Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just wanting to maintain your sleek physique, here are several healthy eating tips to boost your metabolism. There are several ways to give your metabolism an extra push – including exercising early in the day – but eating can also be a factor in its elevation.
Increasing your metabolism means your body burns calories at a higher rate. So if your metabolism is high, it’s burning calories even when you aren’t working hard at the gym. A sluggish metabolism can cause you to gain weight because you’re consuming more than your body is burning.
The first thing you need to do is add breakfast to your daily meal planner. Although many people don’t like eating breakfast, it gives your body the rev up it needs to launch your metabolism. A 250-calorie snack is all it takes to boost your metabolism in the morning.
Another way to increase your metabolism is to add spices to your food. According to the U.S. Agricultural Research Service, Cinnamon is one spice that increases your metabolism twentyfold – and all you have to ingest is a mere ¼ to 1 tsp per day!
While you’re planning your meals, you may want to add kiwi fruit to your diet. Kiwis pack a lot of vitamin C, but if you add 500 mg of it to your day, you burn up to 39% more fat when you’re exercising. Don’t get too much C, though, because once you get to the 2,000 mg mark, you start experiencing adverse effects like bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
Another metabolism boosting measure is to watch what you drink. Adding ice to a drink makes your body work harder because it has to heat it up in your stomach, which increases your metabolism. Also, ingesting a caffeine drink like coffee or tea can raise your heart rate and increase your metabolism.
Where you’re eating can be just as important as what you’re eating. When you’re having breakfast in the morning, try positioning yourself near a window so that you can soak up some sun. The bright light boosts your metabolism and also helps you increase bone and muscle strength.
You can also add a daily multivitamin to help your body burn more calories. When you add 120 mcg daily, your body benefits by revving up its metabolism. Chromium, which is found in tomatoes and in a supplement form, also boosts the way you burn fat.
If you really want to kick-start your metabolism, you may also try dividing your meals up into smaller portions that you eat more often throughout the day. Every time you eat, it helps your metabolism rise, so as strange as it may sound, eating frequently can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.