Our society loves a quick fix: Just give me a pill so I can eat whatever I want and never exercise. Ah, such fantasies… Reality is a healthy diet along with exercise is the prescription for the majority of the health issues out there. High calorie, fatty foods and heavy meats are difficult for the body to digest and metabolize causing you to lower your energy levels. Sugary foods give a temporary energy rush just to face an energy crash in a few short hours. This rollercoaster ride creates increased craving of unhealthy foods and the cycle of weight gain, low energy and stagnant metabolism. Eating a smart, low calorie and low fat diet that includes foods that help you maximize your metabolism for weight loss can give you that extra edge you need to meet your goals.
NY Daily News reported the must haves for your diet to boost metabolism. Including these foods in your diet will help you maximize your metabolism.
1) Milk and Yogurt
Super ingredient: Calcium
Foods like milk or yogurt, which contains calcium, performs like a metabolic trigger. According to NY Daily News, “A University of Tennessee study found that dieters who consumed 1,200 to 1,300 mg of calcium daily lost almost twice as much weight as dieters who ingested less calcium.”
2) Oats and grains
Super ingredients: Fiber and complex carbohydrates
Whole grain cereal is a great source of both complex carbohydrates and fiber, which are needed to keep your metabolism up by keeping insulin levels low after a meal. Because insulin increases cause your body to think it’s time to start storing fat, it is wise to eat foods that lower insulin levels.
Oats contain high amounts of fiber, which pumps up your metabolism. Also oatmeal doesn’t create an insulin spike like bagels or other white breads because oatmeal breaks down slowly in your stomach.
NY Daily News said, “Oatmeal is typically eaten for breakfast, which is an important meal to consume for anyone who wants to burn calories. Eating this meal keeps insulin production down and revs up the daily calorie burn. When the U.S. Navy studied the eating habits and metabolisms of some of its personnel, it found that eating breakfast helped raise the men’s metabolisms by up to 10 percent.”
3) Hot Peppers
Super ingredient: Capsaicin
All hot peppers like Jalapenos contain capsaicin. This is a chemical that gives peppers a pungent flavor and it also speeds up the heart rate and boosts the metabolism. Jalapenos are good for spicing up both meals and snacks. Eating small snacks helps the body maintain fuel and may help prevent afternoon slumps.
Habaneros are extremely hot chile peppers. According to NY Daily News, “A recent study from Laval University in Quebec found that men who consumed coffee and red pepper-packed snacks and meals burned almost 1,000 more calories a day than the control group, according to AOL Health.“
Cayenne chiles are often ground into cayenne pepper, a typical ingredient in a spicy meal. According to NY Daily News, “One study found that eating just one spicy meal a day boosts metabolism by up to 25 percent, reports AOL Health. The calorie burn lasts for up to 3 hours after you stop eating.”
4) Beverages
Super ingredients: EGCG and caffeine
Green tea, according to NY Daily News, contains a chemical called EGCG that causes the brain and nervous system to run faster and may help you burn more calories. EGCG works similar to caffeine except it doesn’t cause your heart to beat faster like caffeine. Green tea offers benefits of metabolism-boosting without the heart-racing side effects.
Coffee contains caffeine, which helps speed up your heart rate and therefore helps you burn more calories. However, stay on the lookout for extra calories in a sugar and fat-rich blended coffee drink that can cancel out the heart-speeding benefit of caffeine in coffee. Consider using skim milk or almond milk and keep sweeteners to a minimum.
5) Meats and Poultry
Super ingredient: Protein
Pork provides a good source of protein. The body must work harder to digest protein than carbohydrates. However, make sure the pork is lean. Try grilled, lean pork chops seasoned with fresh herbs instead of ribs smothered in barbecue sauce.
Lean beef also helps boost metabolism because it’s rich in protein. Like the pork recommendation, make sure the beef is lean. Avoid fattier cuts like T-bone steaks in favor of leaner cuts like top round. Additionally, if you desire a burger, substitute ground sirloin for higher-fat ground chuck.
Chicken has been found to be high in metabolism-boosting protein. NY Daily News said, “Danish researchers found that men who subbed protein for one fifth of their daily carbs increased the number of calories they burned each day by up to five percent, AOL Health reports.”
Turkey is a great source of lean protein. Remove the skin before eating to minimize additional fat calories.
6) Fish
Super ingredient: Omega-3 fatty acids
Salmon contains Omega-3 fatty acids. NY Daily News said, “Omega-3 fatty acids can alter the levels of a hormone in your body called leptin, says AOL Health. Lower leptin levels are associated with a higher caloric burn. “
Tuna can also help reduce the level of the hormone leptin in the body. NY Daily News said, “Lower leptin levels are associated with faster metabolisms – at least in mice. University of Wisconsin researchers discovered that mice with low leptin levels have faster metabolisms and burn fat more efficiently than animals with higher leptin levels, reports AOL Health. “
Sardines are also loaded with fish oil. NY Daily News found French research where men who replaced six grams of fat with six grams of fish oil lost an average of two pounds in just 12 weeks. For those who are not fish fans, fish-oil supplements are a great substitute.
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