Foods That Speed Up and Increase Your Metabolism
Most people know that a faster metabolism translates into a slender waistline and that when you are dieting, increasing your metabolism rate is the fastest way to lose weight.
However, a number of people go about dieting in all the wrong way and end up slowing down their metabolism to a snail’s pace. This makes losing weight impossible.
If you are trying to lose weight without any results, there may be a surprising answer – you are not eating enough! The answer may be to eat more, but not just any foods. There are certain foods you can eat that will make your metabolism spped up into high gear and cause you to start losing weight.
The key to weight loss is making sure your metabolism not only doesn’t go into starvation mode but also that it has food that it has to work to break down. Eating a small meal every few hours tells your metabolism that it doesn’t have to worry about storage and to start burning fat. But what you eat matters.
Sugars will make your metabolism kick into overdrive and then crash down into starvation mode, leaving you hungry and your body converting the food you do eat to fat. On the other hand, complex carbs, like whole grain bread and pasta, and especially fruits and vegetables, give your metabolism a steady boost because your body has to work to break them down. Protein is less effective than carbs in speeding up your metabolism, but it helps build muscle, which in turn revs your metabolism.
Metabolism boosting food number one is red pepper. Your body has to work harder to break down any highly spiced food, but hot red peppers really get your metabolism moving because they increase your internal temperature. There are some studies that have shown an increase in metabolism by about 20% for a period of 30 minutes when hot pepper or very spicy foods are consumed.
You can sprinkle crushed red peppers on your food, spike your favorite meals with hot sauce or add sliced red chili peppers to stir fries – anything to add a little spicy flavor to your food. Beware, however: while it is true that adding red pepper to fatty foods increases your body’s ability to burn those calories, you should think adding a dash of hot sauce gives you free reign to eat whatever you like. Calories still count; the red pepper is only a boost.
Another substance that has shown promise in boosting the metabolism is green tea. A material in green tea called EGCG has been shown in laboratory studies to be effective in raising metabolic rate, and when drinking green tea, you can an extra little boost from the caffeine as well.
Many diet pill manufacturers have taken to putting EGCG in their diet aids, but you can get a better effect from drinking the tea instead.
Green tea is chock full of other healthful properties and won’t give you that jittery feeling that some diet drugs can. A study showed that males who consumed 90 milligrams of EGCG along with 50 milligrams of caffeine with meals were able to boost their metabolisms over a 24 hour by 4%.
Look for so called “negative calorie” foods. These foods take so much energy for your body to digest that you actually end up in a calorie deficit after eating them. In other words, when you eat these foods, not only do the calories not count, but you actually burn up more
calories than were in the food itself. It’s like exercising by eating! Negative calories foods are naturally low in calories and high in fiber, like carrots, blueberries, apples, asparagus and grapefruit.
Foods that speed up metabolism include skinless chicken breast, fish, fat-free cheese and green vegetables. You can also use olive oil, turkey bacon, tenderloin and tofu.
Some vegetables like zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, beans, broccoli, asparagus, artichokes celery and cauliflower can also boost your metabolism.
You can increase your metabolism and fat burning when you exercise early in the morning before eating breakfast. You can also boost your metabolism by drinking cold water and by eating frequent smaller meals throughout the day at 3 or 4-hour intervals instead of eating 3 large meals.
Your metabolism slows while you sleep because the demand for energy is low so when you wake you need to rev up the metabolic rate by eating breakfast. Making sure that you have a lean protein as part of your breakfast will help to build muscle mass and muscles also increase your metabolism.
The two biggest causes of slow metabolism are skipping meals and inactivity.
It is also vital that besides eating the right foods to boost metabolism that you drink lots of water. Water will flush out toxins in your body. Toxins can hinder metabolism, so flushing them out by drinking water will help to increase your metabolism.
For years, people have said that caffeine can speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight, but is it really true? Could your cup of coffee hold the key to your weight loss triumph?
As it turns out, the answer is maybe, just a little bit. There is evidence that caffeine does increase the rate of your metabolism in the short term. When it is in your blood stream, caffeine tends to keep fatty enzyme in your blood for longer, which causes your metabolism to burn them instead of storing them. Plus, the caffeine itself is a stimulant, which by its nature speeds up your metabolism. A cup of coffee many indeed help you burn some extra calories.
Just keep in mind that the effects of caffeine on your metabolism are short lived. Once the caffeine is out of your body, your metabolism returns to a normal pace.