Metabolism Boosting Foods
There are many benefits to metabolism boosting, and one of the best ways to do it is to watch what we eat. While exercise plays a very important part in increasing our metabolism, there are also a huge range of foods that have special metabolism boosting benefits. We shall look at some of these foods in today’s article.
Benefit of Metabolism Boosting Foods
Most of us know that there are lots of benefits to having a fast metabolism, however not everyone knows why.
As we get older, our metabolism slows down, meaning it takes longer for our bodies to digest the food we eat which results in more stored fat in the body. A slow metabolism can cause fatigue, dry skin and obesity.
By adding metabolism boosting foods to our diets, we can help keep our metabolisms as high as possible. There are lots of foods that have metabolism boosting qualities, and we shall look at some of the most popular of these below.
Grapefruit for Boosting Metabolism
Grapefruit has long been considered as one of the best natural ways of boosting your metabolism – as well as providing many other health benefits. Grapefruits work by lowering the insulin levels in your body. Insulin is what triggers your body to store food as fat.
Grapefruits are also rich in fiber. Fiber is very hard for the body to break down – so to do so you must burn a lot more calories resulting in weight loss.
Adding grapefruit to your diet also offers a wide range of other health benefits including supplying a mega dose of vitamin C, folic acid and potassium – all of which promote a healthy heart and immune system.
Green Tea and Coffee for Boosting Metabolism
Green tea and coffee are two great metabolism boosters that are very easy to add to your diet. Green tea has become a very popular drink over the past couple of years, and it has a wide range of health benefits.
Green tea is probably best known for its high antioxidant content, however it has fantastic abilities to increase your body’s metabolism as well. Green tea has thermogenic properties – meaning that it helps warm up the body. When your body creates heat it needs to burn more calories, which in turn increases your metabolic rate.
Caffeine also has similar properties, which is both in green tea (in small doses) and in coffee. Coffee increases your heart rate and helps boost your metabolic rate on a temporary basis. Coffee should be drunk in moderation however, and no more than three cups a day are advised.
Yogurt for Boosting Metabolism
Natural yogurt is fantastic as a metabolism boosting food as it contains large amounts of protein. Protein, like fiber, is very hard for the body to digest and so requires more energy to be processed – burning more calories along the way and increasing your metabolic rate.
Natural yogurt also contains pro-biotic cultures that will help regular your digestive tract and aid in a fast and healthy digestive system.
Apples for Boosting Metabolism
Apples offer similar benefits to grapefruits, in that they are high in fiber – which requires the body to burn a lot more calories than for other foods.
Apples are also very low in calories yet they also have a low GI rating, meaning that they will help you feel full for longer – preventing you snacking too regularly. An apple a day really will keep the doctor away!
Spinach for Boosting Metabolism
The final metabolism boosting food we shall look at today is spinach. Spinach offers a huge amount of benefits to your body, with metabolism boosting just one of them! Spinach is a fantastic source of antioxidants, potassium, iron, magnesium and vitamin C. It also contains fiber, which in a similar way to apples and grapefruit helps increase the metabolism by forcing your body to burn more calories.
Spinach contains metabolism-regulating vitamins and minerals such as B vitamins and calcium. It is an all-round great addition for your diet, and can help combat lots of health problems all in one go. Why not switch your usual lettuce in your sandwiches for some spinach?