If you’re attempting to lose or keep weight off, you might be seeking meals that improve your metabolism.
Certain meals can help modestly raise your metabolic rate. This is the number of calories burned by your body.
If losing body fat or preventing excess weight gain is your objective, including these items in your diet may help.
However, consuming more of these items does not ensure weight loss. Instead, they supplement a well-balanced, modestly calorie-restricted diet to aid in weight loss.
1. Protein-rich foods
Protein-rich meals, such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, nuts, and seeds, may temporarily boost your metabolism.
This is because they demand more energy from your body to metabolize. This is referred to as the thermic impact of food (TEF).
The TEF is the number of calories required for your body to digest, absorb, and assimilate the nutrients in your meals (1).
According to research, protein-rich diets boost TEF the greatest. For example, they enhance your metabolic rate by 15-30%, compared to 5-10% for carbohydrates and 0-33% for fats (1).
Protein-rich diets also assist your body in retaining muscle mass, which reduces the decline in metabolism that is common with weight reduction (2, 3, 4).
Furthermore, protein may help you feel satisfied for longer, which may help you avoid overeating (5).
2. Mineral-rich foods
Iron and selenium are minerals that perform distinct but equally crucial roles in the normal functioning of your body.
They do, however, share one feature. They’re both essential for the thyroid gland, which regulates your metabolism, to operate correctly (6).
According to research, a diet deficient in iron or selenium may impair your thyroid’s capacity to generate enough levels of hormones, perhaps slowing your metabolism.
Include selenium- and iron-rich foods like meat, fish, legumes, nuts, and seeds in your regular diet to help your thyroid operate optimally.
3. Chili peppers
Capsaicin, a substance found in chili peppers, may improve your metabolism by raising the pace at which your body consumes calories somewhat.
According to an analysis of 20 research papers, capsaicin — whether from pills or peppers — may help your body burn up to 50 additional calories daily (7).
Some studies have found that daily dosages of as little as 9-10 mg have comparable advantages. This is the same as one jalapeo pepper (8, 9, 10, 11).
Capsaicin may also have appetite suppressant effects.
We are consuming at least 2 mg of capsaicin just before each meal tends to lower calorie consumption, particularly from carbohydrates, according to an analysis of over 200 research (12).
Similarly, including cayenne pepper in your meal may boost the amount of fat your body burns for energy, particularly after a high-fat meal. However, this fat-burning effect may only be observed in persons who are not used to eating spicy meals (13).
However, research on capsaicin’s metabolism-boosting qualities is conflicting (14).
4. Coffee
Caffeine in coffee may aid in increasing metabolic rate.
Several studies have found that those taking at least 270 mg of caffeine daily, or roughly 3 cups of coffee, burn up to 100 calories daily (15).
Caffeine may also help your body burn fat for energy, which appears to be especially helpful in improving workout performance (16).
However, the consequences differ from person to person, depending on factors such as body weight and age (17).
5. Tea
Tea includes catechins, which are health-promoting chemicals that may work in concert with caffeine to increase metabolic rate.
Both oolong and matcha green tea, in particular, may enhance fat oxidation and help you burn more calories when combined with an exercise regimen (18, 19).
Furthermore, oolong and green teas may assist your body in more effectively using stored fat for energy, potentially enhancing your fat-burning abilities by up to 17 percent (19).
However, like with coffee, the effects may vary from person to person.
6. Beans and legumes
Lentils, peas, chickpeas, black beans, and peanuts are exceptionally rich in protein compared to other plant meals.
According to research, their high protein content requires your body to expend more calories to digest than lower-protein meals. This is because of their TEF (20).
Legumes also include dietary fiber, such as resistant starch and soluble fiber, which your body may use as a prebiotic to nourish the beneficial bacteria in your large intestine (21, 22).
In turn, these beneficial bacteria generate short-chain fatty acids, which may help your body utilize stored fat as energy more effectively and maintain normal blood sugar levels (23).
7. Ginger
Ginger and other spices are known to have unique metabolism-boosting qualities.
According to one study, mixing 2 grams of ginger powder into hot water and drinking it with a meal can help you burn up to 43 more calories than drinking hot water alone (25).
This hot ginger drink may also reduce appetite and increase feelings of satiety (fullness) (25).
Grains of paradise, another ginger family spice, may have comparable effects.
In a research of 19 healthy males, individuals who received a 40 mg extract of grains of paradise burnt 43 more calories in the next 2 hours than those who received a placebo (26).
However, researchers observed that some of the subjects were non-responders. Thus the effects may differ from person to person.
8. Cacao
Cacao and cocoa are delicious delicacies that may also help your metabolism.
For example, animal studies have found that cocoa and cocoa extracts may enhance the expression of genes that promote fat burning. This seems particularly true in mice on high fat or high calorie diets (27, 28).
Interestingly, one study shows that cocoa may inhibit the function of enzymes required to break down fat and carbohydrates during digestion, preventing the body from absorbing them and the calories they give (29).
Human research on the benefits of cocoa, cacao, or cacao derivatives such as dark chocolate, on the other hand, is uncommon. More research is required before firm conclusions can be formed.
If you want to try cacao, go for raw varieties. Processing reduces the number of beneficial components while adding more sugar and calories (30).
9. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has been shown to boost metabolism.
Animal studies have indicated that vinegar is very effective at boosting the amount of fat burnt for energy (31).
Similarly, apple cider vinegar is frequently touted to increase metabolism in people, but little research has looked at this explicitly.
It may aid in weight loss by delaying stomach emptying and increasing sensations of fullness (32).
If you decide to use it, restrict yourself to 1-2 teaspoons per day and dilute it in at least 1 cup of water per tablespoon of vinegar to avoid tooth erosion, damage to the lining of your digestive tract, and other potential adverse effects (33, 34).
10. Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil
MCT oil is a distinct form of fat that may have metabolic advantages. The majority of lipids in meals are long-chain triglycerides. However, MCT oil is made mainly of medium-chain triglycerides.
MCT oil use has been proven in several studies to boost the metabolic rate in humans. Furthermore, unlike long-chain lipids, MCTs are taken directly by the liver and converted into energy. As a result, they are less likely to be deposited as body fat (35).
MCT oil is typically used as a supplement but may also be added to dishes such as soups or smoothies. However, it is not appropriate for cooking.
11. Water
Drinking enough water is an excellent method to remain hydrated. Furthermore, some research demonstrates that consuming water might temporarily increase metabolism by 24-30%. (36, 37, 38).
The additional calories required to bring the water to body temperature, known as water induced thermogenesis, account for around 40% of the increase, according to the researchers.
However, the benefits tend to last just 40-90 minutes after drinking water, and the degree of the impact varies across people.
12. Seaweed
Seaweed is high in iodine, a mineral necessary for thyroid hormone synthesis and thyroid gland function (39).
Thyroid hormones have several purposes, one of which is to regulate your metabolic rate (6).
Regular seaweed consumption will help you achieve your iodine requirements while maintaining your metabolic health.
Furthermore, fucoxanthin, a seaweed-based chemical found in brown seaweeds, may improve your metabolic rate (40).
The bottom line
Certain meals may help you burn more calories by modestly increasing your metabolic rate. As a result, eating them daily may help you lose weight and keep it off in the long run.
These items, however, will not compensate for a high-calorie or low-quality diet. Seek a steady reduction in calories and eat largely unprocessed, minimally processed foods for successful, long-term weight loss and maintenance.
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