What is a Metabolism?
You’ve probably heard someone blame their weight on a slow metabolism, but what does that mean?
A Metabolism can be described as the chemical process working continuously inside your body to keep you alive and your organs functioning normally, such as breathing, rejuvenating cells, and converting food into energy. So to put it into simple words, metabolism is like an engine that keeps your body running.
What are the signs of a slow metabolism?
There can be many signs or symptoms of slow metabolism, and sometimes even people with a fast metabolism can have these, but if you have more than 3 symptoms along with weight gain, you probably have a slow metabolism.
- Unexplained weight gain
- Difficulty losing weight
- Fatigue
- Dry skin
- Brittle nails
- Hair loss
- Frequent headaches
- Forgetfulness
- Depression
- Menstrual problems
- Constipation
what causes your metabolism to slow down?
Many things can have an effect on causing your metabolism to slow down, like your genes, a shift in your hormones, or lack of sleep, but some of the common ones include:
- Strict Diets
- Dehydration
- Certain medications
- Stress
- Skipping meals
Why do some people have a fast metabolism?
Many factors contribute to a fast metabolism like age, sex, genes, lifestyle, body size, and muscle mass.
Several studies have found that often people who have more lean muscles have a faster metabolism compared to people who have more fat; this is because muscle cells require more energy to sustain than fat cells, so you end up burning more calories.
How can you speed up your metabolism?
There are several ways that can help you boost your metabolism, like doing weight training, performing aerobics or cardio exercises, being on a healthy diet, and consuming foods known to boost metabolism.
How can certain foods help boost your metabolism?
Certain foods contain specific nutrients that increase your body’s metabolism.
The higher your metabolism, the easier it is to burn calories, maintain your weight, and eliminate unwanted body fat.
Certain foods can increase your metabolism whenever you eat, digest, or store food; this is because of a process called the thermic effect of food (TEF) which is the amount of energy it takes for your body to digest and metabolize the food you eat. For example, protein has a higher thermic effect than fats and carbohydrates because it takes longer for your body to break down protein and absorb it.
What are metabolism boosting foods?
Foods that are protein-rich or rich in fiber with a high Thermic effect of foods (TEF) are known to boost metabolism and help in weight loss.
Read on to discover 10 Foods To Boost Your Metabolism, along with some tips to increase metabolic function.
1. Eggs
Eggs are low in calories and an excellent source of protein and some healthy fat. They’re also a good source of B vitamins, which have been proved to boost metabolism.
The Egg yolk includes many metabolism-boosting nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids, and—most significantly—choline, a powerful compound that animal research shows can prevent the storage of fat around your liver. (1)
2. Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate is unquestionably the most satisfying option for good metabolism.
Studies show that dark chocolate may reduce cravings and promote feelings of fullness, which may help promote weight loss.
Researchers say that if you eat 40g of dark chocolate a day, it would boost your metabolism and improve your gut flora, thus improving digestion.
3. Spicy foods
Capsaicin, a chemical found in chilli peppers, may increase your metabolism by raising the number of calories and fat you burn. (2)
Nevertheless, when it comes to weight management, eating spicy foods can be a bit tricky. They boost your metabolism, but they also make you want to eat more. So if you can control your food cravings, spicy foods may be an excellent addition to your weight loss plan.
4. Legumes
Legumes include a good amount of dietary fiber, such as resistant starch and soluble fiber, which your body uses to feed the good bacteria living in your intestines.
Legumes are also high in arginine, an amino acid that may boost the number of carbs and fat your body can burn for energy. (3)
In one research, Obese individuals consuming a legume-rich diet for eight weeks felt beneficial changes in metabolism and lost 1.5 times more weight compared to the control group. (4)
5. Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are seeds that include protein, vitamins, and other vital nutrients. Thus, eating flaxseeds could help increase metabolism and improve metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that contribute to diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
A 2019 research indicates that flaxseeds may boost metabolism. This is probably because they contain reasonable amounts of fiber and protein, along with essential omega-3 fats, antioxidants, and other vital nutrients. (5)
6. Garlic
Garlic promotes balanced blood sugar and a healthy metabolism.
Studies show that consuming garlic may boost the number of calories burned while decreasing the body’s fat production. (6)
Eating garlic can help support your immune system, help ward off heart disease, combat inflammation, and lower blood pressure.
7. Avocado
Avocado contains metabolism-enhancing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which promotes feelings of fullness and may help in fat loss.
A study found that adding half an avocado at lunch may help overweight people feel more satiated and reduce their desire to eat in the hours following a meal. (7)
8. Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts contain three vital nutrients that power your metabolism: B vitamins, calcium, and vitamin C, not to mention they also have the kind of fiber that’s been shown to increase TEF.
The TEF (thermic effect of food) refers to the number of calories burned by your body to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meals.
9. Lean Meats
Your body burns more calories when digesting protein than it does when digesting fats or carbohydrates.
Protein-rich foods, such as red meat, fish, and chicken, could help boost your metabolism for a few hours.
Studies show that protein-rich foods increase TEF the most. For example, they raise your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. (8)
10. Dark, leafy green vegetables
Iron deficiency affects more than 1 in 5 women in the U.S.
Spinach, kale, and other leafy green vegetables may increase metabolism thanks to their iron content. Iron is a crucial mineral for metabolism, growth, and development.
According to a clinical Therapeutics study, you can lose weight and improve metabolic parameters such as low blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels when treating iron deficiency with sufficient iron intake. (9)
Some Tips To Boost Your Metabolism
Drink more water
staying hydrated is the easiest way to help your metabolism.
Studies suggest that drinking water can increase your metabolism by 25% for an hour after hydrating.
According to one small-scale study, drinking an extra 1,500 millilitres (ml) of water daily can help lose weight and reduce BMI in some overweight people. This is due to water-induced thermogenesis, where water increases metabolism.
Start weight training
Cardio is great, but if you’re looking to increase your metabolism, strength training, AKA weight lifting, is a big help. Weight training can help build muscles that use a lot of energy which means you’ll burn more calories while you’re resting.
Try Cardio
Cardio also plays an important role when it comes to your metabolic rate. This is because when you do cardio or HIIT, your body burns a high number of calories in a short period of time, increasing your metabolic rate to a large degree.
Although cardio is good for boosting metabolism, overdoing it can negatively affect your metabolism as too much cardio can cause you to lose muscles that are vital for a fast metabolism.
So try to do only 30 minutes of cardio every day along with weight training for the best results.
Get enough sleep
This one seems like a no-brainer, but most people still don’t get enough sleep. If your body isn’t rested, it can’t be expected to perform well. So if you want to speed up your metabolism, getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night is vital. To improve your sleeping patterns, try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day.