Foods To Eat To Speed Up A Slow Metabolism

When your stores of dietary iron dwindle, and you don't get enough iron intake from healthy foods, you may wind up with anemia. Iron-deficiency anemia causes your metabolism to slow, due to a low count of red blood cells. Without enough iron, protein and essential B vitamins to support red blood cell growth, your cells get less oxygen for converting calories to energy. You can get all these important nutrients from many iron-rich foods. The FDA suggests adults intake 18mg iron and 50g protein per day. Meeting these requirements will likely satisfy your intake of each of eight B vitamins and help your metabolism.

Clams

For the quickest boost to your metabolism, canned clams provide high vitamin B12, protein and iron content. These healthy foods fit the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans' criteria as nutrient-dense items, or those with large nutrient amounts within low-calorie counts. Three oz. clams provide 22g protein and 24mg dietary iron in only 126 calories.

Fish

Fish, such as haddock, sole, perch and orange roughy, provide 1mg of dietary iron at most, but it packs great nutrient density into 100 calories or less, per 3-oz. serving. Large protein boosts of up to 20g join the iron content and several B vitamins to address your metabolic needs, according to the USDA Nutrient Database.

Liver

The National Institutes of Health report that liver offers the highest iron content among meat sources. The calorie ratio of beef, chicken, turkey and pork liver is low in relation to these organ meats' dietary iron, protein and B vitamin levels. Eating combined organ meats, such as turkey giblets, provides 11mg iron, 30g protein, and large amounts of B12 and other B vitamins.

Beef Round

Among meats, beef round steak represents a healthy food source of high protein, with 29g in 3 oz. Iron content of 3g and contributions of B vitamins make beef round, with its relatively low calories from fat, one of the more nutrient-dense meat choices, according to the USDA.

Spinach

Get your green vegetables for all the nutrition you need to speed up your lagging metabolism. The USDA reports that cooked, rather than raw spinach delivers the most concentrated amounts in 1 cup. Six mg of dietary iron, 5g protein and significant B vitamins, including folate, help you achieve your daily values in a single dish.