementation should reach 10-20 billion, and supplementation for more than 8 weeks is most effective.

Fermented foods can also supplement many good lactic acid bacteria. Kimchi, natto, sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, yogurt, rice koji, koji water, miso, etc. are all traditional fermented foods that have many health benefits and can change the bacterial flora ecology.

Ease of obtaining:★★★★★

Scientific Evidence: ★★★★★

Dietary fiber

According to the nutrition recommendations of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, each person's daily dietary fiber intake should be at least 25 to 35 grams. However, according to statistics from the Taiwan Cancer Foundation, more than 90% of the Chinese population does not consume enough dietary fiber. The average daily dietary fiber intake for boys is only 13.7 grams, and for girls it is only 14 grams, which is a serious deficiency! Fiber can slow down the digestion of food and keep you feeling full for a longer time, thereby reducing your food intake and even reducing the absorption of fat. Dietary fiber cannot be digested and utilized by the human body, so it does not form calories. Insoluble fiber can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and aid defecation, while soluble fiber is the staple food of probiotics and can help adjust intestinal flora and allow good bacteria to survive in the intestines.

Some cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale) and fruits are good sources of dietary fiber. The popular green juice, green latte, and barley leaf powder are good ways to quickly consume dietary fiber.

Ease of obtaining:★★★★★

Scientific Evidence: ★★★★★

green tea

The Department of Family Medicine at National Cheng Kung University Hospital once conducted a study on the tea drinking population and found that people who had the habit of drinking tea for more than 10 years (drinking an average of 434 ml per day) had a 19.6% lower body fat percentage and a 2.1% lower waist/hip ratio. In other words, both body fat distribution and abdominal fat were significantly reduced. Animal experiments have shown that black tea can stimulate the activity of pancreatic lipolysis enzymes and reduce the absorption of sugar and fat foods. But in addition to the above-mentioned effects, green tea and oolong tea can also accelerate the body's heat production and promote fat burning, so they can reduce body fat percentage and reduce abdominal fat accumulation.

More other studies tell us that catechins, especially those in tea, are effective in preventing oil absorption, promoting its conversion into calories, and reducing body fat. This catechin is particularly rich in unfermented green tea. Therefore, many studies have shown that drinking green tea can regulate blood sugar and blood lipids, prevent body fat accumulation, and reduce visceral fat. Matcha is a special type of green tea. Because the tea leaves are ground and drunk, it is also a good source of dietary fiber.

Ease of obtaining:★★★★★

Scientific Evidence: ★★★★★

Garcinia Cambogia

Garcinia cambogia is a plant native to India and Southeast Asia. It is closely related to mangosteen and has been traditionally used as a food and herbal medicine. In the 1960s, scientists extracted an ingredient called HCA (Hydroxycitric acid) from the fruit of Garcinia cambogia. HCA is an analog of citric acid that can interfere with and inhibit the activity of the human enzyme ATP citrate lyase. Since ATP citrate lyase is involved in important reactions in the human body's energy metabolism and is the key to the synthesis of fatty acids from carbohydrates (starch, sugar), HCA has the effect of blocking fat synthesis, inhibiting fat synthesis, and helping fat metabolism. In simple terms, it has an oil-cutting effect.

Therefore, pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland are also experimenting with developing HCA, the active ingredient in Garcinia cambogia, as a weight control drug. In recent years, Korean girl groups have become popular, and Garcinia cambogia extract has set off a trend in the local area. Not only is it made into Garcinia cambogia capsules and tablets, but also Garcinia cambogia kombucha, Garcinia cambogia coffee, Garcinia cambogia probiotics and other products have been launched on the market, causing a trend.

Ease of obtaining:★

Scientific Evidence: ★★★

Black Dates

Black dates are often used as a weight loss snack, mainly because they can help with constipation and are considered a helper in clearing out old stool. In recent years, human clinical trials have shown that if people with constipation eat California black dates every day, the frequency of intestinal movements can be significantly increased (6 times a week), the amount of stool can be clearly increased (increased by 30%), and the number of beneficial bacteria (Bifidobacterium) can be increased. Therefore, it is indeed helpful for defecation and intestinal health. Therefore, black dates and probiotics can complement each other and have an additive effect. The reason why black dates are so effective in treating constipation is that they contain high dietary fiber, low-calorie sorbitol, and black date polyphenols - chlorogenic acid.

The idea that black dates can replenish blood has been circulating among women for a long time, and some breastfeeding mothers will specifically seek out black dates essence to drink. However, according to analysis, the iron content of black dates is not high, so if it is said that it has this effect, it may be because the anthocyanins and vitamin C in the black dates help to maintain beauty and help iron absorption.

Ease of obtaining:★★★★★

Scientific evidence: ★★

Omega3 fish oil

Fish oil is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are very important oils for human health. Many research results have found that fish oil can actually help the body burn fat. Because fish oil can convert the white adipose tissue in the human body, which is responsible for storing fat, into brown adipose tissue which burns and converts into heat. It will also further increase the efficiency of brown fat burning, so overall, it promotes the burning of body fat through the thermogenic effect.

Fish oil is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are very important fats for human health.

The best natural source of fish oil is marine fish living in the deep ocean, such as mackerel, herring, sardines, saury and other oil-rich fish. The common characteristics of these fish are that their scales are shiny and their backs are blue. Deep-sea fish species are chosen to stay away from pollutants generated by human activities, while small fish can avoid the bioaccumulation effect of pollutants from large fish at the top of the food chain. The American Heart Association recommends a daily intake of about 300 to 500 mg of DHA and EPA, which is equivalent to eating fish at least twice a week. However, patients with cardiovascular disease can increase their intake to 1 gram per day, and people with high blood lipids can take 2 to 4 grams per day after expert evaluation.

Ease of obtaining:★★

Scientific Evidence: ★★★

Other weight loss foods

See more other weight loss foods >>>

in conclusion

For modern people, managing weight and BMI is an important health issue, but the pursuit of weight loss should still be done step by step and in a safe manner. Do not rely on functional foods to quickly reduce weight and fat. Otherwise, you may be deceived at best, or it may have adverse effects on your health at worst. The truly effective method is to eat less, exercise more, control calorie intake, and increase nutritional supplements.

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