Generally, when people talk about fat burners they mean nutrition supplements that claim to increase your metabolism in order to burn calories in addition to the calories that are burned naturally in basic metabolism and exercise. Natural fat burners are basic nutritional foods and drinks that can achieve the same results as fat burning supplements.
Some fat burners on the market are simply not safe. In other cases, people are not interested in taking dietary supplements. Natural fat burners are ideal since they do get you results while they rely entirely on things that are completely natural. In other words, natural fat burners are things you can eat or drink that will enhance your metabolism without introducing potentially harmful chemicals into your body.
When we talk about fat burners, even natural fat burners, we will take on some terminology that may be unfamiliar. Thermogenesis, for example, maybe new to you, but this guide will introduce you to all you need to know to get results from natural fat burners.
What is a natural fat burner?
Fat burners are generally exercising supplements that accelerate your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories than you ordinarily would through diet and exercise. The idea is that by burning extra calories, you burn stored fat from your body with the net result that you lose more weight than you would have through exercise alone.
Many fat burners consist of chemicals that speed up your metabolism. Some of these chemicals are fairly benign and safe, such as caffeine supplements. Others are a little more complex and can carry some dangers.
The process of burning calories is called thermogenesis. Thermogenesis takes place whether we are exercising or not. It is the metabolic process of making calories and energy from the foods we eat. Our baseline processes of breathing, digesting, blood circulation—virtually everything our bodies do to keep us alive—relies on thermogenesis. As the name implies, thermogenesis generates heat in the process of transforming nutrients into metabolic processes.
It logically follows that if we can speed up the process of thermogenesis, we can burn more calories. If we are trying to get rid of excess calories in the form of body fat, accelerating thermogenesis will help us lose weight.
Natural fat burners are substances found in foods and drinks that achieve the same result as chemical fat burning supplements. Surprisingly, there are a great many natural substances that can accelerate your metabolism and burn excess calories. Many of these natural substances are probably already in your kitchen, and you probably are already consuming some of these things regularly.
Benefits of natural fat burners
The benefits of fat burners sound obvious: they burn fat. But the reality is more complicated. Natural fat burners provide two primary benefits. They accelerate thermogenesis and burn calories in the form of excess fat, and they boost what is called lipolysis, or the process by which fats are converted into other usable chemicals and become metabolized rather than stored.
Thermogenesis is the metabolic process that burns calories and generates heat. There are several things that can speed up thermogenesis. These include exercise, diet, environmental temperature (that cause sweating), and chemical reactions in the body. Natural fat burners affect the chemical reactions in the body. By working with your natural biological systems, natural fat burners cause your body to ramp up the chemical reactions that burn calories.
Lipolysis is the biochemical process in which lipids, or fats, are converted into glycerol and free fatty acids. This process is initiated and controlled by several hormones. A good natural fat burner will provide the nutrients necessary to boost these hormones and, by extension, boos the processes of lipolysis. Natural fat burners can make it easier for your body to chemically convert fats into more usable chemical compounds and this reduces fats that are stored on the body. With the right combination of diet, exercise, and natural fat burners, you can add another 10 percent weight loss onto your workout and diet program.
Types of natural fat burners
As we said above, there are plenty of chemical fat burners available at specialty supplement retailers. Some of these fat burners have side effects, and you will want to be careful with them. Natural fat burners, on the other hand, do not have dangerous side effects and are available with a simple trip to the grocery store.
Here are some of the best natural fat burners:
Caffeine
Ordinary caffeine is one of the best natural fat burners. In fact, some fat burner supplements consist mainly of caffeine. Caffeine from coffee, green tea, and cocoa beans can provide nearly the same fat burning results as many commonly sold supplements.
We all know caffeine gives you a lift and can get you moving. The same chemical effect that gets you moving in the morning works on your metabolism. Caffeine boosts your metabolism and can help you burn fat.
Research has shown that simple caffeine that you get from coffee or green tea can enhance your metabolism rate by as much as 16 percent. The same amount of caffeine can also help boost your body’s ability to convert fats into other usable building blocks (lipolysis).
It is important to be careful with caffeine. Too much caffeine, even the amounts you get from coffee and tea, can have adverse side effects like anxiety, nausea, and sweating.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea is rich in caffeine and a chemical called polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Both of these things combine to make for a powerful natural fat burner.
The caffeine and EGCG found in green tea complement each other and accelerate thermogenesis. The two together work to chemically reduce fat.
In multiple studies, researchers found the simply green tea extract helped people burn 16 percent more fat than they do with exercise alone. Green tea extract burns substantially more calories than caffeine alone.
Taking 250-500 mg of green tea extract is roughly equivalent to 3-5 cups of green tea which remains squarely within safe levels of consumption of both caffeine and EGCG.
