Metabolism is a collection of complex processes that convert the foods you consume into the energy you need to function normally. A sluggish metabolism can cause weight gain, while at the other extreme, a hyperactive metabolism can cause unhealthy weight loss. Anecdotal and clinical evidence shows that certain foods seem to jump-start the metabolic processes, helping your body to burn fat at a more efficient rate.
Garlic
Close at hand in most kitchens, garlic is a culinary essential that seems to fire up the body's fat-burning engine. Ben Greenfield, author of "100 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism," ticks off a litany of ways in which this aromatic relative of the onion helps shed pounds. Both garlic juice and garlic oil sharply reduce the amount of fat circulating in the bloodstream, increase the liver's fat-burning activity and stabilize blood sugar levels, Greenfield notes. Garlic also seems to increase the body's production of the adrenaline hormone, "which can trigger fat release from storage tissue and use of these adipose stores for energy," according to Greenfield. On top of that, garlic can stabilize blood levels of cortisol, which reduces the breakdown of lean muscle mass, forcing the body to burn more fat.
Hot and Spicy Foods
Fans of hot and spicy cuisines will be happy to learn that those foods not only fire up their taste buds but also stimulate their metabolic rate to burn more fat. In "100 Ways to Supercharge Your Metabolism," authors Cynthia Phillips, Ph.D., Pierre Manfroy, M.D., and Shana Priwer cite multiple studies showing that eating foods such as chili peppers and spicy mustard steps up the rate at which the body burns calories. The authors explain that eating any food tends to increase the body's metabolic rate, but the effect is much more pronounced when the food consumed is spicy, according to a 2006 article in "Physiology & Behavior." Even better, this thermogenic, or fat-burning, property of spicy food can last for a few hours after consumption, which can result in cutting into the body's existing stores of fat in addition to the fat just eaten.
High-Quality Protein
Not all proteins are created equal. Some foods with high levels of protein come in combination with less desirable macronutrients, such as fat. High-quality protein sources include lean cuts of beef, pork and lamb; skinless poultry; lean fish; milk; eggs; low-fat yogurt; and tofu. Robert K. Cooper and Leslie L. Cooper, authors of "Flip the Switch," write that high-quality protein fires up the body's fat-burning engine by triggering the production of hormones called glucagons, which help the body to burn fat instead of storing it. The Coopers point out that a high-protein meal or snack burns 40 percent more calories than a comparable meal or snack that is high in carbohydrates.
References
- "100 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism"; Ben Greenfield; 2007
- "100 Ways to Supercharge Your Metabolism"; Cynthia Phillips, Pierre Manfroy and Shana Priwer; 2009
- "Flip the Switch: Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism and Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day"; Robert K. Cooper and Leslie L. Cooper; 2005
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