Your metabolism is controlled by hormones and your nervous system; it's the amount of energy needed to keep you alive, to allow you to be active and to digest food. Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is how much energy you need to keep your organs functioning; it accounts for up to 80 percent of all your energy. If you can raise your BMR, you can burn more calories -- even when you're sleeping. The best way to raise your BMR is by increasing your muscle mass, because muscle uses more energy than fat does, even when you are at rest. However, certain foods can raise your metabolism for a few hours after being eaten, which can also help you burn extra calories. Foods that raise your metabolism are called thermogenic foods, and they're easy to incorporate into any diet.
Fiber
High-fiber foods keep your digestive system working, which burns more calories. According to Weight-Loss-Center.net, digestion "naturally raises your metabolism, so the more digesting your body has to do, the higher your rate of burning calories is going to be." Try adding oats and legumes to your diet. Besides raising your metabolism, high-fiber foods can help you feel full longer, resulting in eating less often, which may aid in weight loss by lowering your total caloric intake.
Protein
Include protein in every meal and snack. When you eat fat, 3 percent of its calories are used in digestion. Digesting carbohydrates uses 8 percent of its calories. However, digesting protein can use up to 30 percent of its calories. Look at it this way: if you eat 100 calories of olive oil, you'll need to burn 97 calories; if you eat 100 calories of fruit, you'll need to burn 92 calories; but if you eat 100 calories of chicken, you'll only have to burn 70 calories. Calories that are consumed but not used right away for energy are stored as fat.
Capsaicin
Add some spice to your life. Foods that contain capsaicin, found in different types of spicy peppers, can boost your metabolism. The "New York Daily News" says that "men who consumed coffee and red pepper-packed snacks and meals burned almost 1000 more calories a day than the control group." Eating a single spicy meal daily can boost metabolism by up to 25 percent, and the effects can last for three hours after your meal.
Dairy
Drinking milk and adding other dairy products to your diet can raise your BMR. Milk contains calcium, which can boost your metabolism. A University of Tennessee study discovered that dieters who consumed 1200 mg of calcium daily lost twice as much weight as those who did not have enough calcium. Dairy foods may also contain magnesium, which every cell in your body needs for proper energy metabolism.
References
- Better Health Channel; Metabolism Explained; June 2009
- Weight-Loss-Center.net: Foods That Boost Metabolism
- "New York Daily News"; 15 Fat-Burning Foods; April 2009
- The University of Tennessee; Role of Dietary Calcium and Dairy in Modulating Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Stress and Lifespan; A. Bruckbauer; August 2009
- MSN Today Health; 7 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism; Samantha Heller; March 2008
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