by Angeline Oppenheimer

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 17, 2009

Are you fighting the bulge with little success? According to the Centers for Disease Control, only a mere five percent of the 65 percent overweight Americans are successful at keeping the weight off. Waging the weight war can be challenging and frustrating. What if there are foods that help you fight fats, making it easier for you to lose weight? Do they exist? Thankfully, they do, backed up with scientific findings. They are naturally endowed with active ingredients that bust fat, making them your allies in this weight battle.

Anthocyanins

You have been told to eat 5 servings or more of fruits and vegetables. Seems like old, jaded advice but scientists in Arkansas are uncovering compelling evidence to indulge in fruits and vegetables-especially the ones with vibrant colors. They found that the bright pigments (think blue, purple, red, yellow, orange); also called anthocyanins may help to prevent obesity. In their experiments, laboratory mice fed on a high-fat diet accompanied with drinking water with purified anthocyanins gained less weight and had lower body fat levels than the control group.

Look for anthocyanin-loaded fruits like apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries (and all kinds of berries), grapes and plums. Color-infused vegetables include carrots, eggplants, spinach, purple cabbage, tomatoes and more.

Green Tea

Green tea has been used for centuries in China, India, Japan and Thailand for healing many medical conditions from regulating blood sugar level to improving digestion. Because green tea is not fermented but steamed, it retains the most amounts of polyphenols. The polyphenols found in tea are classified as catechins and tea's catechins have more antioxidant effects than vitamin C. Tea's catechins are also fat-busters as shown by various studies. Clinical studies conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Center shows that green tea may boost metabolism and help burn fat. They found that the combination of green tea and caffeine improve weight loss and maintain weight in overweight individuals.

Adopt the habit of drinking green tea with every meal. Drink it hot or cold and enjoy more than weight loss-it can also lower cholesterol, fights cancer, diabetes and liver diseases, promote healthy skin and banish bad breath.

Vinegar

Love pickled ginger with sushi? It turns out that the ordinary vinegar, used commonly in oil and vinegar salad dressings, pickles and marinades and sauces is living up to its age-old reputation as health enhancer.

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