Protein Powder
Protein is a natural fat burner. Another added benefit of a high protein diet is that protein helps us feel full longer. As a natural fat burner, protein powder can boost your metabolism while preserving or even building muscle mass.
A study of people who were living with obesity found that a diet enhanced with high protein supplements in the form of protein powder combined with exercise lost almost twice as much weight as those who worked with only diet controls and exercise.
Protein also enhances the production of two important hormones that control appetite. It also slows the production of the hormone ghrelin which makes you feel hungry. Given that protein tends to curb your appetite, the dual effect of protein powder is to help you seriously burn fat and lose weight.
While it is possible to get enough protein in your diet to achieve the effects of a natural fat burner, protein powder is more effective to burn fat. There are numerous types of protein powders available now and some are derived entirely from plant-based proteins.
Soluble Fiber
The fiber we consume comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber absorbs water in your digestive system. Studies have shown that soluble fiber can help you lose weight by working as a natural fat burner.
Soluble fiber increases the levels of the hormones PYY and GLP-1 which work to reduce hunger. and suppress the hormone that makes you hungry. By controlling your hunger at the level of your metabolic system, soluble fiber functions as a natural fat burner.
Soluble fiber also inhibits the number of calories your body can absorb. Research has shown that a diet high in soluble fiber significantly reduced the number of calories test subjects absorbed in the course of their diet.
Yohimbine
Yohimbine is made from the bark of a tree native of central and west Africa. While it has historically been used as an aphrodisiac, recent research has shown yohimbine to be a highly effective natural fat burner.
Yohimbine works to block specific receptors called alpha-2 adrenergic receptors. These receptors normally bind adrenaline and stop it from working in your body. Since yohimbine blocks these receptors, more adrenaline can flow in your bloodstream and this promotes the breakdown of fats.
Natural fat burners and metabolism
The upshot of all of these natural fat burners is that they generally work to boost your metabolism in one way or another. Most natural fat burners increase metabolism rates and this facilitates the breakdown and burning of calories in the form of body fat. Other natural fat burners work primarily by reducing your appetite. These last also stimulate your metabolism because as your appetite slows, your metabolism picks up steam to continue the process of thermogenesis.
One of the ways we gain weight and retain weight is by providing our bodies with more calories than we need. When this happens, the metabolism burns the calories necessary to support your body while storing the excess. When you use natural fat burners to lose weight, you stimulate the metabolism in the right ways to begin burning all excess calories by accelerating your metabolism.
Risks of natural fat burners
One of the great advantages of natural fat burners is they do not have side effects. These are foods and natural substances you can include in your diet just like anything else you regularly consume.
Fat burning supplements available online have been found to have some adverse effects. Reputable companies make fat burner supplements that are safe and effective. NF Sports Pre-Workout, for example, works as a safe and effective supplement for training, exercise, and weight loss.
But if you just want to increase the amount of coffee you drink in the morning, ass a little green tea extract to your vitamins, or even simply stir a little protein powder into a smoothie, you will begin to see the benefits of a natural fat burner without any of the side effects associated with some fat burning supplements.
Natural fat burner FAQs
What is a natural fat burner? Natural fat burners are foods, beverages, and natural supplements that work to increase metabolism and control appetite so you can burn more calories than you would with diet and exercise alone.
What are the benefits of natural fat burners? Natural fat burners combine to principle effects to burn fat. The increased metabolism causes the natural process of thermogenesis which burns calories and fats. They also enhance your body's ability to convert stored fats into usable substances.
What are some examples of natural fat burners? Some of the best natural fat burners are common items like caffeine, green tea extract, protein powder, and soluble fiber. Any of these things can be obtained from common sources or may be taken in the form of a supplement.
Are there any dangers to natural fat burners? Generally, natural fat burners are completely safe. Since natural fat burners are derived from common food sources, they do not have side effects.
Conclusion
The purpose of taking a fat burner is to help shed a few more pounds than are possible with diet and exercise alone. Certainly, a healthy diet and regular exercise are the basic ingredients to losing weight and keeping it off. But sometimes we need a little help with this process to achieve our goals.
A natural fat burner can boost metabolism and increase the amount of fat we process. These combined effects help burn more calories than with diet and exercise alone and can help you lose weight.
The key advantage of natural fat burners is that they are derived from completely natural and often common sources. Caffeine is one of the most effective natural fat burners, and most of us get a little caffeine every day with our morning coffee. Adding a little more caffeine for a workout can make all the difference in burning fat and losing weight.
While there are synthetic fat burners on the market, most of us will benefit from taking natural fat burners without running the risk of the side effects common with some synthetic supplements. Natural fat burners are effective, they are safe, and they are easy to find and use.