There are a lot of ways for people to lose weight, including watching how many calories you consume and exercising. However, some people do not realize that some foods can actually increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories while you are not exercising. Of course, this isn't a foolproof way to drop a significant amount of pounds, but for some people, every little bit counts!
General Guidelines
Before getting into what foods will actually increase your metabolic rate, you must follow a few other guidelines of your diet to help you along the way. First and foremost, not eating will actually decrease your metabolism because of a process known as thermic effect of food (TEF). According to the Clinical Nutrition Research Unit at Vanderbilt University, TEF is defined as an increase in metabolism during the digestion of food. Dietary fat is the easy to digest, so it will only increase your metabolism slightly, while protein is the hardest to digest. According to Laurie Hedlund, L.P.N., it is also important to note that if you decrease your calories drastically, your body will actually slow down its metabolism to compensate for the loss. You should consider eating at 6 small meals a day to both keep your metabolism boosted and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Green Tea
Green tea is not exactly a "food" but is an effective way to increase metabolism. Green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which speeds up the brain and nervous system and burns more calories.
Broccoli
This vegetable is high in two important ingredients: vitamin C and calcium. Calcium is a metabolic trigger, causing a boost in your metabolism, and vitamin C actually helps absorb even more calcium. A perfect combination!
Jalapenos
Jalapenos contain capsaicin, which causes your body to burn more calories than usual even hours after you ingest them. Capsaicin speeds up both your heart and blood flow.
Apples & Grapefruit
Apples and grapefruit are high in fiber, which is harder for your body to digest. The more work it is to digest, the more calories you burn in the process.
Lentils
Packed with proteins and carbohydrates, lentils take longer to digest, causing you to burn more calories in the process.
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