Fat Burning Foods List No1 Free Range Chicken

If you're serious about getting in shape then you need to make sure that your diet includes a source of good quality protein. My top choice is free-range chicken breast.

For me, chicken breast is the best cut of chicken, and quite often the nicest tasting. One of the reasons why I'm so in love with it is the versatility. It's great to have something in the fridge or freezer that will go in just about any meal. I serve it up in curry, wraps, salads, the list is endless.

What Makes Good Quality Protein An Essential Part Of Every Diet?

Protein intake is important to promote good health as well as a fat burning environment in your body.

All of the evidence points to the fact that a moderate-high protein diet has the following benefits:

1. Improve your body composition (muscle to fat ratio). 2. Increase lean muscle mass. 3. Facilitate weight loss. 4. Help you to maintain your "goal weight" after a weight loss regime.

As long as your protein intake is balanced, it will also help you to maintain optimum blood sugar levels, preventing insulin spikes, and keeping you in a fat burning mode at all times.

Not to mention it keeps you feeling full for longer, and with no insulin response it will help you control junk food cravings and that annoying 'post meal tiredness'.

The Health Benefits Of Free Range Chicken

Do we care about the conditions our chickens are raised in? We sure do. Gone are the days that we didn't care if our poultry was brought up in a battery farm. Now it is all about putting food on our plate that lived a healthy, happy life.

But choosing free-range is about more than just the welfare of our food; it is actually a much healthier choice for us too.

You Eat What They Eat

The problem with battery farmed animals is that they are kept in conditions that don't allow for any exercise, and they are forced to eat a diet of hormone and antibiotic-enhanced grain.

Unfortunately for us this means our meat is full of bad fats, hormones, toxins and it's poor tasting.

Free range chickens on the other hand have a much better quality of life. They are able to exercise and feed on insects, worms and other bugs. Not to mention they have access to sunlight and fresh air.

As you might have guessed, a happy chicken is a healthy one. Free range meat contains the perfect ration of good to bad fats (omega 3 to omega 6). It is also a great source of bio-available protein, which means it is easier to digest.

Omega 3 fatty acids are important because they help to maintain your metabolic rate (weight-gain is a symptom of omega-3 deficiency), and preventing fatty deposits in your heart and other internal organs.

These days free-range chicken is easy to find. Either at the local grocery store or over the counter at your local butchers. While it is more expensive than mass-produces poultry, the health benefits are there for all to see.

How Much Should I Eat?

RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) suggests a protein intake of 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight, per day. If you're currently looking to lose weight, or just improve your general nutrition, then it is probably worth at least meeting the RDA. You should notice all of the benefits I mentioned earlier.

However, everybody is different, and there is no secret formula. And of course the quality of the protein you eat as well as the other foods in your diet will have a huge impact.

For most normal people, 20-30 grams of protein per meal is all you'll need. Especially if you are eating 5-6 small meals per day. However, athletes, fitness models and those looking to get in optimum physical condition will often eat even more than that.

My absolute favorite chicken dishes are:

1. Pastryless chicken, onion and tomato flan. 2. Home made chicken curry with paprika sauteéd potatoes. 3. Chicken in (home made) tomato sauce with kidney beans, onion, pepper served over a jacket potato.

Enjoy this article? Check out the full List Of Fat Burning Foods for more amazing nutrition facts. For more information about Fat Burning Foods and how they can help you burn belly flab, check out David Thorpe's blog.