Hot Sauce, Fight Fighters

Forget bland condiments. If you want to burn fat, spice things up. In a study of 36 men and women, Australian researchers found that following a spicy meal, levels of insulin--the hormone that triggers body fat storage were lowered by as much as 32%. One theory: Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chiles their fire, may improve the body's ability to clear insulin from the bloodstream after you eat, so you're more likely to burn fat following a meal spiked with chile peppers than after one that isn't packing heat.