If you have a slow metabolism, you are in a fix. Because no matter
how much you control your food cravings, calories will inevitably get
stored as fat. Worse, it will also be difficult for you to lose weight.
Now, metabolism can be slow due to age, hormonal imbalance, stress, and
heredity. So is there a way to boost your metabolism? Well, not one but
32 effective ways that will accelerate your metabolic rate, help you
lose weight without trying too hard, make you look healthy, fit, and
beautiful. So without much ado, let’s begin exploring!
1. Drink Green Tea
Green
tea is loaded with epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a phytonutrient that
helps in boosting fat metabolism, reduces the risk of cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Moreover green tea is a zero calorie
drink, and you can add ginger, honey, lemon, cinnamon, mint, clove, etc.
to give your cup of green tea a different flavor every day. Have a cup
of green tea with your breakfast or between large meals (
1) (
2).
2. Don’t Ignore Egg Yolk
Yes,
if you want to improve your metabolic rate then you should consume the
whole egg. Egg yolks are rich in essential fatty acids, fat-soluble
vitamins, and choline that regulates the gene responsible for fat
storage in your liver. Consuming whole eggs also increases the plasma
HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) levels. So, you can have one or two
whole eggs per day without raising the cholesterol levels too high (
3).
3. Eat Lean Protein
When
it comes to increasing your metabolic rate, it is critical that you eat
lean protein sources daily with each meal. A 58-kg person would need
47-58 gm protein (approximately 0.8 gm protein per kg weight). It’s a
false notion that consuming protein can lead to fat gain. Protein is
food for your muscles and eating protein will build lean muscle mass
(along with exercise) which will increase your weight but reduce body
fat percent. Also, proteins are difficult to digest thereby keeping you
full for longer. Proteins also increase metabolic rate up to 35 percent (
4).
Consume lean protein sources such as fish, chicken breast, ground
turkey, lean cuts of beef, soy, mushroom, tofu, legumes, beans, eggs,
etc.
4. Include Fruits & Veggies
Fruits
and veggies are loaded with dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and
other phytonutrients that help to detoxify the body, suppress hunger,
improve bowel movement, prevent cardiovascular diseases, and also
increase the metabolic rate. It does so by reducing inflammation in the
body. Inflammation is one of the reasons for slow metabolism and
inflammation-induced obesity (
5).
Therefore, include green leafy and colorful veggies such as Chinese
cabbage, spinach, kale, rocket spinach, cabbage, bok choy, celery,
broccoli, tomato, bell pepper, beetroot, carrot, cauliflower, sweet
potato, eggplant, etc. And for fruits have prunes, pear, apple, orange,
tangerine, grapefruit, plum, lemon, pineapple, banana, avocado, black
grape, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, etc.
5. Consume Garlic
Garlic consumption can help reduce triglyceride, lipid, and bad cholesterol levels in the blood (
6). Garlic also has anti-inflammatory properties that suppress the production of adipokines thereby reducing inflammation (
7)and
increasing the metabolic rate. Have one garlic clove every morning to
increase metabolic rate and minimize the risk of cardiovascular
diseases. Also include garlic in your salad dressing, smoothies, grilled
veggies, soups, and curries.
6. Consume Yogurt
Yogurt
is loaded with good gut bacteria that helps digestion. Scientists have
also found that consuming a substantial amount of yogurt can help reduce
fat deposition in the mid-section of your body (
8).
Improper digestion is often the reason for a slow metabolic rate.
Therefore consuming yogurt can help improve digestion and increase the
metabolic rate. Have yogurt with fruits for dessert or just a small cup
of yogurt after your lunch to boost metabolism.
7. Eat Nuts
Nuts
are rich in healthy fats, vitamins, and protein. Healthy fats help
lower inflammation and therefore helps to reduce the risk of
inflammation-induced obesity. Nuts improve metabolism, increases
satiety, and help metabolize fat (
9).
Consume 4-6 soaked almonds in the morning with your breakfast. You can
also snack on 30-35 in-shell pistachios (unsalted) or include walnuts,
pine nuts, macadamia nuts, etc. in your yogurt or dark chocolate to give
it an extra crunch and flavor.
