Foods that Boost Metabolism

Looking for foods to boost your metabolism can be helpful in making sure you’re getting absolutely everything from your body while you’re controlling your weight. These foods aren’t going to make enough of a difference that you’ll see it on the bathroom scale if they’re the only change you make.  However, if you regularly incorporate them into your diet, they can help you to get more out of the healthy lifestyle changes you’re already making to burn calories and body fat as efficiently as possible.

Continue reading to access some helpful information on what metabolism is, and how it’s related to calorie burning for weight loss, and to access a list of foods that boost metabolism so you can make your own slim-down journey a lot easier.

What Difference Does Your Metabolic Rate Make?

One word you may hear a lot about when dieting is the word metabolism. Though some dieters understand what it is, others are not quite sure. They know the higher it is the better things are going to go, but they are not sure how to explain what it is and what it does. Understanding what it is and does, along with how to make it higher while on a diet can be key points of understanding when starting any type of diet program. 

Your metabolism isn’t an organ or a system. Instead, it’s a number of different functions and processes throughout your body that determine the way the energy from your food – in the form of calories – is used.  The higher your metabolic rate, the faster your body blasts through the calories you eat.  This helps to explain why athletes can eat an enormous number of calories and still remain trim, while the average person with a normal metabolic rate would gain body fat from eating those same foods in the same quantities.

Using Foods to Boost Your Metabolism

You must burn calories to lose weight. If you eat the same number of calories that you burn, you remain at the same weight. If you eat more than you burn, you gain. In order to lose, you know you have to eat less. That can be hard if you are not sure what you are doing. Your metabolism regulates how quickly and effectively your body is going to burn calories. If you find ways to rev up your metabolism, you have found a way to burn more each day, thus speeding up your fat burning capability. 

Dieters should think of metabolism as the engine that runs the body. It can be thought of as a furnace through which calories pass through to form energy. If the fire is hotter and faster, those calories are going to burn faster. If the fire is low, it is not going to burn as much, and more is going to be stored away. As you get older, your metabolism will naturally lower, but maybe not as much as you fear. Even so, you can eat some foods to boost your metabolism. It won't be a miracle trick for your diet, but it can help in the long run and will give you more energy as well. 

Different Ingredients Impact Your Body in Varying Ways

Think about lean meats of all types. These take longer to digest and leave you feeling fuller – along with the metabolic boost – because of the protein they contain. Other foods that boost metabolism include those that are high in protein, including many plant-based sources of protein, such as legumes, that boast healthy fiber too. Broccoli is not only good for your metabolism; it is full of fiber as well. This keeps your digestive system moving while keeping you feeling fuller than a low-fiber food.

Also eat fresh fruits like apples and pears, and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Grapefruit is another good food, but don't fall into the trap of eating that and only that each day.  That fad diet will only cause harm to your wellness and your metabolic rate.  Also, look for hot peppers that contain capsaicin.  These are known for giving your body a temporary metabolism boost, provided you can take the heat!

If you’re looking for a number of great accessible, everyday foods you can eat to boost your metabolism, check out the list below.

Best Metabolism Boosting Foods

There are actually a lot of different foods that boost metabolism, so if you want to increase your metabolic rate, it should be your goal to eat more of the foods that will allow you to do just that.

Here is a list of some of the best foods for boosting metabolism:

• Whey Protein
• Raw Almonds
• Green Tea
• Coffee
• Cayenne Pepper
• Curry
• Hot Peppers
• Oats
• Yogurt with Probiotic Cultures
• Beans
• Berries
• Eggs
• Peanut Butter
• Spinach
• Apples
• Turkey and Chicken Breast
• Olive and Canola Oil
• Lean Beef
• Salmon
• Water 

Again, eating these foods won’t automatically cause you to lose weight.  However, these foods can boost your metabolism so that if you’re already eating right, exercising, getting the sleep you need and working on stress control, you’ll get as much as you can out of all those efforts.

Another trick that works well for raising your metabolism is to eat more often through each day. Some have better luck with fat burning when they have six small meals throughout the day rather than just three at the normal times. Digestion naturally raises your metabolism, so the more digesting your body has to do, the higher your rate of burning calories is going to be.