The best way to increase metabolism is to exercise more. However, some foods have mild metabolism-increasing effects that promote healthy weight management. Incorporating these foods into your healthy lifestyle can help edge you toward your weight loss goals. Over time, the combination of the right foods and the right amount of physical activity may result in the most efficient metabolism for you.
Green Tea
Decaffeinated green tea may help you lose weight, according to a study published in the December 2010 issue of the "Journal of Human Nutrition." In the study on weight reduction in overweight breast cancer survivors, participants drank about 40 oz. of decaffeinated green tea per day for six months. They consumed significantly fewer calories, and lost an average of 2.64 lbs. Green tea also increased high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, "good" cholesterol levels. The researchers concluded that decaffeinated green tea was helpful in promoting moderate weight loss, in this study.
Grapefruit
Drinking grapefruit juice before meals may help you lose weight, according to a study published in the February 2011 issue of the journal "Nutrition and Metabolism." In the study, 85 obese participants consumed either grapefruit extract or grapefruit juice before breakfast, lunch and dinner each day for 12 weeks in combination with a calorie-restricted diet. Grapefruit consumption combined with calorie restriction resulted in up to 29 percent lower calorie intake. The group lost an average of 7 percent body weight and increased HDL cholesterol levels by an average of 6 percent for the extract and 8 percent for the juice.
Dairy
Adding low-fat milk products to your diet might speed up weight loss, according to a study published in the July 2010 "Journal of Nutrition." The combination of dairy protein and calcium seem to have a synergistic effect, enhancing weight loss more effectively than either one by itself. In the study on laboratory animals, four-week diets containing skim milk powder, whey protein, casein protein and soy protein along with two levels of calcium were compared. Diets containing skim milk protein and the higher level of calcium resulted in more weight loss.
Chili Peppers
A study published in the August 2010 issue of the journal "Nutrition and Metabolism" reported that the heat from chili peppers increases metabolism and promotes weight loss. In the study, 12 young adult male volunteers took 10 mg of capsinoids -- the active ingredient in chili peppers -- while resting, 30 minutes before cycling for 90 minutes, and 30 minutes after completing the exercise. Capsinoids increased adrenal gland activity, which speeds metabolism, and increased use of fats for energy when taken during rest but did not have the same effect during or after exercise.
References
- "Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics"; Green Tea Improves Metabolic Biomarkers, Not Weight or Body Composition: A Pilot Study in Overweight Breast Cancer Survivors; N.R. Stendell-Hollis, et al.; 2010
- "Nutrition and Metabolism"; Effects of Grapefruit, Grapefruit Juice and Water Preloads on Energy Balance, Weight Loss, Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Risk in Free-Living Obese Adults; H.J. Silver, et al.; 2011
- "Journal of Nutrition"; A High Calcium, Skim Milk Powder Diet Results in a Lower Fat Mass in Male, Energy-Restricted, Obese Rats More Than a Low Calcium, Casein, or Soy Protein Diet; L.K. Eller, et al.; 2010
- Nutrition and Metabolism"; Effects of Capsinoid Ingestion on Energy Expenditure and Lipid Oxidation at Rest and During Exercise; A.R. Josse, et al.; 2010
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