5 Foods That Warm You Up While Slimming You Down

Registered Dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, CDE, shares her top picks.

Spicy foods are linked to speeding up the metabolism.

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#1 Hot Peppers

If you like spicy foods, you are in luck. Hot peppers are rich in capsaicin, a compound that has thermogenic properties, which essentially heats up the body, increasing metabolism and overall calorie burn in one-quarter of U.S. adults.(1) But that's not the only benefit! Another study (2) found that consuming an increased amount of capsaicin for 10 weeks lowered obesity-induced insulin resistance in mice. Try adding hot pepper into warm dishes such as chili or eggs. You can even use the ground or flaked form to season foods for an extra kick!

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Written by Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, LDN

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1. Saito M. Capsaicin and Related Food Ingredients Reducing Body Fat Through the Activation of TRP and Brown Fat Thermogenesis. Adv Food Nutr Res. 2015;76:1-28. doi: 10.1016/bs.afnr.2015.07.002. Epub 2015 Sep 26. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26602570
2. Kang JH, et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). Dietary capsaicin reduces obesity-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis in obese mice fed a high-fat diet. 2010 Apr;18(4):780-7. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.301. Epub 2009 Oct 1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19798065
3. Spill MK, et al. Serving large portions of vegetable soup at the start of a meal affected children's energy and vegetable intake. Appetite. 2011 Aug;57(1):213-9. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.04.024. Epub 2011 May 8 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21596073
4. Weickert MO, et al. Cereal fiber improves whole-body insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese women. Diabetes Care. 2006 Apr;29(4):775-80. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16567814
5. Hlebowicz J, et al. Effect of cinnamon on postprandial blood glucose, gastric emptying, and satiety in healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr June 2007 vol. 85 no. 6 1552-1556. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/6/1552.full
6. Hlebowicz J, et al. Effects of 1 and 3 g cinnamon on gastric emptying, satiety, and postprandial blood glucose, insulin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide 1, and ghrelin concentrations in healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr March 2009 vol. 89 no. 3 815-821. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/3/815.full
7. Katcher H, et al. The effects of a whole grain–enriched hypocaloric diet on cardiovascular disease risk factors in men and women with metabolic syndrome. Am J Clin Nutr January 2008 vol. 87 no. 1 79-90.http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/1/79.abstract