Before we begin today, I’d like to tell you there is one week left to sign up for a free one-on-one fitness/nutrition consultation during January and February. Just email me to sign up. Also, as I usually do at the start of each year, I will be taking on a few new clients. This will have to be on a first come, first served basis.

Okay, we all know we can’t become thin just by taking a pill. If we could, no one would be fat. There are, however, nutrients that not only make us healthier, but help us lose body fat. Today we’ll cover four: fiber, calcium, omega-3, and vitamin B12.

Fiber is a great addition to our diets, because high-fiber foods are nutrient-rich and filling, yet low in calories. According to a University of Minnesota study, folks who stuck to a high fiber diet lost two to three pounds more per month than those who ate a low calorie, low fiber diet.

Fiber is the indigestible part of plants. In the stomach, fiber absorbs water, then swells, thereby helping you feel full. As fiber moves into the intestines, it absorbs water too, and speeds up the passage of materials through the digestive tract, preventing constipation.

Good sources of fiber include apples (with the peel), oat bran, whole grain breads, brown rice, carrots, pears, beans, and artichokes. I recommend women get 25 grams of fiber a day and men 38 grams.

Scientists aren’t sure how calcium helps burn fat, but research at the University of Tennessee found that obese individuals who went on a low calorie diet that contained three servings of calcium-rich foods lost 70 percent more weight than those on low calorie diets who ate just one serving of calcium rich foods each day.

Good sources of calcium include fat-free milk, spinach, kale, broccoli and white beans. If you prefer to take calcium supplements, I recommend 1,200-1,500 mg a day. If the form of calcium you choose is calcium carbonate, take with food for proper absorption. If you choose calcium citrate, take on an empty stomach. Coral calcium’s form is that of calcium carbonate. Choose one form of calcium, not both. 

With omega-3s, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who ate a balanced diet, including omega-3s, lost one more pound of torso body fat than women on the same eating plan, minus the omega-3. Omega-3s help slow your rate of digestion, helping you feel fuller, longer. This helps you take in fewer calories.

Omega-3 fatty acids also reduce inflammation, a huge contributor to body fat gain, as well as diabetes. Good sources of omega-3s include enriched eggs, tofu, shrimp, walnuts, salmon, tuna, fish oil, krill oil and flax seed oil. 

Vitamin B12 helps reduce fat by boosting metabolism. It helps convert proteins and fats into energy, and works with folic acid to produce red blood cells that carry oxygen from our lungs throughout our body. Without adequate amounts of vitamin B12, red blood cells can’t carry oxygen efficiently, resulting in lowered metabolism and energy levels. This problem not only increases fat levels, but also leads to other health problems. Good sources of vitamin B12 include nutritional yeast, B12 fortified dairy and eggs, sardines, salmon, and tuna.

Careful if you take a B12 supplement. Taking too much of any B vitamin (including B12), without other B vitamins present, will rob your body of its other B vitamins like B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), and B9 (foic acid).

If you add any single B vitamin to your supplement regimen, I recommend you also take either a multivitamin mineral supplement containing all B vitamins or add a B-complex supplement. Oral B12 supplements don’t always absorb well, that’s why vitamin B12 sublingual, taken under the tongue, and B12 injection supplements are available.

Diet or exercise question? Email me at dwcrocker77@gmail.com. David Crocker of Landrum has been a nutritionist and master personal trainer for 29 years. He served as director of the strength department of the Spartanburg Y.M.C.A., head strength coach for the USC Upstate baseball team, the S.C. state champion girls gymnastic team, and the Converse College equestrian team. He served as a water safety instructor to the United States Marine Corps, lead trainer to L.H. Fields modeling agency, and taught for four semesters at USC Union. David was also a regular guest of the Pam Stone radio show.