Meals to Boost Metabolism

Many fad diet plans and dietary supplements claim to speed up your metabolism, making extra weight melt away. Although these products rarely work, there are certain foods that boost your metabolism and might help you lose weight. Before beginning a new diet plan designed to boost your metabolism, consult your doctor to ensure it is safe and healthy for you.

Metabolic Processes

A number of factors determine the speed of your metabolism, the processes by which your body turns the foods you eat into energy. Many basic functions performed by your body help determine your metabolic rate, including breathing, cardiovascular activity, cell production and digestion. Other factors that affect metabolism include genetics, age, daily activity level, gender and thyroid functioning. You cannot change most of these factors, but you can change the foods you eat, the number of calories you consume and how often you eat.

Metabolism Boosting Foods

Several different types of food increase your metabolism. According to Kelly Aronica, a nutritionist from Connecticut, the spices turmeric, cayenne pepper, chili pepper and ginger increase metabolic activity. Eating lean protein also improves your metabolic rate. Boosting your protein intake has the added benefit of increasing lean muscle mass, which can raise the amount of calories you burn at rest. Drinking caffeinated green tea or coffee also could increase your metabolism, promoting weight loss.

Other Tips

Although you need to restrict caloric intake to lose weight, do not eat fewer than 1,000 calories a day. Severely restricting calorie consumption causes your metabolism to slow dramatically. To keep your metabolic rate high, eat five or six small meals throughout the day rather than two or three large meals. Incorporate lean protein into each meal to help boost your metabolism.

Meals

For breakfast, eat a piece of whole-wheat toast with 2 Tbsp. of peanut butter. Drink a glass of nonfat milk for additional lean protein or some green tea. At lunch, eat a salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, nuts and a light vinaigrette dressing. Or eat a turkey or grilled chicken breast sandwich on whole-wheat bread. For dinner, have chicken curry containing turmeric, ginger and ground pepper. Make your own sauce using nonfat, plain yogurt to reduce the fat levels compared with restaurant Indian food. Have sauteed vegetables or a mixed salad on the side. In addition, eat one or two snacks throughout the day to give yourself energy, such as a banana with peanut butter, nonfat yogurt with berries or a handful of nuts.

Considerations

Although boosting protein consumption and eating certain foods can raise your metabolism slightly, these methods will not suddenly make you lose weight without other lifestyle changes. Dietitian Katherine Zeratsky of MayoClinic.com warns that the most important factor in weight loss is not metabolic rate but eating fewer calories than your body uses. Increasing your daily activity level and monitoring your caloric intake by following a balanced diet plan promote weight loss. If you think you have a metabolic disorder or want more information about healthy weight loss, consult a physician.