Health experts will be the first to tell you that weight loss is next to impossible with low metabolism. Low metabolism is a condition that refers to the body’s inability to burn all of the calories ingested. Basically, all processes in the body slow down thus reducing the organs’ need for energy from food. Whatever calories are not burned get stored as fat. The benefit of metabolism boosting foods is that they increase the rate of the body’s ability to burn calories. Metabolism boosting foods are those full of fiber, natural, and full of the vitamins and nutrients that the body needs.
Metabolism Boosting Foods: One Part of the Equation
Combined with proper exercise and a healthy lifestyle, metabolism boosting foods complete the equation for total fitness. One of the major causes of low metabolism is a person’s lack of exercise. This is because a body with more muscle will naturally have a higher metabolism than one that has a higher percentage of body fat. The body needs more calories to maintain muscle tissue than it does fat. Metabolism boosting foods do not add to a person’s body fat thus taking out that factor which is one of the causes of low metabolism.
Another cause of low metabolism is dieting. Many think that all they need to do is reduce their caloric intake and skip the exercising. All this does is put the body into what is known as starvation mode. In other words, the body naturally reduces its metabolism so that it can conserve stored fat. It is a natural survival mechanism for when the body thinks it is starving. With metabolism boosting foods, there is no need to diet and because many of them are high in fiber you feel full and satisfied.
Some Metabolism Boosting Foods
A widely-known vegetable among the metabolism boosting foods is broccoli. There are several reasons why most health experts say to eat your broccoli. Broccoli is high in calcium which promotes strong bones and studies have indicated that it may also promote weight loss. This is because researchers believe that calcium binds to trace amounts of fat in the digestive system thus preventing its absorption. Since the fat does not get absorbed, it passes in the stool.
Staples high in fiber make excellent metabolism boosting foods. Oatmeal fits the bill as one of these. Oatmeal (the non-instant kind) is high in fiber and is not only good for your heart but effective in boosting metabolism. Foods high in fiber are absorbed slowly in the digestive system without sharp insulin spikes. This means that your body gets a sustained stream of glucose to give it energy for a longer period of time. With insulin spikes, a portion of the ingested glucose is burned and the remainder is stored as fat but not so with high fiber foods like oatmeal.
For those with sweet cravings, apples are welcome in the group of metabolism boosting foods. Apples are another fiber-rich food and studies have shown that those who eat them for snacks or when hungry lose weight. Because the sugar in apples is natural, it does not create insulin spikes which, as mentioned before, cause weight gain and decreased metabolism.
Other metabolism boosting foods include soups, lean turkey, grapefruit, low-fat yogurt, and practically any fresh vegetable. You might be surprised to find soup in this list of metabolism boosting foods but because they are a liquid with flavor they make you feel full thus curbing your appetite. There are many metabolism boosting foods available for you to begin a healthy eating lifestyle.