Spicy foods are said to speed up your metabolism, while drinking grapefruit juice with your meal is rumored to burn fat. We hear claims like these all too often. Many are true, yet many are also exaggerated. Whether you're looking to lose weight or to fight the dreaded middle-age gain around your middle, simple diet changes can help maximize your metabolism.
Metabolism Defined
Metabolism is simply the rate at which your body burns calories for basic functions like breathing. Several factors influence your metabolism, including heredity, body size and composition, gender, age, diet and activity level.
While you can't control certain metabolic factors like age or gender, there are things you can do to make the most of what you've been given, which includes your eating habits. Simple diet changes can maximize metabolism.
Eat Breakfast
Research has repeatedly shown that breakfast is beneficial for weight control. For starters, people who eat breakfast tend to have healthier diets and consume fewer calories than those who skip their morning meal.
But that's not all: Eating breakfast revs up your metabolism. While you sleep, your entire body--including your metabolism--slows down. Noshing in the morning wakes your metabolism up and gets it back up to speed.
Within a few hours of waking, try to eat a balanced breakfast consisting of complex carbohydrates, protein and a little heart-healthy fat. Try Greek yogurt mixed with berries and a slice of whole grain toast spread with natural peanut butter, or oatmeal served with skim milk and topped with dried fruit or nuts.
Eat Every 3 to 5 Hours
Think of your metabolism like a fire: If you want to keep it burning, you have to consistently feed it. So aim to have a meal or snack every 3 to 5 hours to keep your metabolism humming and energy levels up.
Waiting longer than this slows your metabolism and increases the likelihood you will overeat next time you nosh. This is a double whammy to the waistline, as eating a huge meal when your metabolism has actually slowed down is even worse, because the body will not burn the calories as quickly.
When establishing a regular meal pattern, remember that the same routine doesn't work for everyone. Some people prefer to eat three main meals and one or two light snacks while others feel better eating five or six mini-meals.
Pick the routine that's best for you; just be sure to include protein and high-fiber carbohydrates with each meal or snack. Try whole grain cereal topped with berries, low-fat milk or fresh fruit and low-fat cottage cheese.
Don't Drastically Cut Calories
Everyone knows that in order to lose weight, you need to reduce your calorie intake, but going to extremes can actually backfire. Females need a minimum of 1,200 calories per day and males should take in at least 1,500 calories. Dropping below this will cause your body to go into starvation mode, where your metabolism slows down and tries to conserve any calories that it gets.
While you may still lose weight, a high percentage of what you lose will be muscle mass. This is damaging to your metabolism, because muscle is metabolically active, whereas fat is not, so lose too much and your metabolism will slow down.
Eat Plenty of Protein
Any food you eat, whether in the form of carbohydrates, protein or fat, will temporarily boost your metabolism. This is called the thermic effect of food. But protein has a larger impact on your metabolism than the other two nutrients. This doesn't mean you should go on an Atkins-type diet, as it is still important to eat a balanced diet that includes complex carbohydrates and heart-healthy fats in addition to protein.
A good rule of thumb is to include a good source of protein at each meal and snack. You're not limited to beef and chicken, either. In addition to lean meat, poultry, and fish, you can get your protein from eggs, low-fat dairy products, cottage cheese, nuts, seeds and beans, just to name a few.
References
- "American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 3rd Edition"; Roberta Larson Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS; 2006
- American Dietetic Association: Rise and Shine
- Mayo Clinic: Metabolism and Weight Loss; How You Burn Calories
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