Foods That Can Help You to Boost Your Metabolism

Exercising and correct diet is like two wheels of a bicycle. Without any one of them, it will take longer to reach your fitness goal or you may not reach there at all.

This is why often your personal trainers ask you to follow a strict diet along with proper exercising. Unlike one might think dieting is not about eating less. And so, dieticians and personal trainers would ask you to eat foods that increase your metabolism.

Your metabolism is what helps you absorb nutrients from the food you eat to help your body stay healthy and fit. To do so, it uses the calories stored in your body and converts them into the energy required to digest the food. When your metabolism is low, it shows on your body as it loses muscles. And that happens when you do not eat enough food every day.

The thyroid gland present in the throat of the human body is responsible for regulating metabolism. Hence, it is important to keep it healthy and well-functioning.

There are various ways to increase your metabolism rate however, in this blog, we will focus on foods that you can eat to increase your metabolism rate.

Foods that increase your metabolism

Eating foods automatically triggers your metabolism. When you don’t eat enough food, your body realizes that it needs to work slower and so it decreases the rate of metabolism which may lead to fatigue and loss of body muscles.

Protect your body muscles with these foods.

Proteins

Proteins take longer to breakdown. Therefore, eating foods rich in protein in smaller amounts can make you feel satiated for longer and curb any untimely hunger pangs.

Food containing a good amount of protein increases your metabolism rate because of that same reason. As it takes longer to breakdown, your body needs a higher amount of energy to digest protein-rich food. So, more calories are burned as the metabolism rate increases.

When the protein content of your food is higher, your metabolism rate automatically increases. Proteins can increase your metabolism rate as high as 15-30%.

Foods rich in protein are:

·         Lean meat

·         Soy protein

·         Seeds, nuts, and legumes

·         Fatty fish

·         Eggs

·         Dairy products

Complex Carbs

Normal carbs found in junk foods like burgers and pizzas are unhealthy for your body. However, complex carbs are long and complex chains of sugar molecules that take more time to digest.

Similar to proteins, complex carbs also take longer to breakdown, so you eat less and feel more sated for longer. As it takes longer to breakdown complex carbs, your body needs to produce more energy and so your metabolism rate increases.

While normally processed carbs are not too healthy for your body, complex carbs work to give your body the required amount of carbohydrates while keeping you from eating extra calories.

Foods rich in complex carbs are:

·         Brown rice

·         Quinoa

·         Oats

·         Buckwheat

·         Millet

·         Wheat

Spices

Chili pepper and ginger are two spices known to increase your metabolism. These spices are not only good to make your meals tasty but they have some amazing health effects on your body as well.

The capsaicin found in the chili pepper increases the breakdown of fat to release energy in your body reducing the amount of stored fat (fat oxidation). It, further, does not allow fat to accumulate for longer.

Whereas, ginger helps in reducing weight and glucose levels while empty stomach (fasting glucose levels). It also has anti-inflammatory properties that relieve your stomach of any inflammation.

Minerals

Iron, selenium, iodine, and zinc are known to increase your energy levels. Naturally, they do so by increasing your metabolism rate.

These minerals are very important for maintaining the health of the thyroid gland. As mentioned earlier, the thyroid gland is responsible for the regulation of your metabolic rate.

The thyroid hormone created from the iodine in your blood helps to promote a faster metabolism. Zinc makes sure that the fat or lipid and glucose are broken down properly.

Foods rich in these minerals are:

·         Nuts

·         Green leafy vegetables

·         Seafood

·         Dairy products

·         Seeds

·         Iodized salt

·         Dried fruits

·         Cereals

·         Legumes

Caffeine

It may come off as a surprise for most but caffeine, in moderate amounts, does help you in increasing your metabolism. Caffeine is known to stimulate the expenditure of energy. It is why you feel refreshed after drinking a cup of coffee or tea.

Due to increased energy expenditure, your metabolism is made to work faster thus increasing your metabolic rate. Furthermore, caffeine also helps you relieve the post exercising soreness.

Foods and drinks rich in caffeine are:

·         Coffee

·         Oolong tea

·         Green tea

·         Cacao beans

·         Energy drinks (sugar-free ones should be preferred)

With these foods, you can ensure to have a high metabolism rate. However, eating the right foods should not be the only way to increase your metabolism. Exercising regularly can also help in boosting your metabolism. If you are someone with a tight schedule, squeeze in a gym appointment to stay healthy.

Conclusion

To have a healthy and fit body, it is important to have a healthy metabolism that allows you to process the food that you eat and release the nutrients into your blood. Higher metabolism promotes better body weight.

You can increase your metabolism by regularly exercising and eating a healthy diet. In this blog, we discussed foods that promote a higher metabolism rate. These groups of food are:

·         Protein

·         Complex carbs

·         Spices

·         Minerals and

·         Caffeine

So, make sure that you eat healthy amounts of these foods. We would advise you to talk to your dietician or fitness trainer before starting any diet. They would know what your current fitness status is and accordingly make you a diet chart.

If you are not in touch with any dietician or fitness trainer, join a gym or a fitness center. Gyms usually allow you a free session with fitness trainers. Use that time to get a personalized diet plan and use it wisely.

What do you do to increase your metabolism? Share your tips in the comments section below and stay tuned for more blog articles like this.