8 Best Fat-Melting Ingredients Around the World

When it comes to losing weight, eating the right foods is the plight of every dieter. How many calories should you consume? What foods are more nutritious than others? What ingredients should you rely on?

If you’ve ran out of ideas, we’re here to save the day with these 8 best fat-melting ingredients around the world. They not only boost the fat-burning process but also provide flavor and color to your food, while giving you a delicious culinary glimpse of the international cuisine.

 

Spain: Saffron

Saffron has been made popular by the Spanish a long time ago in dishes such as Paella. It was first used for medicinal purposes but lately, people have been consuming it as a natural supplement for weight loss.

One of its fat-burning benefits comes from the fact that saffron can speed up the thermogenesis process, which means it helps you get rid of fat and prevents new fat deposits. It directly impacts the serotonin levels and suppresses your appetite, also aiding you in reducing your calorie intake.

With a recommended daily dose of 400 mg, saffron may be the most expensive spice in the world but is definitely worth every penny!

Italy: Garlic

This small but mighty ingredient has a long history in Italian cuisine. From pasta sauce to crusty Italian bread, garlic has been found to have a lot of health benefits for the immune system, blood pressure and inflammation. And it also has a vast impact for weight loss.

Its beneficial compounds, such as allicin, speed up the metabolism and stimulate the burning of fat. In addition, it efficiently works as an appetite suppressant, preventing you from overeating. If you’re not bothered by the occasional bad breath, rest assure garlic is one of the best fat-fighting ingredients out there.

 

India: Curry powder

Curry powder is usually a mix of various spices like ginger, cumin, red chili, coriander, turmeric and other ingredients. Its star ingredient, turmeric, apart from being extremely delicious, is also very on point in frying flab.

Its fat-melting effect comes from curcumin, one of its active compound, which many studies have identified as boosting weight loss by up to 5% and reducing obesity and its side-effects.

Morocco: Mint

Mint is a less known ingredient of Morrocan cuisine, but it can be your super weapon against weight loss. It has been used for hundreds of years as medicine and in recent years, it is recommended by more and more nutritionists for its health benefits.

In terms of weight loss, one of this wonder plant’s properties is that it efficiently stimulates the digestive enzymes in the gut to absorb more nutrients from foods and turn fat into energy. Being so versatile, mint can be used in many forms to melt your fat away, from detox water to mint tea and even minty chocolate.

Middle East: Chickpeas

Chickpeas are most commonly associated to hummus, but they are definitely more than a one-dish ingredient. They are an excellent source of protein and fiber, with a cup of chickpeas providing 15 gr of protein and 13 gr of fiber, making them suitable for any weight loss diet.

In addition, chickpeas include resistant starch, which is responsible for making you feel fuller. Even better, it fuels the friendly bacteria in your small intestine and stimulates the production of fatty acids. These, in turn, help your body to burn more fat for energy.

Argentina: Parsley

Parsley may seem like a common ingredient but just wait until you find out what it can do. For starters, it has a rich content of chlorophyll, vitamins K, C and B12, iron, folic acid and works wonders in detoxing your body.

It also improves digestion and the diuretic function, due to being rich in enzymes, consequently helping you shed some unwanted pounds. Parsley provides very few calories and more than 53% of the daily nutrient intake so it can be safely consumed when trying to slim down. Care for some chimichurri?

 

Cuba: Oranges

Believe it or not, Cubans are not only known for their cigars but also for their citrus production, among which oranges, with many recipes for Cuban food requiring these fruits.

Oranges are a great source of folate and vitamin C, which has been demonstrated to help in lowering the BMI and boost the burning of fat during workouts. These sour-sweet fruits are fat-free, low in calories and high in fiber, efficiently working as appetite suppressants. Oranges also contain a significant amount of selenium, which can boost your metabolism like no other.

 

Greece: Extra virgin olive oil

Greeks have been consuming extra virgin olive oil for hundreds of years and it is now a very widely used ingredient, in salads, stews and many more dishes.

Its benefits are numerous, making it a staple ingredient of the Mediterranean diet. When it comes to weight loss, its main fat-fighting power comes from being rich in fatty acids, such as oleic acid. These contribute to increasing the feeling of fullness and preventing hunger pangs.

Recent research has also shown that extra virgin olive oil promotes the burning of fat at a higher rate, through the mitochondria in the cells.