Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. It is determined by what you eat and drink and how much you exercise. Eating a heavy meal of hard-to-digest fats and carbohydrates makes you sleepy afterwards. Your body is working hard to break down what it has consumed, so your metabolic rate has slowed and your energy levels have plummeted. Eating simple whole foods instead, including low-fat fresh fruit and vegetables, speeds up your metabolism, significantly increasing your energy levels. Drinking fresh juices is the quickest and easiest way to consume good amounts of these metabolism-boosting foods.
Step 1
Buy a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. The bigger the selection of types and colors, the wider the range of vitamins and minerals you'll consume. Vitamins and minerals play a vital role in metabolism, in particular B vitamins, including niacin and folic acid, found in leafy green vegetables, bananas, avocados and melon; manganese found in blueberries, oranges, grapefruit and apricots; and copper, of which prunes and raisins are good sources.
Step 2
Choose organic ingredients whenever possible, and wash all fruit and vegetables to remove dirt and pesticides. Pesticides contain toxins, which can have a harmful effect on the thyroid, slowing metabolism and inhibiting weight loss.
Step 3
Add whole grains such as oatmeal, linseed and wheat germ to your juice recipes. Natural, unrefined carbohydrates speed up metabolism while processed and refined foods have the opposite effect. Including whole grains increases the fiber in your juice, which increases its metabolic effect.
Step 4
Include yogurt. According to Dr. Michael Zemel, nutrition professor at the University of Tennessee, calcium in the diet encourages the body to burn fat, increasing the metabolic rate.
Tips and Warnings
- Invest in a good juicer and a good juice recipe book to help you include a wide range of metabolism-boosting whole foods (see Resources).
- Although juices are good for you, include other foods in your diet too. If you intend to follow a juicing detox program, consult your medical practitioner first.
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