Air fryers are all the hype at the moment and have been for a while, especially among those who are trying to improve their health, build better eating habits and perhaps help you lose belly fat or lose weight in general.
But is it really that simple and can air fryer help you lose belly fat for real or is it just an overrated tool to take up your kitchen bench space?
Let’s look into the ways how air fryers can help you lose belly fat first and then we can debunk the myths about it.
PROS OF AN AIR FRYER FOR A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE.
1. Air fryer can help reduce fat content in food when cooking.
Just like the oven, if you place your protein like chicken or meat on a rack with gaps or holes underneath, some of the fat will drip off into the drip tray, which means it will remove some of the fat as opposed to if you were just cooking chicken pieces in a dish with sauce with skin on and eat the entire contents of the dish prepared with sauce.
But keep in mind, only some of the fat will drip off, and a fair amount will remain in the food. So, if you are someone who likes to track your calories and macros, I would track the protein source as per normal and no discount for the fat that dripped off. Firstly, it would be too difficult to determine how much fat actually dripped off and secondly if you are trying to lose weight then it’s best to overestimate the calories.
2. Cooking with an air fryer is quicker and more convenient than in the oven or on the stovetop.
This is a big deal when it comes to jumping on a weight loss journey because being able to prepare food quickly and easily makes dieting more appealing. Meal prepping is half the battle when it comes to weight loss, especially for time-poor mums and dads or people who work long hours. Often, we will end up opting for fast options and takeaway meals because we are too tired to cook.
Cooking with an air fryer isn’t as quick and easy as ordering Uber Eats of course, but it still beats having to cook with all the pots and pans.
These days it’s so easy to grab an already marinated lean pork or lamp roast or chicken from Woolworths or ALDI and stick it into the air fryer. Without the hustle of cleaning up the entire kitchen after cooking. Yes, you can do the same in a conventional oven, but the beauty of an air fryer is it is cooked in half the time and easier to clean. You can even throw the air fryer basket in the dishwasher.
When things are easier, you are more likely to do it often. And consistency is key when it comes to losing belly fat.
3. Cooking with an air fryer can make food taste great.
An air fryer is great for making things crispy while leaving them moist and juicy on the inside, but only if you don’t overcook the food.
You will need to play around with settings and trial and error different recipes to see what works best. And definitely bear in mind if you are used to cooking things in the oven, the time of preparing food in the air fryer is about half for most foods so at the start be very careful and keep an eye on it.
You can cook steak in the air fryer, but stay close to it for the first few times and keep checking until you fine-tune the time that is right for how you like your steak or meat. If you are like me and prefer your red meats medium-rare then stay close by and set the fryer timer to only around 10 mins max. I found setting in on high, but for a very short time is the best way to make things crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
4. You can put frozen foods into an air fryer without thawing them out first.
How often have you forgotten to take the meat out of the freezer for dinner?
I have done it many times, sure you can use defrost function in the microwave, but I found that the edges end up being cooked while the centre is still frozen leaving the food tasting awful as it’s never evenly defrosted with a microwave.
With an air fryer, there is no need to defrost the food, you can put the pieces in as they are as long as they are separated, the same with frozen vegetables. Air fryer will dry out the excess water from defrosting as it starts to cook the food and crisp up the outer layer.
I don’t recommend placing a whole chicken or a large chunk of meat in the air fryer frozen solid, because it will take longer to cook it through, but if you have the time then it’s not an issue it will do the job. You may need to set the air fryer not too high then so it doesn’t burn the outer layer before cooking through the inside. You can always crank it up later.
Frozen fries, veggies, chicken pieces, and meatballs are all fine to put in the air fryer as long as they are not stuck together in a big clump.
If you need to season the food, first set the air fryer to allow the food to defrost and before it actually starts to cook, take the food out and season it, then place it back into the air fryer to finish cooking.
5. You can cook multiple things at once depending on the air fryer type.
Don’t cut yourself short when buying an air fryer, many people don’t know that there are quite a few different types. I sure didn’t when I was just starting to search for one. After doing extensive research and purchasing 2 different types for different purposes I consider myself an air fryer expert haha.
I have put a list of different types of air fryers and what they are best used for right here in my 12 Best Air Fryers article. I have explained what each of the different types does and what they are best suited for.
So in short, if you prefer to cook your veggies and protein at the same time to save time, then something like a Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer will be ideal. But be mindful that it’s a little larger than a typical single-zone air fryer is.
