Foods to Rev up Your Metabolism

Now anything from your activity level and age to your hormone levels and genetics can affect your metabolism. Obviously, all of these factors are not under your control, but if you do your homework and manage to understand them more, you can manipulate them.

And fortunately, it’s not only possible to change some of these factors, but it’s also quite easy. So here a couple of foods that can help you improve your fat-burning process and start losing pounds before you even start exercising.

Chewy Foods – Pome Fruits, Nuts, and Lean Meats

Calories found in chewy foods jump-start your metabolism right off the fork. In order to maximize the chewing factor of these nutrients, you should try picking food in its full state. For instance, you should grab a few apples after your lunch for dessert, instead of eating applesauce. And simply because you need to chew longer, you’ll start eating your meals more slowly, which will give your brain more time to register that you’re full.

Hearty Foods – Cereals, Whole Grains and Vegetables

Hearty foods are generally packed with Active Calories, which are full of fiber. And this means that they take up more room in your stomach, which of course, leaves less room for overeating. Also, cereals for example also require a lot of chewing. This will make your mouth worker harder and increase the thermic effect of your food – the calorie-burn bump our body gets from consumption and afterward, digestion of basically any type of food.

Warming Foods – Vinegar, Mustard, and Peppers

If you want to activate your calorie-burning process right after your meal, you only need to add some heat to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Most peppers (even the mild ones, but in reality, the hotter the better) enable your body to burn up to around 100 calories every day, by binding your nerve receptors and send signals to start burning extra fat to your brain. In addition, bay leaves and garlic have a similar effect, and can also help you burn all of that fat away.

Energizing Foods – Dark Chocolates, Green and Black Tea

If you’re not a regular coffee-drinker, or you don’t want to get higher blood pressure (more on that myth in a few moments), you could still start your day with a good old cup of black or green tea. Both of these are full of caffeine, which is a central nervous system stimulant that can boost your metabolism by 8%. The same goes for black chocolate, which is the only desert that will help you, shed a few pounds. But you should stick to one ounce per day, to limit your calories.

Natural Cheats

• Keep a Schedule

Most people these days have busy lifestyles that prevent them from eating regularly. But if you manage to make a schedule, plan your meals upfront and manage to stick to the script, you’ll surely boost your metabolism in a matter of weeks.

• Drink Coffee

For years, people have heard stories about those bad side effects of coffee. Independent researchers have vilified coffee for increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and raising blood pressure. But recently, scientists have concluded that coffee actually does more good than bad for you.

According to a recent study published in the Harvard Journal of Medical Science not only jump-starts your metabolism in the morning and helps you burn more fat throughout the day, but it also doesn’t cause any major health issues. In fact, you can drink up to four cups a day, and you still won’t see any consequences whatsoever.

Final Thoughts

Now, if your main goal is to lose weight, you naturally have to cut some calories. However, if your daily calorie intake is too low, you could potentially shock your metabolism.

Basically, when a person eats less than they need for some basic biological functions (which is around 1,500 calories for most adults); their body throws the breaks on their metabolism. What’s more, it also starts to break down some precious muscle tissue for energy.

According to Dr. Dan Benardot, for the University of Georgia, you should have a small, 150 calorie snack between the three main meals every day, in order to keep your metabolism up and running.