METABOLISM - Foods That Increase Metabolism

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Foods That Increase Metabolism

Calories DO count but who likes to count them? Altering your food diet will give you the opportunity to increase your metabolism, lose weight and not worry about

calories. To put it simply, if you increase your physical activity (exercise) and decrease your calories you will lose weight.

Certain foods take more energy for your body to process and digest than others. And anything that takes more energy for your body to do automatically increases your metabolism, because the body is uses calories for energy. So the increased energy needs for digestion are found in the form of calories in the body.

Protein is one form of food that the body spends more energy digesting and processing inside your body. In fact, sometimes it can take over 24 hours for your body to digest one protein rich meal. That's twenty four hours of ongoing work and energy expenditure. Compare this to a meal which is very high in simple carbohydrates and starches, which your body might only need a few hours to digest, and you'll start seeing the differences in how the foods you eat can boost your body's metabolism.

Foods high in fiber are also foods which your body must work harder at digesting and processing. This is why fruits and vegetables, particularly raw ones, help boost your metabolism. Your body must work hard to extract the vitamins and nutrition from the fiber substance of those foods, so it's spending more energy in the form of calories to do so.

Some people even believe there are foods you can eat which will take more energy for your body to digest than the food contains in calories to begin with. Celery for instance, or raw broccoli, are said to take more calories for your body to digest than those foods actually contain. These are often referred to as negative calorie foods.

Now the other way food can help boost your metabolism is by adjusting both the timing and amounts of foods you eat at once. When you eat a large meal all at once, you often find yourself tired soon after. This is because your body has so much work to do with digesting all that food, that it doesn't have the energy to maintain other things as well.

So, by simply reducing the amount of foods you eat in one sitting, but increasing the number of times you eat throughout the day, you can boost your body's metabolism and keep your energy levels up at the same time. Instead of eating two or three large meals a day for instance, try eating small meals or snacks five or six times a day instead.

Instead of having a full sandwich at lunchtime for instance, try eating just half the sandwich around noon, then the other half around 3pm. Alternatively, have your whole sandwich at noon if you're hungry, then eat a spoonful of peanut butter a few hours later. You can have your peanut butter with an apple slice or celery stick if you want too, or you can have a handful of nuts and raisins instead of peanut butter.

The point is: Work in some smaller protein and fiber rich snacks through the day, and try not to eat such big meals all in one sitting.

Food Tips

Changing your eating habits can be very difficult. We are creatures of habit.

1. Add more protein. You can have a spoon of peanut butter as a snack, or spread peanut butter on celery or apples. Peanut butter is very high in protein and will help you feel satiated for longer too.

2. If you don't like peanut butter, or it's not convenient to have at certain times of the day, try a handful or two of mixed nuts or trail mix instead. Nuts are very high in protein, so they make a wonderful snack which will force your body to work at processing them, while also helping you to feel full longer.

3. Put some meat and cheese in your salad. Instead of eating just a low calorie vegetable salad for a meal, mix in a bit of protein for a more balanced meal which will boost your metabolism and keep you from feeling hungry longer too. Creating a "sandwich salad" is an excellent approach. Simply create a salad with meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and any other sandwich toppings you might like, and leave out the bread.

4. Try different types of salads. Many people feel like salads are "rabbit food", and they complain it doesn't fill them up or keep them from getting hungry again soon. This problem is caused by making the salads wrong first of all. You need to add some chicken, ham, or other quality protein to your salads regularly. You should also add cheese because it provides both protein and fats, both of which help boost your metabolism and help keep you from feeling hungry longer.

The other salad tip though, is to try new things. Put in some raw broccoli, cauliflower and carrot strips for instance. Maybe mix tuna into a regular salad, and add some boiled eggs too. Try a shrimp or lobster salad if you like seafood, and don't forget to try oriental style salads, and southwestern style salads too. A taco salad for instance, is a wonderful hearty and healthy meal that can keep you full for many hours.

5. It's ok to eat meat for breakfast. You don't have to have cereal, toast or muffins only. In fact, those are some of the worst food choices to start your day with. Try something with more protein such as eggs or left over grilled chicken. If you want something lighter to start the day with, try fruit with yogurt or cottage cheese.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

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