Lots of dieters are on the lookout for metabolism boosting foods and beverages. There is a lot of misleading information that gives lists of metabolism boosting foods without any scientific justification of the claims. Here is a list of some of the scientifically researched metabolism boosting foods. You may want to bookmark this page for future reference as you may need to keep coming back to these metabolism boosters.
Metabolism boosting foods work by stimulating the Sympathetic Nervous System(SNS). The SNS is the body’s response to stressful situations that induce the fight-or-flight response. Lets assume you are walking down the street and suddenly come face-to-face with a tiger. Your SNS produces the bodily responses necessary for you to run from the tiger. The SNS also has a crucial role in the regulation of metabolic and cardiovascular processes.
Low SNS activity has been linked to a higher risk of weight gain as published in the Proceedings of the Nutritional Society in 1996. This was also reaffirmed in an article published in the Neuroscience BioBehaviour Journal in 2009. SNS activity increases thermogenesis which causes your body to expend excess energy as heat.
An article was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1980 that investigated the effects of coffee and caffeine as one of the metabolism boosting foods. In that study, researchers compared one group that consumed coffee with a control group took decaffeinated coffee. Both groups consumed a meal. Researchers concluded that the metabolic boost was significantly higher when participants took coffee with their meal. The researchers also found increased fat oxidation among the coffee drinking participants. The researchers further went to conclude that caffeine or coffee stimulates the metabolic rate.
Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1981 reinforced coffee as one of the more potent metabolism boosting foods. Researchers concluded that caffeinated coffee increased energy expenditure by 16% over 1 to 2 hour period compared with decaffeinated coffee.
Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1989 also had similar conclusions about coffee as one of the effective metabolism boosting foods. The researchers concluded that caffeine at commonly consumed doses can have a significant influence on energy balance and as one of the foods that help with metabolism.
Minimize milk, cream and sugar when having your coffee. These are filled with empty calories and can actually make your put on weight. There is a lot of supporting research which gives credence to coffee as one of the main metabolism boosting foods.
Researchers at the University of Geneva investigated the efficacy of green tea as one of the metabolism boosting foods. Researchers concluded that participants that consumed green tea extract had a noticeable increase in metabolism compared to participants who took a placebo. The researchers also theorized that green tea compounds called polyphenols boosted fat metabolism in the liver.
Caffeine is another component that stimulates the metabolism. Green tea extract also contains caffeine. Researchers found that the metabolic boost in green tea was not solely attributed to the caffeine. This is because the metabolic boost attained by having green tea extract was greater than when participants took an equivalent amount of caffeine.
You should consider consuming 1 to 2 cups of green tea each day. Besides its role as one of the metabolism boosting foods, it also contains lots of antioxidants. For further information on the beneficial effects of green tea on weight loss, read the following information;
Green tea and weight lossThe capsicum family or hot peppers contain a substance called capsaicin. This substance plays the predominant role in giving hot pep its properties as one the very potent metabolism boosting foods. One interesting study was published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology in 1995 which gave credence to hot peppers as one of the effective metabolism boosting foods. Researchers found that participants who consumed 10g of red pepper with their meal had a metabolic boost for 30 minutes after the meal. There was an increase in thermogenesis as well as fat oxidation in these women.
A study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2009 that further affirmed the role of hot peppers as one of the metabolism boosting foods.
Hot peppers should be a staple of your weight loss regimen. There is a lot of research that validates it as one of the more potent metabolism boosting foods.
Being adequately hydrated ensures that you have an optimal metabolic rate. Water is one of the most underestimated of metabolism boosting foods. Water does not boost your metabolic rate directly but instead ensures that it is not adversely affected by low hydration levels. Cell metabolism is adversely affected when hydration level in your body is low. You can get more information about water and weight loss from the following resource;
Drinking water keeps your metabolism at optimal levelsYou may have heard before that drinking cold water could help to give your metabolic rate a boost. A number of studies have been done on the subject. These studies have shown a positive effect of drinking cold water although the studies disagree on the extent of the metabolic boost. Please read the following article for more information on the effects of drinking cold water on your metabolism;
Does drinking cold water help weight lossThe findings of a study was published in the Proceedings of Experimental Biology and Medicine in 1988 where scientists made interesting claims about black pepper’s effect on boosting metabolism. Researchers found that black pepper contained a pungent component known as piperine which induced body warming. Black pepper also has lots of other health benefits. For this reason, you should consider taking it regularly.
