How to Raise Your Metabolism Through Diet

Eating foods like fruits and vegetables will boost your metabolism.

Your metabolism determines the speed your body burns calories and absorbs nutrients. A slow metabolism can make weight loss difficult while a fast metabolism makes weight loss easier. Eating the right foods boosts your metabolism so you burn more calories and lose weight faster. The following foods have been found to increase your metabolism.

Instructions

1. 

   Research has found drinking green tea raises your metabolism.

   Drink green tea to rev up your metabolism. Studies published in the December 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the October 2009 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition both confirmed that the combination of caffeine and the antioxidant known as catechins in green tea raise the metabolism and assist in faster weight loss.

2. 

   Eating whole grain foods will boost the rate at which your body burns calories.

   Eat more fiber throughout the day. Foods rich in fiber make the body work harder and burn more calories to digest it, thus boosting the metabolism. Fiber-rich foods include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. The Mayo Clinic suggests adults eat between 25 and 38 grams of fiber each day.

3. 

   Low-fat forms of protein, like yogurt, help boost the metabolism.

   Add more lean protein to your diet to raise your metabolism. It takes more energy for your body to digest protein-rich foods, which boosts your metabolism and burns more calories. Choose lean forms of protein like turkey, chicken, lean red meats, legumes, low-fat dairy products, and nuts. Eat at least 46 grams of protein each day.

4. 

   Research shows drinking cold water boosts the metabolism.

   Drink plenty of cold water every day. According to a study published in the May 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, drinking cold water throughout the day can boost your metabolism by 30 percent. Drink 48 to 64 ounces of water every day.

5. 

   Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps the body burn fat.

   Eat foods containing omega-3 fatty acids to raise metabolism. Omega-3 fatty acids work to regulate the hormone leptin, which influences how fast or slow the metabolism burns fat. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, tuna, mackerel, walnuts, flaxseed oil, and canola oil.

6. 

   Grapefruit helps the body process food and reduce fat.

   Eat grapefruit before every meal. A 2004 study by researchers at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic found that eating half a grapefruit before every meal raised the metabolism and assisted in weight loss. They found that grapefruit reduced the spike in insulin after a meal, which results in the body processing food more efficiently and storing less fat. People on prescription medication should check with their doctor first before adding grapefruit to their diet because it can counteract with some medicines.

Tips & Warnings

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet to keep the metabolism balanced and working properly.

• Skip processed and sugary foods because these will slow down the metabolism.

• Never eat less than 1,200 calories a day. Starving the body creates an inbalance in the metabolism and makes weight loss more difficult.

• Always consult a doctor before making any major changes to your diet.

References

• Prevention.com: High-Metabolism Diet; Selene Yeager; February 2011
• PubMed.gov: Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenol caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans; Dulloo AG, Duret C, Girardier L, Mensi N, Chantre P. Vandermander J; December 1999
• PubMed.gov: Effect of moderate intakes of different tea catechins and caffeine on acute measure of energy metabolism under sedentary conditions; Gregersen NT, Bitz C, Krog-Mikkelsen I, Hels O, Kovacs EM, Rycroft JA, Frandsen E, Mela DJ, Astrup A; October 2009
• Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism: Water Drinking Induces Thermogenesis through Osmosensitive Mechanisms; Michael Boschmann, Jochen Steiniger, Gabriele Franke, Andreas L. Birkenfeld, Friedrich C. Luft and Jens Jordan; May 2007
• Medical News Today: Grapefruit and Weight Loss; January 2004