8. Reduce Stress
Stress
induces inflammation, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, etc. in
the body. And you know that inflammation leads to slowed down metabolism
and as a result you will gain weight even if you starve yourself. In
any case, stress is not good for your physical and mental health (
10).
So, try to relax and ward off any negative thoughts. Do something that
you enjoy—cooking, traveling, playing a sport, watching movies,
painting, taking pictures, going to the spa, going out with friends,
walking your dog, or learning a new skill. This will keep you occupied,
and you will have less energy and time to stress about things. Moreover,
it is always better to learn to compartmentalize. Meaning, keeping your
personal issues separate from work issues. Solve your problems one at a
time.
9. Drink Water When You Wake Up
Water
therapy works wonders. Make it a habit of drinking at least two glasses
of water first thing after you wake up in the morning. This will help
flush out the toxins through urine and stool, thereby reducing
inflammation. In fact, scientists have found that drinking 2 liters of
water every day can increase metabolic rate (
11). So you should also keep yourself hydrated throughout the day to keep your metabolism kicking.
10. Reduce Alcohol Consumption
Office
parties, house parties, weddings, birthdays, promotions—you name it.
Alcohol is an integral part of any celebration these days. That’s fine.
But you have to be extra careful about consuming alcohol because you
have a slow metabolism. Too much alcohol in the body causes dehydration,
which increases inflammation and that, in turn, leads to slower
metabolic rate. Once the metabolic rate slows down, the calories from
alcohol get stored as fat. So, try to consume no more than one peg
alcohol.
11. Eat Broccoli
Broccoli
is rich in antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress levels. This, in
turn, helps to flush out the inflammation-inducing toxins (
12).
Broccoli is also anti-cancerous and improves heart health. You can eat
broccoli by blanching, grilling, or adding in soup. Make sure that you
do not overcook broccoli as that can destroy the goodness of it.
12. Mixed Workout Regimen
If
you want to boost your metabolism, you have to do physical exercise to
keep your fat mobilization going. In fact, working out can help lower
the bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels (
13).
Do a mix of cardio, strength training, and weights to burn the
calories. You can also swim, walk, go cycling, play a sport, run
intermittently, dance, etc. to mobilize the fat and increase your
metabolic rate.
13. Consume Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil contains about 30 phenolic compounds that are antioxidant in nature (
14).
This low-calorie healthy fat adds flavor to your food without making
you gain weight and helps to scavenge the harmful oxygen radicals. This,
in turn, increases your metabolic rate and helps to burn the calories.
Use olive oil to saute, stir-fry, or to make a salad dressing.
14. Drink Oolong Tea
After
green tea, oolong tea is the best tea for weight loss. It is also
loaded with antioxidants that reduce inflammation, flush out toxins,
suppress appetite, and increases lipid metabolism (
15). Drink oolong tea before your meals or in between large meals to get the maximum benefit.
15. Don’t Skip Breakfast
It’s
a cliché, but I will still emphasize the importance of not skipping
your breakfast. This point is applicable for all, even those who do not
have a slow metabolic rate. Skipping breakfast means not giving your
brain the signal to restart itself. This slows down the brain which
directly impacts your metabolic rate. Therefore, wake up your brain by
having a substantial breakfast in the morning. Include a source of lean
protein, dietary fiber, and healthy fats to start your day.
16. Consume Cayenne Pepper
Turn
the heat up by adding cayenne pepper to your food, smoothies, detox
water, or juices of fruits and vegetables. Cayenne pepper contains
capsaicin that boosts the metabolic rate (
16). Spicy food has a thermic effect and thereby helps to metabolize food at a faster rate (
17).
Consume 1-2 teaspoon cayenne pepper per day. Add a pinch of cayenne
pepper to your juice or smoothie to give it an extra punch.
17. Consume Turmeric
Turmeric contains curcumin, known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect (
18).
Both these properties help to reduce inflammation, increase metabolism,
and reduce the risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases. You can
chew half an inch of turmeric root in the morning on an empty stomach,
add turmeric powder to your juice or smoothie, add turmeric paste to
curries, sauteed veggies, grilled chicken or tofu, etc.
