Nutritionist lists foods that 'burn calories while you eat'

Some foods require more energy to digest than others

A nutrition expert has spilled the beans on six foods that are natural calorie-torchers. Common belief dictates that food piles on the calories, but certain ones boast a high thermogenic effect, meaning they can actually help you burn them off.

Nutritionist Pablo Ojeda advises slipping these snacks into your diet to turn up the body's calorie furnace. When we chow down, energy is used up in digestion alongside absorption and metabolic processes, but incorporating high thermogenic foods can amplify the calorie burn-off.

Speaking to Cuidate Plus, Pablo detailed, "all foods have thermogenic power," which necessitates 10% of our total energy output for digestion, absorption and metabolism. But not all munchables are created equal; some are superior with a mighty thermogenic punch that can boost extra caloric burn when we dine.

Manuel López Cabanillas, esteemed life member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics elaborated that typically, "for every 100 kilocalories we consume, our body will spend about 20-30 kilocalories on thermogenesis for proteins, 5-10 kilocalories for carbohydrates, and 1-5 kilocalories for fats".

In addition to fats, proteins, or carbohydrates in general, there are foods that by themselves and when combined or consumed in a certain way can help us burn more calories during meals because, as Pablo says, “they are more difficult to digest and therefore require more energy to carry out this process".

However, the expert reminds us that “these foods help increase our metabolism as long as they are part of a balanced diet, physical exercise and exposure to natural light”. It is pointless to include these foods in our diet if we then eat many ultra-processed foods, do not go out to get sunlight or do a minimum of physical exercise.

The six most thermogenic 'calorie-burning' foods and drinks

Cinnamon: This food also stabilises blood sugar levels. His advice is to add it to coffee in the mornings.

Black pepper: This food contains piperine which improves metabolism. You can add it to meals during cooking.

Ginger: This food improves digestion and increases caloric expenditure. You can add it, for example, to smoothies or infusions.

Caffeine: It increases metabolism and burns fat. His advice is to take it on an empty stomach and only in the mornings.

Green tea: Rich in antioxidants and catechins, it increases fat oxidation. You can drink two or three cups a day.

Chilli peppers: These foods contain capsaicin which increases thermogenesis and fat oxidation.