How to Boost Your Metabolism

Do you feel like your metabolism gets slower with age? If you feel like everything you eat is just being stored away in unwanted areas, it is time to start boosting your metabolism by making a few changes in your diet to best utilize the foods in your diet. Use these food tips to start increasing the amount of calories you burn, maximizing your energy, and start seeing those unwanted bulges disappear!

Water, water, water

Hydrating yourself with water encourages optimal bodily function and speeds up metabolism. If you don't like drinking plain water, try adding lemon, lime or orange zest. Drink at least 2L of water per day not including the water you drink during workouts.

Eat every 2-3 hours

Eat a small amount of protein along with complex carbs every 2-3 hrs. This would be 6 small meals a day. Eating frequently will make your body feel fully satisfied and will not go into starvation adaptation. Combining protein and carbs will cause a substantial decrease in cravings and prevent spikes in your blood sugar giving you increased energy throughout the day to burn more calories!

Fill up on fiber

This can be found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans. Be sure to drink plenty of water whenever you are consuming high fiber foods to have normal bowel movements. Fiber will help keep you full for a longer period of time. It is recommended to consume 25-40 g of fiber a day.

Don’t go past the point of hunger

Skipping a meal triggers a starvation response in the metabolism. This may cause it to slow down or hold on to food as stored fat. Eating more frequently will cause your body to consistently burn the food more efficiently will not be stored as fat.

Sugar is the white poison

Sugar will send metabolism into a slow downward spiral. All simple sugars and refined sugars must be avoided to keep the metabolism burning quickly. A few examples include white breads, white rice, candy, regular sodas and syrups.

Complex carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits satisfy the needs of an active body. Each meal should include generous servings of both!

Essential fats

It may sound funny, but heart healthy fats in your diet are very important in moderation to burn fat. Consume heart healthy fats such as fish, flax, flax seeds/oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, olives and all natural nut butters. Be careful, it may be difficult to control portion sizes of these tasty foods. A serving size is an estimated 1 tablespoon or a small handful. Udo's oil, flax, fish, walnuts, and Omega 3 fish oil pills are all rich in Omega 3’s and essential to incorporate as heart healthy fats as well.