Or another great option could be oven style air fryer as you can have multiple trays cooking at the same time, except it doesn’t have a separate setting as Dual Zone does since it’s all cooking in the same space, just different racks.
6. Meal prep or batch cooking is easier with an air fryer.
You might already know that one of the best ways to help you lose belly fat or lose weight, in general, is by preparing healthy food in batches or meal prepping, so food is readily available when it’s meal time even if you are too busy or tired to cook at that moment. Meal prep is the holy grail of bodybuilders, athletes, fitness models, and many personal trainers because they know it’s the secret to staying on track and organised when it comes to getting shredded.
Air fryer for meal prep is fantastic because you can easily cook up a batch of protein, a batch of vegetables and any other sides and portion things out into meal prep containers if you work away from home or want to be super organised, or simply have big batches of things ready so you can put a protein salad, wrap or a meal together quickly for yourself and family.
7. Cooking healthy for the family can be easy and tasty.
Cooking healthy meals for the family is a bit quicker since you can just add your family’s favourite protein into the air fryer like rissoles, whole marinated chicken or chicken portions, lasagne, fish, and frozen fries. My tip is always to keep some things in the freezer that are already marinated and seasoned for those nights when you don’t really have the energy to be super creative and clean the kitchen.
8. It can save you money.
Aside from cooking at home, the other popular way to be organised with food when it comes to fat loss is by buying ready-made meals like Youfoods, Macros, or Weight Watchers. But this can end up being costly as ready-made meals can range anywhere between $13-25 per meal and often the cheaper ones are very small from experience.
So meal prepping your own meals with an air fryer can save you some of your hard-earned money. And because it can save you time and make things easier in the kitchen you might be more enticed to cook healthy homemade meals.
CONS OF AIR FRYERS.
1. Cooking with an air fryer won’t automatically make you lose fat.
Although cooking with an air fryer can be a healthier alternative than deep frying things in oil on a frying pan, this doesn’t mean that all foods become magically healthy in an air fryer.
At the end of the day, it all depends on what you choose to cook in it obviously. If you decide to cook things like frozen fish fingers, chicken nuggets and chips then an air fryer may not be very helpful in terms of fat loss, so choosing unprocessed or minimally processed leaner sources of protein or vegetables without batter or unhealthy oils is best.
But this doesn’t mean you can’t use your air fryer for lean meal prep for yourself as well as some cheeky nuggets for the kids sometimes. But of course, air frying your chips and nuggets will be a much better option than deep frying them in oil.
2. It can take up a fair bit of kitchen bench space.
If you opt for a dual zone or oven-style air fryer to be able to prepare food for a family or meal prep your healthy meals ahead then be prepared that you will need to plan where to put it, those can be quite bulky. So always check measurements if possible and measure your kitchen bench space to make sure it will fit ok.
3. Oil is still needed for vegetables to have a good texture.
Air frying vegetables without any oil at all is not going to make them very crispy, adding a light spray or coat of good quality oil is how you can achieve that great crispy texture.
Bear in mind if you are tracking calories don’t neglect to factor in the fats you will use to cook the food with.
4. If you like crispy skin barra or salmon, an air fryer isn’t the best option.
Although you can make the skin on your salmon somewhat crispy by placing the skin side up, it won’t be the same as having that skin down on a hot frying pan. This is my personal annoyance with that because I love my crispy skin barra and salmon.
5. Poor quality air fryers can wear out fast and become a pain rather than a convenience.
Although some great smaller air fryers can come in at around $100, be aware that some cheap ones can be of poor quality. There is only a handful of good quality budget-friendly air fryers out there. Check out my list of recommended air fryers right here, I listed them from small to large family-friendly types. And picked 12 air fryers that have the highest ratings and reviews on multiple Australian websites.
The coating on the inside of the air fryer basket can flake off and contaminate food so beware of the brands you choose and always check reviews thoroughly.
Bottom line is, an air fryer can definitely assist in helping you lose belly fat, and overall body fat percentage, build healthier eating habits for yourself and your family, and possibly even help increase protein intake, but it’s not a magic tool, it still comes down to what you cook in the air fryer and if you are making the most of it or just using it from time to time and still ordering a lot of take away food in between.
Getting your hands on some good healthy recipes is a good start when it comes to using an air fryer for the health benefits it can offer. When it comes to losing belly fat you need to look at the big picture, the overall lifestyle, and your diet 7 days a week.
