(www.spiritvoyage.com)
Conventional weight loss books
tell us that if we eat less, we will loose weight. The more we eat and drink,
the fatter we’ll get.
This theory is fraud for numerous reasons. One of
them being that certain foods and drinks have thermo genic properties – they
essentially help our body burn fat.
What Is Thermogenesis?
The term “thermogenesis” refers to the production
of heat in the body.
We have two different types of thermogenesis:
shivering and non-shivering.
Shivering thermogenesis occurs involuntarily in
order to increase your body temperature. Every one has experienced shivering
thermogenesis when exiting a hot shower and going into a seemingly ice-cold
bathroom. This form of heat generation is common in adults yet rare amongst
young children. There bodies produce heat by way of non-shivering
thermogenesis.
Non-shivering thermogenesis is a more efficient
method to generate heat. To understand how non-shivering thermogenesis works,
you must be familiar with “brown adipose tissue” (BAT).
BAT And Its Awesome Properties
BAT (Brown Adipose Tissue) is a “good” fat in our
body. We used to think that only babies have BAT, yet recent research has
shown, that adults do maintain levels of BAT throughout their life as well.
Contrary to WAT (White Adipose Tissue), which is
the “bad” and visible fat, BAT is something you can’t see by looking at
someone, as it’s only present in small amounts. You’ll want highly active BAT,
as is produces heat by consuming calories and thus goes to your fat and eaten
food for those calories.
However, the problem is that we haven’t got much
BAT and the BAT that we do have, decreases as we get older.
The Potential Of Thermogenesis
Imagine if you could burn fat just by drinking
certain beverages, eating certain foods and surrounding yourself with certain
temperatures. How awesome would that be? Fortunately, all you have to do is
follow the guidelines in this blog post and you’ll be off to a great start.
Let’s begin with the most common thermogenesis
inducer.
Cold showers. Exposing your body to cold temperatures –
whether it be through ice, water or air, is a popular and effective way to
induce thermogenesis. By exposing your body to cold temperatures, it creates
heat to remain in a state of homeostasis. The energy needed to create heat
comes from shivering and/or BAT activation. Either way, you’re burning
calories.
And guess what?
Thermogenesis is just one of many benefits you can reap by exposing your body
to cold. An immune system boost, enhanced recovery and a higher metabolism are
a few additional perks to cold exposure.
My preferred method of cold exposure is through cold showers, as
they can be done by anyone, anywhere. Whenever I take a shower (post workout or
in the morning), I turn the shower as cold as it goes and keep it like that for
a few minutes. Then I’ll alternate between hot and ice cold water in order to
get blood circulation benefits.
But temperature isn’t the only way you can induce
thermogenesis. It has been shown that green tea, chilli and protein, amongst other
foods and beverages, are also useful.
The method by which all of them generate heat is
called diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT).
Diet induced thermogenesis is when some of the
calories you consume are used to produce heat. This is done because energy is
required to digest and utilize food, which generates heat. DIT is responsible
for roughly 10% of our daily energy expenditure. However, some nutrients have a
more profound effect on our thermo genic reaction than others. Let’s take a
look at the most popular foods and nutrients you can consume in order to burn
more calories.
1.
Protein. Out of the three
macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates), protein has the most thermo genic
effect on our body.
According to a study published
in the American Journal For Clinical
Nutrition, DIT was 17% higher after a protein meal than after a fat or
carbohydrate meal. In addition to proteins thermo genic properties, it’s also known
for it’s satiating property, which further increases the benefit of eating
protein as part of a weight loss diet.
2. Green Tea. I’m in love with green tea. Whether it’s
theanine, EGCG or vitamin
C: green tea has it all.
The tea is also known for it’s astonishing cancer fighting properties. And as if that
weren’t enough, green tea is also a potent thermogenesis inducer.
Green teas thermo genic
properties are likely to come from its caffeine and polyphenol (particularly catechin) content. A synergistic effect between the two nutrients causes a
decrease in the inhibition of the noradrenaline and cAMP axis, which in return
increases thermogenesis.
Caffeine hinders the
breakdown of cAMP, which leads to an increase of caffeine’s affect in the body.
Why? cAMP is a “messenger”; it receives a message from a neurotransmitter or
hormone and sends it to the part of the cell where it’s supposed to go. Therefore,
if cAMP isn’t broken down, it “sends more of the message of caffeine”
throughout the body.
Caffeine’s effect promotes
the secretion of noradrenaline (also known as norepinephrine) and epinephrine,
which leads to an increase in the ‘fight or flight’ behaviour. This, in turn
results in an increased heart rate and increased blood circulation for
example.
The presence of
norepinephrine is enhanced through the polyphenol catechin, which inhibits a
norepinephrine-degrading enzyme. Thus, norepinephrine is increased even further
(hence the synergistic effect between caffeine and catechin). A study published
in The Journal Of Nutrition showed
that people who consumed catechins had increased weight loss compared to a
group that didn’t consume the polyphenols. Catechin seems to promote
thermogenesis with and without the caffeine, making catechin supplements a
viable option.
The fat burning benefits
of green tea only become evident when you’re drinking around 2-4 cups per day,
so load up!
3.
MCT Oil And Chilly. I know what you’re thinking.
Why on earth would someone eat MCT oil
and chilly together? Good question. While I would never try that bizarre
combination for taste, I can see myself consuming MCT oil and chilly in one
sitting in order to induce thermogenesis in my body.
A study showed that the
MCT-chilly combo increases DIT by 50% when added to a meal. Capsaicin, a
compound found in chilly, is held responsible for the thermo genic effect. MCT
oil is a derivative of coconut oil, and is known for it’s energy boosting and
weight loss properties.
I haven’t tried this
combination out, but the science shows that MCT oil and chilly may be one of
the most potent thermogenesis inducers out there.
References:
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