Let’s face it: Losing weight is tough.
Cutting calories, missing out on your favorite foods and setting aside time to exercise can seem overwhelming and difficult to maintain. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to speed up the process and improve your results. No doubt you’ve heard of fat burners and metabolism boosters and maybe you’ve even tried a few. What manufacturers don’t tell you, however, is how dangerous these supplements are for your health. While it may be tempting to turn to these cleverly marketed products, natural options can offer similar and even more impressive results. When it comes time to clean up your diet and drop those pesky pounds, here are four natural supplements that can help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Probiotics
Probiotics are known as the “good bacteria” that reside in your gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria help with proper digestion, elimination, hormone regulation and nervous system function. Not only are they necessary for the regulation of basic bodily functions, studies have also found that probiotics play a role in the maintenance of a healthy body weight. Researchers have found that probiotics play a critical role in energy metabolism, with studies concluding that individuals with lower beneficial bacteria counts are more prone to become overweight or obese. To improve your digestion, weight loss and overall health, try including fermented foods in your diet. If you’re not a fan of sauerkraut, kimchi and the like, you can also find a high-quality probiotic supplement that contains multiple strains of beneficial bacteria.
Prebiotics
If you’re going to include probiotics in your diet, then you most certainly should include prebiotics as well. No, they are not the same thing, and yes, they serve completely different functions. As the name suggests, prebiotics are the precursors to probiotics. You can take all the probiotic supplements you want, but if those bacteria have nothing to feed on, they’ll have difficulty growing and populating your gut. Prebiotics can be found in a wide variety of foods and are more commonly known as non-digestible fiber. One surprisingly good source of prebiotics is apple cider vinegar, due to its pectin content. This highly-regarded health elixir has been used for centuries for its numerous health promoting properties. In fact, recent studies have even shown that it is capable of aiding in the reduction of belly fat and inducing feelings of satiety.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
CLA is a group of naturally-occurring chemicals found in foods like butter, beef and cheese. These foods contain a fatty acid called linoleic acid that has been shown to reduce appetite and improve body composition. In fact, studies have shown that CLA helps induce lipid apoptosis or the destruction of fat cells within the body. Researchers found that when individuals consumed CLA on a daily basis they were able to reduce their body fat mass, while simultaneously increasing their lean mass. In order to get adequate CLA from food sources, you would need to eat a ridiculous amount of butter, whole milk and fatty cuts of beef — effectively negating your weight loss efforts. Fortunately, there’s a better way to get this fatty acid into your diet. CLA supplements are widely available and can be taken in pill or powder form either with or before a meal.
Green Tea
For thousands of years, green tea has been touted as a whole body health elixir. The Chinese have included it in their daily diets for its medicinal purposes for the last 5000 years — and for good reason. Recently, green tea has enjoyed a surge in popularity for its purported health benefits, and those drinking it on a regular basis have seen the beneficial effects this super tea can provide. In fact, green tea has undergone much scientific research and has been proven to help increase metabolism and fat oxidation, while simultaneously regulating blood sugar levels. Keeping your blood sugar in check is one of the most important things you can do to promote steady weight loss, so consuming green tea as part of a healthy, balanced diet can help ensure your blood sugar remains stable.
Losing weight is tough; but when you have superfoods like these to aid in your weight loss journey, the road can get a whole lot easier. Not only do they promote overall health, they can help trigger the release of all that unhealthy extra weight. Whether you’ve been on your weight loss journey for weeks or you’re just starting out, try including these items in your diet and you may just be amazed at the results!
