Eat This Asian Snack to Lose Weight
You know those pills that block fat absorption? There may be a natural snack that offers a similar benefit: toasted nori. This crispy Japanese munchie -- made of thin sheets of seaweed that have been roasted or toasted and lightly salted -- could help your body block fat calories. In a new study, a special fiber found in seaweed appeared to inhibit fat absorption by over 75 percent! Natural Fat-Blocker The fat-blocking fiber in seaweed is called alginate. And in a recent lab study using an artificial gut, alginate interfered with a key enzyme responsible for breaking down dietary fat. The likely result in a real gut? The undigested fat would just pass right through and get expelled, which means fewer fat calories to use or store. Another small study using alginate-spiked drinks provides additional evidence of the fat-blocking effect. In that study, getting just 1.5 grams per day of alginate fiber caused a reduction in calorie intake over the course of a week. ...