The findings of a study was published in the Proceedings of Experimental Biology and Medicine in 1988 where scientists made interesting claims about ginger’s effect as one of the metabolism boosting foods. Researchers found that ginger contained a pungent component known as gingerol which induced body warming. Another study published in the Journal of Life Sciences in 1994 also had similar findings.
An article was published in the Journal of Human Nutrition Clinical Nutrition in 1982 that first espoused spices such as red pepper and mustard as metabolic boosting foods. Researchers found that there was an increase of 25% in the post-spicy meal resting resting metabolic rate.
Medium chain triacylglycerol (MCT) is a type of fatty acid that is found in coconut oil. The findings of a study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1996 that investigated MCT as one of the possible metabolism boosting foods. The researchers concluded that relatively low-to-moderate intake of MCT (15-30 g per day) as part of habitual diet could increase your body”s daily energy consumption. In other words, the fatty acids contained in coconut oil gave your metabolism a boost.
Another article published in the Journal Obesity in 2003 also recommended MCTs in coconut oil as an aid to lose weight.
The family of B vitamins play an important role in your body’s metabolism. The most notable ones that have an impact on your body’s metabolism include vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. Other B vitamins such as folate, niacin and thiamin are also essential for a healthy metabolism. Metabolism boosting foods high in B vitamins include asparagus, spinach, fish, poultry, eggs and most beans.
An article was published in the Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry in 2005. Researchers found that rats fed with black tea extract had significant reduction in food intake and body weight. The effect of black tea as one of the metabolism boosting foods is not as pronounced as coffee or green tea.
Magnesium is an essential mineral which plays a role in over 300 biochemical reactions in your body. Magnesium plays a critical role in energy production in the tiny power plants in your cells, called mitochondria. Refer to the following for more information about magnesium;
Foods rich in magnesiumCoenzymeQ10 (CoQ10) is a vitamin that plays an important role in energy production in the mitochondria. 95% of the energy generated in your body is via a process known as aerobic cellular respiration. CoQ10 plays an essential role in this process. The importance of CoQ10 as a vital component in aerobic respiration is the reason why energy intensive organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys have high concentrations of it.
CoQ10 is produced in the body via the same process that produces cholesterol. It is for this reason that the use of statin drugs affect the production of CoQ10 within the body. CoQ10 is also affected by aging. According to an article published in the Journal of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, meat, fish, nuts, and some oils are the richest nutritional sources of CoQ10. Lower levels of CoQ10 can also be found in most dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and cereals.
A multivitamin is a form of nutritional insurance for any nutritional deficiency that you may have. The body has so many complex biochemical processes that a small deficiency in an essential mineral or vitamin can affect the efficiency of that process. It is for that reason that you should consume a quality multivitamin/multimineral. Most people who start taking a multivitamin will usually see a noticeable difference in their energy levels. Another reason for taking a quality multivitamin/multimineral is to ensure that you are getting the recommended dosage of B vitamins and magnesium.
You can verify the quality of your multivitamin/multimineral by ascertaining if it is validated by Consumerlab. Consumerlab is an independent body that verifies the efficacy of supplements.
In general, spicy food have been shown to have the biggest impact on the metabolism. As explained earlier in the article, these foods have an impact on the SNS. Although the current research is predominantly focused on a few foods, we can probably assume that all spicy foods would have a positive effect on the metabolism. These includes chillies and other pungent spices. Dieters who are on a reduced calorie diet may consider adding lots of these metabolism boosting foods to their regimen to ensure that their diet does not have a negative effect on their metabolic rate. These metabolism boosting foods should also be eaten regularly. This is because the pungent components such as capsaicin, piperine, gingero, mustard and MCT have lots of health benefits as well.
Mariana Ashley from the online college has contributed content to this article.
Public date: 07/19/2011// Categories: Health, Nutrition, Weight Loss
// Tags: boosting your metabolism, foods that help with metabolism, metabolism, metabolism boosters, metabolism boosting foods, metabolism boosting foods and drinks, metabolism boosting foods diet, metabolism boosting foods for men, metabolism boosting foods for weight loss, metabolism boosting foods for women, metabolism boosting foods list, metabolism boosting foods spices, metabolism boosting foods vitamins, metabolism boosting vitamins Back to topParamjit is passionate about getting the message out there on how to achieve healthy and sustainable weight loss.
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