Natural ways to boost your metabolism

Food & Fitness, General Health | February 6th | By J.S.Chang, RD

Having a higher metabolism means you can burn more calories and it’s easier to lose weight as well! Here are a few tips:

1. Eating more protein at every meal

Protein causes the largest rise in metabolic rate, when compared to carbs or fat. Eating protein has also been shown to help you feel fuller and prevent you from overeating.

At the same time, it counters the effects of muscle loss when you are dieting too!

2. Doing a high-intensity workout

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves quick and very intense bursts of activity. It can help you burn more fat by increasing your metabolic rate, even after your workout has finished. This effect is believed to be greater than other types of exercise.

3. Drinking green tea or Oolong tea

Green tea and oolong tea have been shown to increase metabolism by 4–5%. These teas help convert some of the fat stored in your body into free fatty acids, which may increase fat burning by 10–17%.

As they are low in calories, drinking these teas may be good for both weight loss and weight maintenance as well.

4. Eating spicy foods

Peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that can boost your metabolism though many people can’t tolerate these spices at the doses required to have a significant effect.

Alone, the effects of adding spices to your food may be quite small.

However, it may lead to a slight advantage when combined with other metabolism-boosting strategies.