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Restricting calories while dieting can be a mixed blessing. While at first taking in fewer calories gives you a jump start in losing weight, after awhile it can work against you. When your body gets adjusted to only a certain amount of calories, your metabolism slows down. As a result, your metabolism slows down and so does your weight loss. Even worse, you can stop losing after awhile. Therefore, it's important to understand how food affects metabolism if you want to continue to lose weight.
Simply put, metabolism is the rate in which the body burns calories. Even though your metabolism is slower when you're resting, your body is still burning calories. Your body needs energy, in the form of calories from the foods you eat to help your organs work. In other words, metabolism is needed for your heart, lungs and liver, as well as all your other organs to function. Food affects metabolism. When food is eaten, the body either breaks down the food particles or stores it. -
Strawberries Speed Up MetabolismEat smaller and more often. Rather than eating three big meals a day, instead have six small ones. This way the body can always have food to digest. As a result, your metabolism increases as more calories are burned. Also, eating more often wards off hunger, as well as keeps blood sugar stable. - Choose foods that speed up metabolism. Although all foods have some effect on metabolism, there are certain ones that work better than others. For example, eat more protein than carbohydrates, as well as more fruits and vegetables. Eat foods that increase metabolism, including fruits such as berries, apples, avocados, citrus fruits and vegetables rich in fiber, including cabbage and broccoli. Spicy foods also speed up metabolism, such as hot chilies.
- Often, dieters make the mistake of grouping all carbohydrates into one category when there are good carbs that help them increase metabolism. Complex carbohydrates take more time to break down food, resulting in less insulin entering the blood stream. This creates a more stable flow of energy while improving metabolism. If you eat sugars, fats and white bread, this may give you a temporary energy boost. However, it won't be long before you crave more of these foods, which wreak havoc with metabolism.
- Foods that slow metabolism should be omitted or eaten in moderation. These include foods such as fats (as found in sugary and fried foods) that require minimal energy so they are sent into storage, not burning off much fat at all. Other food groups to avoid include white flour, processed foods and alcohol. These foods are directed into fat storage rather than burning calories, creating a sluggish metabolism. If you do indulge in any of these foods, limit them to only twice a week or less. Even worse, these foods stimulate appetite, making you eat more than you should.
