“Geez! How can she eat so much fast food and still be so slim? She must have a pretty fast metabolism, huh?”
Does this sound vaguely familiar? I hear lines like these all the time – the infamous metabolism. Metabolism is the process of breaking down carbohydrates, fats and proteins to yield the energy your body needs to maintain itself. Most people are looking to increase their metabolic performance for weight loss but the practices of keeping your metabolism on the higher end of the performance chart happens to place your general health up on that end too!
“You’re young so you have a faster metabolism than me. No wonder you can eat all that stuff.”
Many factors determine the speed of your metabolism. Factors like sex, age and genetics are unchangeable but they only have a small role to play. If you have a slow metabolism, by adding and/or adjusting your lifestyle, you can have your metabolism revving and rearing to go no matter your age or sex!
Here are some foods which can help increase your metabolism:
Calcium, Complex Carbohydrates & Fibre
I mentioned before that calcium is the best way to lower acidity of the body. It helps keep the body’s pH close to it’s normal range of 7.35-7.45. The more acidic your body is, the slower your metabolism is going to be since more of your cells will not be working as they should, using less calories than they would if they were functioning at the optimum pH.
Foods high in fibre like whole grains and cereals and foods loaded with complex carbohydrates like apples, grapefruits, spinach, broccoli, beans, and other lovely leafy vegetables increase metabolism simply because it takes a lot of energy to digest them. More energy used = faster metabolism.
Calcium, complex carbohydrates and fibre are all substances that help keep the levels of insulin low after a meal. A spike in insulin level is a signal to the body that there are loads of carbohydrates floating around so it’s time to store it all away as fat. When your body starts to stock up on fats, the metabolism slows down so that you use fewer calories. Using fat for energy is, after all, a secondary mechanism…not primary. Of course, eating your low glycemic index foods help keep your insulin levels low too!