10 foods that speed up metabolism

September 24, 2016January 29, 2017Diet

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Are you fed up of being overweight and not feeling comfortable in your own skin?

Maybe you’re simply looking to drop a few pounds and increase your energy levels in the process? Whatever your feelings and whatever your personal circumstances may be, the thing to remember is that losing weight and achieving your health and fitness goals can indeed be done with the right help and tools at your disposal.

In terms of losing weight and getting into shape, however, experts all over the globe will all agree that it would be wise to start with your diet and nutrition, and then take things from there.

For people looking to lose weight, starvation is not the key, a healthy and balanced diet is.

What many people don’t even realise, is the fact that there are many foods out there that can actually help them to lose body fat, so by consuming them on a regular basis and eating more, they can actually speed up their weight loss.

There are many foods that speed up metabolism, some of which you will know of, and some of which you won’t.

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Here’s a look at a few foods you should eat when trying to lose weight and increase your energy levels in the process.

Blueberries – Blueberries are widely considered to be a super-food, and they are often found on various lists looking at some of the healthiest foods in the world.

What you may not have known, however, is that blueberries are also considered one of the best foods that speed up metabolism, making them ideal for fat loss.

Blueberries are crammed full of hugely beneficial antioxidants, that rid the body of toxins and free radicals.

Free radicals can damage our cells via a process known as oxidation, which can lead to a number of side effects, including weight gain, muscle loss, and a suppressed metabolism.

By ridding the body of these harmful ingredients, however, we are able to speed up our metabolisms and burn off more calories and generate more energy as a result.

What’s more, blueberries are a fruit that is very low in calories as they contain extremely low fructose sugar levels.

Whey protein – Whey protein supplements are incredibly popular amongst bodybuilders all over the globe, and it is easy to understand why.

Whey protein is a supplement that is derived from cow’s milk, and it occurs when the milk separates and begins to turn into cheese.

When this occurs, the milk forms curds, which are the solids, and whey, which is a liquid protein. Here, the whey liquid is processed, filtered, and undergoes various other forms of treatment, until it eventually ends up in powdered form in supplement stores up and down the globe.

For the metabolism, whey protein is very important because it promotes muscle growth, which boosts the metabolism as muscle requires more calories at maintenance than fat.

What’s more, the body struggles to digest and break protein down, so it burns off even more energy just by digesting it.

Almonds – Almond nuts are very, very beneficial for our health and well-being, especially in terms of fat loss.

Almonds are incredibly nutritionally-dense, meaning that they are crammed full of nutrients that the body thrives upon.

What’s more, almonds are rich in healthy fats, and in proteins, both of which have been found to ramp up our energy levels and keep our metabolisms ticking over nicely.

Eggs – When choosing eggs, only choose organic or free range eggs, as eggs from caged hens are very unhealthy, and they taste awful as well, not to mention the fact that the treatment of the animals is unethical.

Providing you source good quality eggs, however, your metabolism will benefit hugely as eggs are packed full of amino acids, both essential and non essential.

These proteins and amino acids really rev up the metabolism and can contribute towards lean muscle growth, which again, is going to increase the metabolism even further.

The healthy fats found in the yolk will also provide substantial increases in energy levels, making them great foods to consume when you are feeling tired and lethargic, and when you are struggling to burn fat.

Chillies – Chilli peppers are not only tasty little fruits, and yes, they are fruits, but as it turns out, they are also classed as one of the best foods that speed up metabolism as well.

You see, chilli peppers get their spicy heat from a compound known as capsaicin.

Some have higher concentrations than others, which is why some chillies are hotter than others. Capsaicin once consumed, however, will increase the core body temperature, which will trick the body into working harder so that it tries to maintain the same, now higher, temperature.

This is why we burn more calories in cold temperatures, because in order to keep us warm, the body has to burn more calories and generate more energy, which it does via the metabolism.

Adding a few diced chillies to your curries, stir fries, and salads, then, is a great way of increasing the metabolism and helping to burn off a few additional calories.

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Red meat – Red meat, providing it is relatively lean, is another food that is absolutely ideal for people trying to lose weight and increase energy levels in the process.

Red meat, such as rump steak, for example, is packed full of vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins and Iron.

Studies have found that people lacking in iron are often far more likely to suffer with suppressed metabolisms than people who are getting adequate amounts of the mineral each day.

Iron increases haemoglobin production and red blood cell counts, which in turn help to transport oxygen and nutrients around the body to the cells.

The more oxygen and nutrients, these cells can absorb, the more efficient the metabolism is likely to be.

What’s more, red meat is also full of protein and amino acids, and we now know why protein and amino acids are so beneficial for weight loss and muscle growth.

Green Tea – Technically not a food, but even so, green tea is considered one of the most useful beverages for people trying to lose weight and burn off stubborn body fat by boosting their metabolisms.

Green tea is enriched with antioxidants, including one known as EGCG, or Epigallocatechin Galate. This antioxidant in particular, not only provides very substantial anti-cancer benefits, but it also promotes fat loss as it can help to encourage the body to burn stored body fat for energy, plus it can prevent the storage of fat in our fat cells as well.

The fact that it also contains caffeine, which has also been found to boost the metabolism, is a very handy bonus too.

Whole grains – Whole grains are considered to be very healthy and good for us for a whole variety of reasons, one of which is due to the fact that they are also one of the best foods that speed up metabolism processes in people of all ages, genders, shapes, and sizes.

When you consume whole grains, your body struggles to digest and break them down, similar to how it struggles to break down protein. In order to digest them and absorb them, more calories have to be burnt off because the body needs more energy.

This means that eventually, the more you consume, the faster your metabolism will become. Most complex carbohydrate sources are great sources of whole grains, including foods such as: oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain bread, and whole grain pasta.

White breads and white pastas contain simple carbohydrates, which are digested much quicker and can actually result in weight gain, so make sure you avoid those and choose whole grains instead.

Chicken breast – Chicken breast is another food that is ideal for weight loss and muscle growth. Whilst it may not be the most nutritionally dense meat in the world, it still contains beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Its metabolism-boosting qualities, however, come from its high protein content.

As we now know, protein is harder to digest, so the body works much harder to digest it and break it down, resulting in more calories being burnt off.

Tuna – By tuna, we don’t mean the anaemic-looking grey chunks you get in cans, we mean fresh tuna meat instead.

Fresh tuna is rich in protein and amino acids, whilst also containing healthy amounts of good fats. These fats have been found to also help to speed up metabolism, especially in regards to fat metabolism, so by consuming fats, you are actually enabling your body to burn off more fat as a result.

References

Image: pixabay, Naturalblaze

My name is Reda El, Entrepreneur, fitness fanatic, And also BJJ blue Belt. I’ve dedicated many years to studying the muscle growth process.
I’ve gathered both my experience and the information I’ve read throughout these years on my website Shreddedphysique.com