Your metabolism works by burning oxygen that your red blood cells carry to all the rest of your body cells. To get more oxygen for greater bursts of energy, you can add healthy foods and drinks with lots of iron, protein and B vitamins to your diet that increase your red blood cell count.
To speed up blood oxygen transport, you should also reduce the saturated fat content of your diet at the same time. Fat counteracts a high metabolism by placing greater demands on your digestive system and by causing a plaque buildup of cholesterol in your blood vessels.
Leafy Greens
Get all the nutrients that speed up your oxygen transport system by eating low-fat cooked spinach, collards, turnip greens and beet greens frequently. Cooking concentrates the volume and nutrient content of these vegetables, as reported by the USDA Nutrient Database.
For instance, cooked spinach contains up to seven times the iron content of raw spinach. One cup of cooked spinach delivers 6 mg of iron, or one-third of the 18 mg total daily intake suggested by the FDA. Spinach also adds 1 g of protein and large amounts of vitamin B-9, or folate, to your efforts at achieving high metabolism.
Lean Beef
Among meat protein sources, some beef cuts are healthy foods, with less fat to slow a high metabolism in 3-oz. servings than poultry, lamb and some fish. Beef round steak contains the least fat and cholestero, while providing 29 g of the FDA 50 g total protein value for the day. Liver has low fat but high cholesterol, so use it sparingly to speed up your system via its excellent iron content of 5 mg per serving. All meats contain several significant B vitamins, as well.
Lean Seafood
Mollusks are good alternative protein, iron and B-12 vitamin sources to meat. These healthy foods have more of the beneficial unsaturated fat and less of the saturated fat content that can thwart high metabolism. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest clams, with their 24 mg of iron and 21 g of protein in 3 oz., for a quick way to speed up red blood cell growth.
Prune Juice
Like cooked greens, prunes, or dried plums, have concentrated nutrition. This healthy food sends your iron totals soaring, with 3 mg of iron in 1 cup. You'll also enjoy a small protein boost along with significant content of several B vitamins, especially B-6.
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