If you’re trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight, your metabolism is important. The metabolism controls how quickly you burn energy from food. Although the rate of your metabolism is largely dictated by genetics, your lean muscle mass and the foods you eat play a part too. Below, we explore the foods that are proven to speed up your metabolism.
Eating protein
As a general rule, foods that are rich in protein can quicken your metabolism. A meal high in protein will often give your metabolism a short-term burst. On top of this, meals that are high in protein, fibre and healthy fats can help fill you up and reduce your appetite after eating.
Drinking cold water
To lay the foundations for a quicker metabolism, you should also get into the habit of drinking cold water. For a start, the process of your body taking in cold water and heating it up to body temperature can burn calories and improve your resting metabolism rate. On top of this, drinking water can help lower your appetite before a meal.
Foods to eat
Avocados are excellent for taking in healthy, natural fats which help fill you up. Alternatively, you could try tempeh: these fermented soy beans are high in protein and fat while also boosting gut health. Similarly, beans and whole grains are full of fibre that help fill you up quickly in a healthy manner. If you’re looking for something a little more interesting, then chilli peppers could be an option – studies show that compounds in spicy food can help quicken your metabolism.
Foods to avoid
Refined grains – i.e. white bread – are ones to avoid. These offer you empty calories and do little to fill you up, meaning that you eat more. In general, you should be careful about the carbs you eat as they follow a similar trend. It’s also worth being careful about alcohol. Alcoholic drinks are high in calories and can lead to you making poor food decisions.
For most people, a combination of different approaches work when they’re trying to lose weight. You can begin by exercising more and eating healthier food that also increases your metabolism. When you reach your weight goal, you can even opt for a tummy tuck to sort out loose skin and give you your dream appearance.
