You must have wondered that your colleague or a friend eats twice as much as you without gaining a single pound while just a spoonful goes straight to your hips. The answer lies in metabolism, which is a small engine in your body that burns calories all day, every day. Men have a tendency to burn more calories than women, even at rest. Unfortunately, for most people, metabolism slows down after age 40. However, you cannot control your age, gender, or genetics but can try some ways to boost your metabolism. Here are some ways to follow.
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Consume Protein-rich Food
When you eat, you burn some calories to digest your food. This is recognized as the thermic effect of food, and it makes up around 10% of your energy expenditure. You burn more calories digesting protein as compared to fats and carbs. Around 20-30% of protein’s energy is utilized in digestion. For carbohydrates, the percentage is 5-10%, and for fat, it is 3%. Therefore, consume protein-rich food to boost your metabolism. It provides you with a greater sense of fullness and prevents overeating. Nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, dairy, eggs, lean meat, and fish are good sources of quality proteins.
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Stay Hydrated
Your body requires water to process calories. If you stay dehydrated, your metabolism will slow down. You should consume 8-10 glasses of water daily to burn maximum calories. Avoid sugary drinks as they contain calories and can make you overweight—snack on fresh fruits and vegetables instead of chips or crackers.
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Add Some Spice to Your Meals
Spicy food contains chemicals that speed up your metabolism. Add a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper to your cooking food. Though the effects are temporary, the benefits will last if you eat spicy food more often. For example, pasta with red chili and stewed with red pepper flakes taste fantastic.
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Drink More Coffee
Caffeine in your coffee boosts the central nervous system, speeding up your metabolism. In addition, it improves lipolysis (breakdown of fat). Sipping a cup of black coffee before a workout is beneficial in boosting metabolism and losing weight. Make sure to skip sweeteners.
Remember that a few cups of black coffee are enough for a healthy metabolism, but if you constantly consume it, you will stop realizing how hungry you are. It makes your metabolism sluggish. At night, when you have your dinner, your body will store a maximum of it as fat. So stick to 3-4 cups of coffee a day.
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Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Consuming healthy oils is essential for losing weight and boosting metabolism. The right kind of oil and fat helps to suppress hunger, increase your metabolism, and pace nutrients through your body by assisting to absorb fat-soluble nutrients. Olive oil is fantastic for burning calories and losing weight compared to low-fat diets. In addition, extra virgin oil increases the blood level of serotonin, the hormone associated with pleasure.
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Laugh More
It is not a joke. A burst of genuine laughter increases basal energy expenditure and heart rate. A 10-15 minutes giggle helps to burn 40-170 calories. So keep laughing to keep your metabolism active and lose some calories every now and then.
*Information in this article is not medical advice and may not be factually accurate. It is intended for entertainment purposes only. Consult with a physician before attempting any tips in this blog post and to get the most up to date factual data about any procedure or treatment.
