A high metabolism is an essential factor in weight loss success. Eating foods that help your body burn more energy will help you meet your weight loss goals faster.
We’ve put together a quick list to highlight some of the most effective ways to do this. Give a few of these below a try and see if you notice any difference over the next several weeks.
GREEN TEA
Many studies have shown that green tea, a known antioxidant, is a great way to boost your metabolism. It contains the stimulant, caffeine, as well as the chemical, EGCG, which is known to have some cancer fighting properties, effective in fighting belly fat and can help with improving your mood. It is suggested you have 2-4 cups a day to have a measurable effect on your metabolism and a great alternative to coffee.
SPICES
Adding spices to your dishes is another great way to kickstart your metabolism into a high gear. Peppers contain an anti-oxidant, capsaicin, which has been found in extensive studies to speed up your body’s metabolic rate and stimulate certain brain chemicals that make you feel satisfied more quickly. So next time you are preparing a dish, add some spices like chipotle peppers, green chili or cayenne, to give it a kick while boosting your metabolism.
WATER
Not a technically a food, but water is an essential component for any weight loss program to successfully work. Water helps increase your metabolism in these two ways:
1) Dehydration naturally slows down your metabolism and makes it hard for your body, your liver in particular, to process calories correctly, so drinking plenty of water throughout the day will keep you properly hydrated
2) It serves as a natural appetite suppressant when consumed before, during and after meals.
The amount of water you need on a daily basis depends on your weight. A quick and easy way to estimate how much water you should consume each day for maximum benefit is to take your weight and divide in half. The number you come up with is the amount of water in ounces that you should be drinking daily. So, say you are 200 pounds; divide that by 50% and you get 100, which means you should be drinking 100 ounces a day,
GRAPEFRUIT
Grapefruit works to speed up your metabolic rate by lowering the insulin levels our bodies use to determine fat storage. It’s great to have for breakfast, have as a snack during lunch or a glass in between meals.
PLEASE NOTE: Grapefruit is known to negatively interact with some medications so be sure to check with your physician before adding grapefruit to your diet. If you can’t have grapefruit, try adding more vinegar to your diet, as it is known to control insulin levels in similar ways.
YOGURT
Eating yogurt on a regular basis has numerous health benefits, one of which is increasing your metabolism. Yogurt contains a great deal of protein that requires a lot of energy from pour bodies to process. Try having some low fat yogurt (be sure to read the food label as many are very high in calories) for breakfast or as a snack during a break. You’ll also benefit from the probiotic cultures our digestive tracks need to stay healthy.
In addition to those discussed above, here’s an image that includes 11 other foods you might want to try adding to your diet.
Do you know of any other foods that help increase your metabolism that we missed here? Let us know!
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