Eating right will increase your metabolism Eating the right foods will make more energy available for a more energetic lifestyle. Bad foods will slow down your metabolism and leave you feeling exhausted and hungry, while at the same time your body will store fat.
The higher your metabolism, the faster you will burn body fat. Increasing your metabolic rate by eating the right foods will keep you on track for long-term, sustainable fat loss.
First, let’s define metabolism. Your metabolism is the energy maker in your body. It is the total of all the processes in your body that result in the production of energy for maintenance and activities. With a higher metabolic rate, you will have more energy. Conversely, a lower metabolic rate will make you feel lethargic.
So how exactly do different foods affect your metabolism?
There are basically three food groups: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. For your body to function at its best, you need to consume all three. However, there is a food factor called “thermic effect” which simply refers to the amount of energy your body uses to digest and assimilate food. The thermic effect of food is one of your greatest allies in the war against body fat.
Of the three food groups, protein has twice the thermic effect of the other two food groups. In other words, your body must work twice as hard to process protein than it does to process fat or carbohydrates. Therefore, protein is your biggest helper when you want to lose excess body fat.
One benefit of eating protein is that protein makes you feel fuller and more satisfied for longer than carbohydrates or fat. Therefore, to receive the physical and mental benefit (“feeling full”) of protein, you should consume it in two to three hour intervals throughout the day. You should get a third of your daily calories from protein.
The following are “kings” of proteins for a complete metabolic effect:
Fish: mainly salmon, halibut, mackerel and tuna
Lean beef and wild game meat
eggs
Poultry
What “good” carbohydrates and “good” fats should you eat to provide the greatest health benefit to your body and maintain the thermic effect of food in favor?
The answer to that is the following:
“Good” carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates. These carbohydrates speed up metabolism. When digested, all carbohydrates end up as sugar, however, most complex carbohydrates contain small amounts of fat and protein, as well as vitamins and minerals. Complex carbohydrates are also more difficult to digest, so they have a greater thermic effect than simple carbohydrates. Multi-colored vegetables and low-sugar fruits such as apples, blueberries, bell peppers, spinach, celery, strawberries, cherries, nectarines, peaches, and pears are included.
By contrast, bad carbs include things like bread, rolls, muffins, cookies, pasta, pizza, corn chips, tacos, chips, ice cream, cake, candy, chocolate, cold cuts, soda, sugars, and foods that contain corn. syrup.
The “good” fats have an ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats that is between 2 and 3 to 1. You’ll naturally get some good fats in the best protein foods listed above. Also, walnuts, flax seed oil, coconut oil, and avocados are the best sources of “good” fats.
For more information on how foods affect your metabolism, as well as a simple and concise meal plan that ensures you eat the right foods at the right times for full thermal benefit, go to “Fat Is Gone” for a report that will open your eyes to the real secrets of fat blasting.
