What Do You Take To Speed Up Your Metabolism With Mustard?

The number of adult Americans who are overweight or obese has exceeded two-thirds of the population, according to the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. As a result, more and more people are searching for ways to boost their metabolism and lose weight. Fad diets featuring super-foods like mustard that miraculously boost your metabolism and cause rapid weight loss are popular, but there is very little evidence they are effective. The only way to safely and permanently increase your metabolism is to alter your lifestyle and eating habits.

Mustard

Spices such as mustard, also known as Brassica juncea, and chilli peppers, also called Capsicum annuum, are sometimes touted as effective metabolism boosters. Although spices do temporarily increase metabolism by about 8 percent, this effect is small and does not last long, according to an article published on November 28, 2006, in the New York Times. This minor effect is unlikely result in burning enough extra calories to make a significant impact on weight.

Food and Metabolism

Eating any type of food slightly increases your metabolism for about 5 hours after eating, according to the Student Nutrition and Body Awareness campaign at the University of California, Los Angeles. To digest and transport the nutrients in food, your body must expend a small amount of energy to fuel the biochemical reactions involved. However, the calories burned digesting food account for less than one-tenth of the total calories you burn in a single day.

Health Supplements

Similar to fad diets like mustard and cabbage soup, diet pills that claim to boost your metabolism and burn fat are unlikely to be effective, and may actually contain dangerous chemicals that can cause severe health problems, according to MayoClinic.com. Investigations into over-the-counter weight loss pills have found powerful prescription medications such as blood pressure and seizure medications, as well as the drug sibutramine, which was banned in 2010 due to health risks, reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Safely Boosting Metabolism

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to safely boost your metabolism. Avoid skipping meals or severely restrictive diets. When you starve your body, it responds by greatly slowing down metabolism to conserve energy and burn fewer calories. Look for opportunities throughout the day to be more active, such as walking up stairs or parking farther away from your destination. Physical activity increases your metabolism for a short period, and the more active you are, the higher your metabolism will stay.