Your metabolism is vital for your weight loss efforts, as a slow metabolic rate can leave you feeling depressed, lethargic and stressed.
A faster metabolism can do the opposite, and as a fast metabolism can lead to more calories being burnt it is an essential method to help you reach your weight loss goals.
When it comes to your metabolism, your diet is most important, but what can you eat? Here are some of the best metabolism-boosting and calorie-burning foods available.
1: Apples
Apples are a good source of fibre, essential vitamins and other goodies that can help boost your metabolism.
A study conducted at the State University of Rio de Janeiro found that women who consumed 3 apples daily were able to lose more weight than those who didn’t.
2: Avocado
To help boost your metabolism, eating an avocado will help.
These contain monounsaturated fats that can help boost metabolism, while their antioxidants offer numerous other benefits, including increased energy levels and an improvement in your overall health.
3: Brazil Nuts
They contain the mineral selenium that can help your thyroid gland to regulate the T3 and T4 hormones that help regulate your metabolism.
You only need to consume a single nut daily to experience the full benefits.
4: Breakfast
Skipping breakfast is not good for your metabolism, you need it to kick-start your metabolism.
Opt for a healthy dose of both protein and fibre for maximum benefits.
5: Chilly Peppers
They contain a compound called capsaicin that when consumed will cause your internal body temperature to increase.
This process is called thermogenesis and will also cause an increase in your metabolism, resulting in more calories being burnt.
6: Chocolate
While eating a whole bar of chocolate is not something we would recommend, the odd square won’t harm and could actually help boost your metabolism.
Chocolate has been shown to reduce stress, which is good as stress can increase cortisol levels within your body that in turn can lower your metabolic rate.
7: Citrus Fruits
It could be because of its vitamin C content or its fibre content, but either way citrus fruits like grapefruit and oranges have been shown to boost metabolism.
8: Coffee
Unsurprisingly, coffee can raise your metabolism. One study showing it could boost your metabolism by up to 5%.
The reason for this is because caffeine is a stimulant. Just make sure to avoid adding sugar, milk, and cream to avoid any unnecessary calories.
9: Edamame
Edamame contains both protein and magnesium that are essential for a working metabolism.
This ingredient can be added to numerous dishes, can be roasted, steamed or eaten when dried out.
10: Eggs
As long as you avoid fried eggs then eggs should be a staple of your diet.
They are full of protein, healthy fats, as well as choline, a compound that can prevent fat storage, while also boosting metabolism.
I would recommend eating an egg or two every breakfast to give your metabolism a much needed boost.
11: Full-Fat Cheese
Fat is not bad for you, however bad fats are.
Full-fat cheese offers calcium, vitamin D, protein, and various healthy fats that can help keep your thyroid working as it should, which will keep your metabolism from slowing.
12: Greek Yoghurt
This contains vitamin D that can help protect your thyroid from disease that could potentially lower your metabolism.
13: Kefir
Kefir is a type of yoghurt that is full of probiotics.
Consuming this can aid your digestion and help balance your own gut bacteria, which can help to regulate your metabolic rate.
14: Lean Meat
Lean meats such as chicken and turkey can help keep your metabolism up because they are full of nutrients such as iron and protein.
They also contain amino acids that can help repair and build damaged cells within your body.
15: Lentils
Your body and therefore your metabolism needs iron to function properly, luckily consuming lentils can help as it is full of this essential nutrient.
16: Milk
Calcium, which milk is full of can help boost your metabolism so make sure you get some of it into your diet.
17: Olive Oil
Not only can olive oil boost your metabolism, but its healthy fats can help absorb the nutrients from food, which can increase your brain health and longevity.
18: Pasta
You may think that if you are on a diet that you should avoid pasta, but this is not true.
Pasta could actually aid your diet, as long as you stick to the whole wheat varieties.
Whole grains can help stabilize your hormone levels and blood sugar, which can help keep your metabolism working as it should.
19: Protein Powder
If you need that little extra protein in your diet then protein powder is an easy option.
Extra protein can help keep your metabolism high, helping to burn off a few extra daily calories.
20: Salmon
Leptin is a hormone that is produced by your body, unfortunately it can slow down your metabolism.
Luckily salmon can help, as it contains omega-3 that can help reduce the amount of leptin your body can produce.
The healthy fats found in salmon can also help keep you satiated and will stave off any hunger.
21: Seeds
Another source of healthy fats are seeds. Chia seeds and sunflower seeds are two options, but there are many more.
22: Shellfish
Shellfish like scallops, oysters and shrimp all contain 2 metabolism boosting nutrients; zinc and iron.
They are also a good source of protein, which offers numerous metabolism boosting benefits.
23: Snack foods
This does not mean junk food, but to keep your metabolism working between meals then a healthy snack could help.
There are plenty of options in this list, but I would recommend something small like fresh fruit, nuts or seeds. You do not want to go overboard with your snacks, as even healthy foods contain calories.
24: Spices
Spices can help boost your metabolism so think about adding some of the following to your meals:
- Cinnamon
- Cayenne
- Garlic
25: Spinach
Our final metabolism boosting food is spinach, which is full of calcium, zinc and iron that can all help speed up your metabolism.
How many of these foods do you currently eat? I would suggest that if you want to lose weight then you start adding a few more from this list.