We are born we are either blessed with a fast metabolism or burdened with a slow one. But what makes this a burden anyway? What if I told you that a slow metabolism is actually a blessing in disguise?
First, it’s important to fully understand that the word “metabolism” refers to the biochemical process that transforms the calories you eat into nutrients the body will be able to use, the fat it can store and what it can rid your body of. We are quick to blame our successes and failures on the scale on whether or not we were biologically gifted with a fast metabolism. Truth is, the most overweight people have the fastest metabolisms—so having a relative “slow” metabolism isn’t the worst thing.
If you're looking to stay in shape, don't blame your body. Instead, find a happy medium by avoiding extremes (neither too fast of a metabolism, nor too slow) and making the best of your own metabolism (think the slowest fast metabolism or the fastest slow metabolism). An easy way to do this, along with a healthy workout routine, is by including the following foods:
1. Drink lots of green tea!
About four to six cups of green tea every day will boost your metabolism into burning an extra 100 calories! Why, you may ask? It’s because this caffeinated tea contains the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which helps stimulate the number of calories you burn in twenty-four hours.
2.Don’t skip breakfast
This one is really important because you have to literally break the fast you just slept through! By choosing not to eat breakfast within two hours of waking up your body will go into starvation mode—slowing your metabolism. It’s important to avoid this because having an empty stomach sends a message to the body that it has to conserve energy.
3. Spice it up
According to a study in the International Journal of Obesity, eating chili peppers (because of its compound Capsaicin) sparks up your metabolism by five percent. Another suggestion of how you can spice up your metabolism into working at a faster rate is by eating spicy mustard (because of its compound Allyl isothiocyanate).
4. Eat your vitamins
Make sure to eat lots of foods with B vitamins (especially niacin) since it will increase energy production from the mitochondria—power needed to drive your cells. Easy ways of upping your B-vitamin intake is by including foods like produce, dairy products, eggs and whole grains.
5. Protein
Make sure not to forget the part of your diet that is essential for maintaining muscle mass! Protein is found in a lot of foods, but the healthiest (and best) source would have to be chicken breast. By increasing your muscle mass you will also capable of burning more calories. Protein is also great because it takes longer to digest than most foods—so you’ll feel full longer!
