MateFit - 5 Foods That Will Boost Your Metabolism This Winter
A common concern among people who are aiming to lose weight or sustain a healthy lifestyle is their metabolism, and since it’s responsible for how efficiently (or inefficiently!) your body uses energy converted from food, that seems to be a pretty valid concern. While your metabolic rate is mostly up to genetics, and while most people will burn calories at roughly the same rate, there are some dietary ways to make sure that yours is running in tip-top shape. Check out this list of tasty, healthy, and metabolism-boosting foods that you should incorporate into your diet to ensure that your body is working at its full capacity.
1) Egg Whites
Research has shown that egg whites are packed full of the essential amino acids that your body needs to keep your metabolism up. On top of that, they’re also a great source of vitamin D and protein. By eating only the egg whites and discarding the egg yolks, you ensure that you’re reaping all the nutritional benefits of eggs without the harmful cholesterol stored in the yolks.
2) Whole Grains
Whole grains are a nutritional source that everyone can use more of! Unlike refined grains, whole grains require your body to expend more energy to break down, which means your metabolism is working overtime. In addition to a metabolic boost, whole grains are also an important source of soluble and insoluble fiber—essential for digestive and heart health.
3) Herbal Tea
Studies have shown that people who regularly drink Herbal Tea (Green tea, Yerba Mate, and Oolong tea) have a higher metabolic rate than the individuals who do not. A 12-week study was conducted on 60 obese adults with all the participants placed on a three meals per day diet. They gave half the group green tea, and other was the controlled group. The group with green tea lost 24 pounds over the 12 week period.
4) Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a tasty treat that packs quite a nutritional punch! It contains about twice as much protein as regular yogurt, which is perfect for those looking to boost their metabolism since it’s such an important nutrient in the process. One serving typically contains between 10-20 grams of protein, 130 calories, and 0 grams of fat!
5) Lentils Having healthy levels of iron in your blood is absolutely necessary if you want your metabolism to use energy efficiently, and if it’s iron you’re searching for then look no further than lentils—this tasty legume can provide you with almost 40% of your recommended daily iron! On top of that, dried lentils are often very inexpensive, which is just another reason to include them as a dietary staple.