foods speed up a slow metabolism
  • Top 7 Foods to Speed Up A Slow Metabolism

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Some foods have the ability to speed up metabolism. The faster your metabolism, the faster you burn calories. What’s better is that you can maintain an ideal body weight and get rid of excess fat.

It is important that you include a healthy mix of veggies and fruits into your meal plans.

Here are 7 foods that speed up your metabolism and can help you lose weight.

Foods Rich in Iron, Zinc, and Selenium

For your body to function properly, it requires certain levels of iron, zinc, and selenium. Each may play a different role as per their characteristics.

However, one thing common in them is that they all work together to maintain the function of the thyroid gland which balances your metabolism.

According to research, a diet low on iron, zinc, and selenium enables the thyroid gland to produce the right amount of hormones. This further lowers the metabolism, causing complications in the body.

To improve the thyroid function, add iron, zinc, and selenium in your diet. Consume foods like; pulses, seafood, meat, nuts and dry fruits in your daily meals.

Foods Rich in Protein

Protein-rich foods such as dairy products, legumes, eggs, nuts, and seeds fasten up your metabolism for a couple of hours. This is done so your body can utilize more energy to digest them. This process is generally known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). TEF indicates the number of calories required by your body to digest, consume and process the proteins and nutrients in your food.

As per research, food rich in protein significantly increases the TEF. It increases the metabolic rate by 20-30 percent, as compared to 5-10 percent for carbohydrates and 0-4 percent for fats.

Adding protein to your diet also keeps you full for longer and prevents overeating. To know whether your diet plan contains the right amount of protein, contact a licensed nutritionist using the best telehealth software system.

Chili Peppers

A special chemical found in chili peppers, called Capsaicin, rapidly boosts your metabolism by increasing the number of calories and the amount of fat you may burn.

A summary of 20 studies reveals Capsaicin enables your body to burn 50 calories extra each day. However, this is effective only when you consume 130-150 mg of Capsaicin daily. But according to some reports, doses as low as 9-10 mg per day also prove to be effective. Apart from that, Capsaicin is also known for reducing your appetite.

Consuming 2 mg of Capsaicin daily before each meal reduces the number of calories you intake in form of carbs.

Pulses and Legumes

Pulses like; peas, nuts, lentils, chickpeas, and beans are rich in protein as compared to other plant foods.

Research suggests protein-rich foods burn more calories in comparison to foods with low protein content.

A good amount of dietary fiber, such as, resistant starch good soluble fiber is present in legumes, which your body utilizes to feed the good bacteria residing in the intestines.

As a reaction, these good bacteria, release short-chain fatty acids, which enables your body to use stored fat as energy and balance the normal blood sugar levels.

A research conducted on 76 individuals, who consumed legumes and pulses diet for 8 straight weeks, concluded that they experienced productive changes in their metabolism and lost 2 times more weight than the rest.

Another active amino acid, arginine is also found in excess quantity in legumes. It increases the speed at which your body burns carbs and fats.

Additionally, chickpeas, peas, and lentils contain a reasonable amount of glutamine which improves the digestion process by burning extra calories.

Spices that Boost Metabolism

Some specific spices are known for their metabolism boosting properties.

Drinking water is beneficial but you can avail more benefits by dissolving 2 grams of ginger powder and drinking it with every meal. This burns up to 45 percent more calories than drinking only water.

The warm ginger water reduces hunger and heals any internal wounds or ulcers you might have. Another spice from the ginger family, called grains of paradise may have similar effects too.

Researchers proved that subjects give a 40mg dose of a grain of paradise lost 44 more calories than those given a placebo.

Cayenne pepper has even better results. Adding some amount to your meals may increase the number of calories your body burns, especially after a heavy meal. However, this technique may only apply to those people who are not accustomed to eating spicy foods.

Coffee

Ever wondered why the cure to a bad hangover is always a cup of good coffee? That’s because the caffeine content can increase your metabolism by 11 percent.

A regular coffee drinker who consume 270 or more mg of caffeine daily, burn an extra 150 calories per day.

But, the results may vary depending on every person’s body type, weight, and characteristics.

Tea

Caffeine is also found in tea, but when combined with catechins, it boosts and improves the functions of metabolism.

Green tea and oolong tea are known for burning an extra 100 calories each day while boosting the metabolism by 4 to 10 percent. However, just like coffee, the results may vary from person to person.

James Crook

By James Crook
who is a passionate health and fitness blogger. Currently, he is working with Centra Care – Urgent Care Leesburg facility.

Member since August, 2018
View all the articles of James Crook.

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