foods boost metabolism

4 Foods Proven to Boost Metabolism, Promote Muscle Growth And Fat Loss

3. Chicken

Who doesn’t love a well-prepared chicken meal? It might be everyone’s favorite dish. It’s easy to prepare, versatile, cheap, delicious and can be eaten “on the go”. It’s also low in fat and high in protein. Bodybuilders especially like boneless and skinless chicken breast which they prepare in advance, put it Tupperware and combine it with all kinds of carbs and veggies. The benefits of consuming protein have been repeated endlessly on millions of fitness and nutrition articles on the Internet. However, they bear repeating every time. Here’s a quick recap:

This begs the question: if protein boosts your metabolism why do we only mention chicken? That’s because, instead of eating a juicy burger which is high in fats, chicken is both high-protein and low-fat which will allow you to experience the full effect of its metabolism-boosting properties. If you remember we already mentioned that fiber digestion requires a lot more calories than other foods. Well, when it comes to protein, the thermogenic effect is even greater. Protein requires more calories when it is digested than carbs and fats.

A study found that eating a high-protein diet will aid you in cutting your daily caloric needs. The same study also reported that it had found evidence which suggests that diets that are high in protein increase overall weight and fat loss compared to diets that were lower in protein. This just one more reason why you should always strive to add as much protein in your diet as possible.

 

4. Green tea

When talking about foods or drinks that are beneficial for your health and boost your metabolism, green tea is always in the top 5. Every healthy food list would be incomplete without mentioning this potent tea. It’s not without a reason that virtually every fat-burning supplement sold on the market contains green tea. It’s that good. The same as spicy foods, green tea is classified as a thermogenic. It will increase your caloric burn and help you burn more fat a lot faster. Nutrition scientists consider green tea to be one of the main weapons in battling the wide-spread obesity plaguing lots of people in the US and help them achieve a healthy weight.

Lots of studies have shown that green tea’s effects are not just a phenomenon occurring in lab rats, its effects are quite visible in humans too. And when you mix green tea’s properties with a proper nutrition plan you can achieve your fitness/weight-loss goals a lot faster than usual. You might wonder what makes it so special. Green tea contains compounds called catechins. Catechins are potent antioxidants found in abundance in green tea. They have been proven to improve lots of areas of your overall health, like hair, nail and skin health, not to mention that they could also aid in the fight against cancer development.

There is one specific catechin which is especially effective, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Nutritionists have singled out EGCG as the single most potent compound in green tea which packs the greatest punch. That’s also one of the reasons why EGCG is used in the majority of fat-burning supplements which help boost the metabolism and give a little extra edge when it comes to losing the extra fat faster. So, you could either make yourself a cup of hot green tea, or buy yourself a green tea supplement. Avoid putting too many sugar in it too, as you would want to avoid any excess calories, which may hinder your progress.

Summary

Even though none of the foods mentioned on this list will make you burn a significant number of extra calories, in the fat loss game every calorie counts. A bit by bit, all the extra calories here and there will add up. As evident from all the research made, boosting the metabolism is about consuming foods that increase thermogenesis. Whether you chose to feel the burn by eating spicy food or forcing the body to spend more calories by digesting protein, all of these methods are excellent ways to jump-start your metabolic furnace.


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