FOODS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
Doctors and nutritionists understand that metabolism is primarily out of our hands considering the fact that it is affected by factors like genes, height, and age. However, they know some ways to boost the energy consumption of the body and increase metabolism. There are two significant ways to boost metabolism with one being exercise and the other is foods.
Certain foods can boost your metabolism. One may ask, "what do I gain from boosting my metabolism?" The more you increase your metabolism, the more you burn calories, and that makes it easier for you to maintain a steady weight and get rid of body fat.
Here are ten foods that can help to boost your metabolism and promote weight loss.
• Protein-Rich Foods
Foods such as legumes, meat, eggs, fish, dairy, nuts, and seeds can help to boost your metabolism for some hours. Protein-rich foods work by tasking the body to utilize more energy to break them down. This is referred to as TEF, that is the thermic effect of food. The TEF is the number of calories the body needs to absorb, process and digest the nutrients contained in your meal. Studies show that foods that are rich in protein increase thermic effect the most. When eaten, protein-rich food increases metabolic rate by 15-30% which is higher than that of carbs and fats at 5–10% for 0–3% respectively. Also, protein-rich foods reduce metabolism drop that is associated with weight loss by helping your body retain their muscle mass.
• Iron, Zinc and Selenium-Rich Foods
Iron, zinc, and selenium play different but essential roles in bodily functions. Though they play different roles in the body, they have one thing in common which is they are required for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland which in turn regulates metabolic activities in the body. Studies have shown that eating foods that is low in selenium, zinc or iron can reduce the ability of the thyroid gland to produce hormones thus slowing down metabolic activities in the body. Since helping the thyroid gland function properly can boost metabolism, eat more of selenium, zinc, and iron-rich foods like nuts, seeds, seafood, meat, and legumes.
• Chili peppers
Chilli pepper contains a chemical called capsaicin which helps to boost metabolism by increasing the amount of fat and calories the body burns. Studies have shown that capsaicin helps the body to burn 50 extra calories daily. Capsaicin may also help to reduce appetite and increase metabolism.
• Coffee
Thanks to the caffeine in coffee, coffee increases metabolic rate by 11%. Six different researches found that people who take 3 cups of coffee or 270 mg of caffeine daily burn 100 extra calories every day. While the effect of coffee or caffeine varies from one individual to the other depending on the age and body weight, caffeine helps the body to use fat for energy.
• Tea
Research shows that the combination of catechins and caffeine present in tea helps to boost metabolism in the body. Notably, green tea and oolong increases metabolism by 4-10% and helps you burn 100 extra calories per day. Also, green tea and oolong helps the body to burn stored fat for energy and increases the fat burning ability of the body by 17%.
• Pulses and Legumes
Pulses and legumes such as peanuts, beans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils are particularly high in protein. Such foods task the body to burn a considerable amount of calories to process and digest them. Also, legumes have a considerable amount of dietary fiber such as soluble fiber or resistant starch which the good bacteria living in the intestines can feed on.
Legumes also have a high content of arginine, an amino acid that increases the amount of fat and carbs the body burns for energy. Also, lentils, faba beans, and peas contain adequate amounts of glutamine, an amino acid that helps to increase the number of calories the body burns during digestion.
Legumes and pulses have high contents of protein, fiber and amino acids which have been confirmed to have metabolism boosting properties.
• Apple Cider Vinegar
A moderate amount of apple cider vinegar helps to promote weight loss and boost metabolism. If you'd like to take apple cider vinegar to boost metabolism, limit your daily intake to two tablespoons (30ml).
• Coconut Oil
The popularity of coconut oil is greatly increasing majorly because it has a high content of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Coconut oil is quite different from other types of fats that contain higher amounts of long chain fatty acids. Once the coconut oil is absorbed in the body, it goes directly to the liver where it is converted to energy. Replacing other fats with a moderate amount of coconut oil can increase metabolism and help the body to eliminate body fat.
• Water
The importance of drinking enough water cannot be overemphasized. Drinking the recommended daily intake of water is a great way to keep the body hydrated. Studies have shown that water may help to boost metabolism by 24- 30% though the effect is short-lived that is the effect lasts only for 60-90 minutes.
• Seaweed
Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine, a mineral that aids the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland performs some functions in the body, and one of them is to regulate metabolism in the body.
Regular consumption of seaweed can help to up your iodine intake thus keeping your metabolism at a high rate. For adults, the recommended daily intake of iodine is 150mcg. You can meet up with this recommended intake by eating several servings of seaweed per week. Take note that some types of seaweed like kelp have high contents of iodine. As such, they should be eaten with caution and should not be eaten in large amounts.
It has been established that certain foods can help to boost metabolism. When consumed on a regular basis, these foods will boost your metabolism and also promote long term weight loss.