18. Sip Detox Water
Amplify
the benefits of drinking water by adding tangy fruits, herbs, and
spices in water. Detox water is loaded with vitamin C, an antioxidant,
which helps to flush out toxins. This, in turn, increases your metabolic
rate and prevents your body from depositing every calorie that you
consume as fat. Add cucumber, mint, cinnamon, strawberries to your water
to make a delicious detox water.
19. Eat Every 2-3 Hours
Not
eating enough can also slow down your metabolism. Because when you do
not eat, your body goes into starvation mode and your brain signals the
body to store all the calories. Therefore, your metabolism slows down,
and you start gaining weight instead of losing it. So, eat healthy every
2-4 hours to keep your body from shifting to starvation mode.
20. Eat Healthy Snacks
When
I say eat frequently, I mean eat healthy. If you eat a bag of potato
wafers, you will gain weight. So carry a healthy snack to your office or
school to prevent yourself from snacking on unhealthy trans-fats. You
can snack on yogurt, pistachios, baby carrot, fruits, green tea, oolong
tea, black coffee, coconut water, etc. These foods are rich in dietary
fiber and phytonutrients that will help increase your metabolic rate,
prevent fat absorption and keep you full for longer.
21. Make a Light Dressing
You
may unconsciously consume a lot of calories in the form of salad
dressing. Since you eat a salad you might think it is healthy, but a
fat-loaded dressing can ruin the very purpose of a salad. So, make a
light salad dressing using olive oil, Dijon mustard, lime juice, and
herbs. This salad dressing contains ingredients that have a thermic
effect on the body, possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties, and boost metabolism.
22. Drink Matcha
Matcha
is the newer and better version of green tea. It has 137 times more
epigallocatechin-3-gallate than green tea. Its strong antioxidant
property makes it an ideal drink for accelerating your metabolic rate.
It’s a powdered form of green tea that has shown to reduce blood
glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels (
19). Prepare it as you prepare green tea, or you can also add herbs, spices, honey, or lemon to give it a different flavor.
23. Eat Whole Grains
Whole
grains are rich in fiber and helps boost glucose metabolism, improves
insulin sensitivity, and keeps your hunger pangs at bay. Have three
servings of whole grains to drive your metabolism (
20).
Consume brown rice, barley, buckwheat, broken wheat, millet, oatmeal,
etc. Add veggies or any lean protein source along with healthy fats to
make a delicious and quick meal.
24. Consume Omega-3-Fatty Acids
Omega-3-fatty
acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that help to reduce inflammation
in the body. These days most foods that we consume contain an imbalanced
ratio of omega-3-fatty acids and omega-6-fatty acids. Consuming foods
that have a good amount of omega-3-fatty acids will help rebalance the
ratio and help to improve metabolic rate (
21).
This, in turn, will help reduce weight. Consume fish oil, fish (with
skin), flax seeds, spinach, soybean, walnut, caviar, chia seeds, pumpkin
seeds, hemp seeds, and egg yolk.
25. Avoid Trans-Fats
Trans fats are harmful and can cause cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, insulin resistance, fatty liver, etc (
22).
Scientists have found that consuming foods containing trans fats can
alter how nutrients are metabolized and absorbed in the body. It causes
toxic buildup and inflammation, which ultimately results in a slow
metabolism. Avoid foods such as a doughnut, fries, potato wafers, deep
fried chicken, batter-fried foods, frozen pizza, margarine, cake
frosting, non-dairy creamers, biscuits, frozen pasta, frozen lasagne,
fried crunchy noodles, etc.
26. Be Active
The
most common problem today is we all have desk jobs. We sit in one place
almost all day, which signals the brain to believe there is no energy
deficiency.This slow down metabolism and store the calories as fat for
later use. Merely working out thrice a week won’t do, stay active. Take
the stairs, walk to and from your workplace or school, you can also
cycle, hitchhike, get up from your desk every hour and take a stroll, if
you cannot waste time on a walk stand up and work for few minutes.
27. Consume Iron Rich Foods
Iron
plays an important role in the reactions involved in metabolism.
Therefore iron deficiency can cause metabolism to slow down and also
deprive the cells of oxygen, which can lead to improper cell functioning
(
23).
Consume dark green leafy veggies, seafood, beans, peas, beetroot,
spirulina, lentils, dark chocolate, raisin, pistachio, and beef liver.
