When it comes to fat burning food, low glycemic index or GI (the time it takes for food to be broken down), complex carbohydrates are only half the story. There are other factors you should look for in your food that will help turn your body into a fat burner. These other factors include the carbohydrate fiber; yes, it is a carbohydrate and micronutrients such as the B vitamins.

Fiber comes in two basic forms, soluble and insoluble and many low glycemic index foods contain both. Insoluble fiber has the advantage of absorbing water thus creating bulk in the stomach. Consequently, you stop eating sooner preventing you from overeating. It also acts like a ‘broom’ in the gut preventing constipation. However, when it comes to being advantages to fat burning, insoluble fiber is really the king. This fiber has the effect of slowing down the absorption of the glucose from your food that has been broken down during digestion. Thus, fiber is one of the main factors that make low GI foods also low glycemic load or GL (the time it takes the food to enter the bloodstream) foods. Both factors, low GI and GL will help turn your body into a fat burner rather than a fat storer.

The B-complex vitamins are a family of eight vitamins and every one is vital for turning glucose and fats into energy efficiently. Glucose simply cannot, for example be turned into pyruvic acid without vitamin B1 and B2 (niacin). Aco A (Acetyl-coenzyme A) will not work without B2, B3 and B5 (pantothenic acid). All these elements are part of the ‘Krebs cycle’, which is the process of turning protein, sugar and fats into pure energy.

Therefore, along with being a source of complex carbohydrates, fat burning food should also be a rich source of fiber and the B-complex vitamins. Although vitamins and incidentally fiber can be obtained with supplementation, remember we adapted to these foods over millions of years. Thus, our body is best adapted to obtain these nutrients and enzymes from these foods and thus it makes them the best and therefore preferable source of these enzymes as well as our fiber.

Learning how to lose weight by incorporating fat burning foods into your meals could be difficult at first. This article should help you understand the basic anatomy of foods that burn fat so that you can make better choices when you are at the grocery store.