While a healthy diet and exercise plan are perhaps the most vital elements in managing weight, sometimes we need a little extra help. That’s why supplements like thermogenic products may be a great addition to any weight management plan to promote healthy dietary choices during the day and support the body’s natural ability to digest food, absorb nutrients, and burn fat. Also known as fat-burners, thermogenic products can be a vital component of your weight management plan! Keep reading to learn more!
Thermogenic Products: How They Work
As the term “thermo†implies, thermogenic supplements are all about heat. Specifically, the main goal of thermogenic supplements is to simulate the process that occurs when the body generates heat from physical activity, triggering it to burn calories to use as energy and help you lose weight.
Thermogenic products are one of the most common types of weight loss supplements, with many potential weight-loss benefits. These include:
- Promoting lipolysis, which is the process of breaking down fat into energy;
- Kickstarting metabolism, which can help your body to burn calories even when it’s at rest; and
- Simulating the nervous system to digest food.
Today, many natural thermogenic products include diverse ingredients, ranging from chromium and carnitine to caffeine and green tea extract. But there’s one thing you’ll never find in a natural thermogenic supplement these days: ephedrine. That tricky compound is why thermogenic products got a bad reputation in the first place!
How They Got a Bad Rap … And How They Made a Comeback!
When thermogenic products were initially released, many were skeptical of manufacturers’ claims that they could help burn fat, simulate exercise, promote energy, and boost weight loss. Especially in the sports nutrition world, chemically manufactured thermogenics originally contained a compound called ephedrine and were labeled for weight loss, energy, performance enhancement, and bodybuilding. But throughout the 1990s, many users of ephedrine thermogenics reported adverse health effects, including everything from heart attacks to seizures, and even death. After extensive research into these and other risks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of products containing ephedrine, including the majority of thermogenic products.
In response to the ban, many natural manufacturers began looking for a replacement for ephedrine that would be much safer for human consumption and still promote increased metabolism and weight loss. Similar compounds like synephrine found in bitter orange, caffeine in the form of guarana, kola nut, or yerba mate, and green tea extract are now all used in thermogenic supplements. Studies have shown that these naturally-occurring ingredients may help support metabolism, contribute to the body’s ability to burn fat, and help maintain a healthy weight.
Try These Thermogenic Supplements for Weight Management
As one of the most popular weight management supplements, there are many thermogenic products that can help you maintain a healthy weight. These dietary aids can help your body with healthy digestion, calorie burning, and metabolic processes. Here are a few of our favorites, all available from Natural Healthy Concepts.
All-In-One Capsule: Diet Support by NOW Foods is a natural weight loss product with an advanced thermogenic formula to support healthy weight management. Diet Support also includes ForsLean, a patented ingredient derived from herbal plants that has been shown to support healthy body composition when used in partnership with a diet and exercise program. Other ingredients in Diet Support include super citrimax, green tea, and chromium.
Snack Bar: Garden of Life’s fucoProtein High Protein Bar Chocolate with Macadamia Nuts provides a strong dose of protein while also helping thermogenically burn fat and boost metabolism – all in a handy, on-the-go snack bar. Made with 70% organic ingredients like brown rice, whey protein, and chia seed, fucoProtein High Protein Bars are gluten free and packed with 14 grams of protein. Plus, they also have fucoxanthin, an antioxidant that protects cells from free-radical damage.
Tea Extract: Triple-Tea Fat Burner from Irwin Naturals infuses white, black, and green tea extracts to supply a combination of thermogenic properties and antioxidant protection. Combined with exercise and diet, Triple-Tea Fat Burner can promote calorie burn, increased energy, and free radical fighters that can protect the cells in your body.
Coffee Extract: Healthy Origins’ Green Coffee Bean Extract capsules provides the vital thermogenic properties found in raw coffee beans that are typically lost in the roasting process. Along with antioxidants like chlorogenic acid, these vegetarian capsules also help block the absorption of glucose in your small intestine and liver, encouraging your body to burn fat for energy instead of carbs.
A Word to the Wise
Some people believe that thermogenic products can actually simulate exercise, giving you the results of working out without actually doing so. In fact, thermogenics are not a replacement for any healthy eating or exercise plan. They should always be taken in addition to an appropriate weight management plan, not in place of it! And in that case, they can be a powerful aid in helping to shed pounds and maintain a healthy weight.
Will a thermogenic supplement work for you? Try one today and let us know what you think in the comments below!