28. Consume Vitamin D Foods
Vitamin
D promotes proper cell division, cell growth, and development. When all
the cells function properly, it ensures metabolism is on track and
doesn’t slow down due to faulty cell function. Include foods such as
sardine, salmon, eggs, milk, shrimp, and cod (
24).
29. Get Enough Sleep
Not
sleeping enough leads to a toxic buildup in the body, resulting in
inflammation and slow metabolic rate. Lack of sleep is closely related
to weight gain. Make sure you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every day.
Keep your mobile phone on night mode, shut down your computer, listen
to soothing music or read a book before dozing off.
30. Drink Milk
Research findings have confirmed that drinking milk may help boost metabolism (
25).
Drink at least one cup of milk every day. You can add milk to your
fruit smoothie or add a teaspoon of turmeric powder to a cup of warm
milk and drink it before going to bed. Also, have full-fat milk to
derive optimum benefits of the milk proteins.
31. Eat Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate can help lift your mood and stimulate metabolism (
26).
Depression, anxiety and other negative emotions lead to the production
of harmful oxygen radicals that interferes with cell function.
Therefore
have a small piece of dark chocolate to nullify the negative emotions,
feel good, and boost your metabolic rate.
32. Laugh A Lot
Laughter
can stimulate positive emotions and release “feel good” hormones. This,
in turn, will help the body to function properly. Therefore, laugh a
lot and stay happy to boost your metabolism.
So, those were the 32
ways in which you can increase your metabolic rate. Now, I have created
a sample diet plan to help you plan your meals and include as many
foods listed above as possible. Take a look.
Sample Diet Plan To Boost Metabolism
| Meals | What To Eat |
| Early Morning (7:00 – 7:30 a.m) | 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar in a cup of water |
| Breakfast (8:00 – 8:30) | 2 boiled eggs + 1 whole wheat bread toast + 1 cup grapefruit juice + 4 almonds |
| Mid Morning (11:00 p.m) | 1 cup green tea |
| Lunch (1:00 – 1:30 p.m) | Chicken/veggie salad with light dressing |
| Evening Snack (4:00 p.m) | A bowl of fruits / 1 cup coconut water + ½ cup popcorn |
| Dinner (7:00 p.m) | Chicken stew / boiled black bean salad | | |
Why This Works
This
diet chart lists all the foods that will help boost your metabolism
plus the meal timings, which is also a crucial factor. To be precise,
there’s a gap of 2-3 hours between every meal and you should maintain
it. It will keep the cells active.
Now let me tell you in brief what metabolism is and what factors affect it.
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism
is a term used to describe the process of breaking down of proteins,
carbohydrates, and fats to yield energy in the body. Our metabolism
makes up for the entire range of biological processes that happen
internally. The rate of metabolism depends on the interaction between
the number of calories you consume and the number of calories you lose
by exercising.
Metabolism is divided into two categories – Anabolism and Catabolism:
- Anabolism allows the body to grow new cells and maintain the tissues. It is the synthesis of all compounds needed by the cells.
- Catabolism is the series of chemical reaction that break down the molecules into smaller units, which help in obtaining energy.
A person with a fast metabolism will lose more weight than an individual with a slower metabolism rate.
What Influences Metabolism?
Multiple factors determine our metabolism. Some of the factors which influence the body’s metabolism rate include:
1. Age
Our
metabolism decreases by around 5% every decade after the age of 40
because of decreased muscle mass. As you mature, you need to be more
active in exercising and watch what you eat.
2. Gender
It is believed that men burn more calories than women because of the muscle tissues present in their body.
3. Heredity
You can inherit your metabolism from your parents and grandparents.
4. Thyroid Disorder
Hyperthyroidism
and hypothyroidism can slow down or speed up the body’s metabolism.
Check with your doctor about your weight issues.
To conclude,
metabolism may depend on various factors, but you can speed up your
metabolism by eating metabolism boosting food and incorporating healthy
habits that will indirectly affect your metabolism in a positive way.
So, start following these simple ways and get back to being fit and
disease-free. Good Luck!
Source: http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/most-effective-ways-to-boost-your-metabolism/
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