5 SIMPLE TIPS TO A FASTER METABOLISM

Do you actually know what your metabolism is and what it does? The word is always used when discussing food and weight, however the actual role of what it does is less well known.

In a nutshell, your metabolism is the process that your body goes through when converting food and drink into energy. Metabolic speeds vary from person to person and is also dependant on people’s age, sex and body weight. The metabolism is kick started when you eat and drink, therefore, if you do not eat breakfast, or if you are on a very strict ‘no food’ diet, your metabolism will tend to slow down, meaning that when you do eat properly again, your body will naturally gain weight as it will not be able to break down the food into energy as quickly as it did before you went on the diet.

The good news is that there are certain foods and drinks that help to speed your metabolism up, which can help you to lose weight healthily without having to starve yourself. These five foods are great staple products that you should always have handy in your house:

1. Fish

Protein as a whole works to speed up the metabolism compared to other foods and nutrients; fish has a very low protein:calorie  ratio, making it a top choice if you are looking to lose weight as well as speed up the metabolism.

2. Green Tea

Green tea has many benefits that make it a worthwhile household product. While being full of anti-oxidants, it also contains catechins, which work to speed up the metabolic rate, aswell as breaking down fat molecules in the body. I would recommend between 3-5 cups of green tea per day.

3. Spices

The compound in chillies that makes them spicey has been found to turn up your metabolism a notch while also reducing hunger. And it is not just chilli that boosts your metabolism; ginger, cloves, coriander, bay leaves and cinnamon do the same job too. Try to incorporate these spices into your daily cooking and you will see some positive results.

4. Eggs

Eating eggs for breakfast gives your body a metabolic boost for the start of the day. Eggs tend to keep you more full for longer and they are a great food to kick start your metabolism for the day ahead.

5. Water

It is extremely important to keep hydrated as this keeps your metabolism functioning throughout the day. Study's have shown that people who drink the recommended daily water intake have a higher metabolic rate than those who drink less water throughout the day.  Also, when you do not drink enough, your body often confuses its dehydration with hunger, which results in you eating more than you actually need.

Even if you are not looking to lose weight, try to incorporate the above foods and drinks into your daily diet rather than skipping meals and see if it makes a difference to you.

Interested in more exercise and weight loss tips? Follow me on Twitter @GeorgieDonk