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Are you searching for the effective ways to increase your metabolism naturally? Your metabolism is determined due to several factors, such as sex, genes, age, hormone levels, activity level, and body size and composition. A low or slow metabolism may have a significant effect on your body weight, energy level, and overall health. Having a high metabolism, on the other hand, can give you energy while making you feel better. You can make a few small dietary and lifestyle changes to increase your metabolism if its rate is low. We are here to share with you the best ways on how to increase your metabolism naturally fast. Keep reading to know more!
- Best ways to burn body fat while building muscle at the same time
- Effective home remedies for weight loss
19 Approved Ways On How To Increase Your Metabolism Naturally Fast
I. What Is Metabolism?
Metabolism describes the procedure of breaking down of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins to produce energy in your body. The metabolism makes up for the whole range of biological processes that occur internally. The metabolism rate relies on the interaction between the number of calories you burn by exercising and the number of calories you eat. Metabolism includes two categories:
- Catabolism: It’s the set of metabolic pathways responsible for breaking down larger molecules into smaller units.
- Anabolism: It is also called biosynthesis that assists your body in growing new cells and maintaining the tissues.
An individual with a fast metabolism will reduce more weight than a person with a slower metabolism rate.
II. Best And Worst Foods For Your Metabolism
A. Best Foods
Here are the top superfoods to increase your metabolism:
- Broccoli: It is flooded with vitamin C and calcium, all of which work together to assist you in burning calories more effectively and faster. Vitamin C aids you in absorbing more calcium while calcium helps to activate your metabolism.
- Cayenne Pepper: It is well known for its capsaicin, which has a positive effect on the metabolic rate of your body. Capsaicin has thermogenic abilities that assist cells in converting energy into heat.
- Grapefruits: They can help to improve the function of the metabolic system thanks to its vitamin C. Vitamin C also helps to regulate fat metabolism and burn fat. Also, this fruit possesses naringenin, a flavonoid, which has excellent antioxidant qualities required for metabolism.
- Apples: Apples are ideal for people who want to boost their metabolism because they are rich in soluble fiber and low in calories. Also, its fiber content is helpful for improving digestion and bowel movement.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is an excellent way to lose weight and speed up your metabolism because it is low in calories. Apart from that, it is full of phytochemicals and antioxidants, which can boost your metabolism.
B. Worst Foods
If you are planning to increase your metabolism, avoid the following foods
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- Soft Drinks: Soft drinks may affect your metabolic rate because they contain the sugar & carbonated content.
- Alcohol: Consuming alcohol may be harmful to your physiological and psychological health, as it can result in organ damage and addiction. Besides, it has the toxins that slow your metabolic rate down and prevent weight loss too.
- Sugary Foods: Eating a lot of chocolates, milkshakes, sweets, etc., can slow down your metabolism since these foods are high in sugar. The high content of sugar in your blood can prevent weight loss and cause other health complications.
- Wheat: Overeating wheat-based foods can reduce your metabolism and trigger weight loss because wheat consists of gluten, one of the leading components which are responsible for decreasing your metabolism and causing other ailments.
- Low-Protein Foods: As you know, protein is one of the vital nutrients needed by the body, particularly if you’re trying to reduce weight, as protein can enhance the metabolism and tone the muscles. Therefore, if you’re not taking enough of eggs, lean meat, milk, etc., it can also lower your metabolism.
III. How To Increase Your Metabolism Naturally Fast
Do you want to know the best ways on how to boost up your metabolism? The following tips and tricks will help you a lot. Let’s check out!
1. Increase Fluid Intake
You can boost your metabolism by consuming water together with other healthy fluids. Water also aids your body in shredding fat more quickly.
- Drink at least eight to ten glasses of water every day.
- Consume ice water once or twice a day.
- Include fresh vegetable and fruit juices in your diet.
- Consume several cups of herbal teas such as chamomile tea, ginger tea, peppermint tea, green tea, and others.
- Low-fat milk, coconut water, yogurt, soy milk, and vegetables and fruits will also be good options.
2. Get Vitamin D
Vitamin D is ideal for boosting up your metabolism and helping you lose weight. According to studies, low levels of vitamin D may cause fat accumulation, thus reducing your metabolism rate. Along with that, this vitamin helps to promote intestinal absorption of iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphate that are crucial for a healthy body.
- Eat vitamin D rich foods such as fortified milk, fatty fish, liver, and eggs.
- Exposure to the morning sunlight for ten minutes every day to help your body yield vitamin D.
- Take vitamin D supplements after consulting a doctor.
3. Exercise Daily
Daily exercise is considered as one of the best ways to increase your metabolism. Your metabolic rate will rise when you exercise. During the recovery period, exercise will help to keep the resting energy expenditure high.
- Perform two strength training sessions a week.
- Do thirty minutes of anaerobic exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups & sprints every day.
- Do aerobic exercises such as swimming, cycling, walking, and running for about half an hour daily.
4. Include Fruits And Veggies In Your Diet
Both fruits and veggies are full of dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and other phytonutrients, which work wonders in detoxifying the body, suppressing hunger, preventing cardiovascular diseases, and improving bowel movement. These nutrients help to increase the metabolic rate by decreasing inflammation in your body. Inflammation is one of the main causes of inflammation-induced obesity and slow metabolism. So, it’s best to include colorful and green leafy veggies such as spinach, kale, Chinese cabbage, rocket spinach, cabbage, carrot, tomatoes, bell pepper, celery, etc. in your regular diet. Also, add fruits such as avocado, banana, black grape, apple, orange, lemon, pineapple, strawberry, blueberry, etc. to your diet.
5. Eat Nuts
Eating nuts is another way to boost your metabolism since they are abundant in protein, vitamin, and healthy fats. Healthy fats can lower the chance of inflammation-induced obesity by reducing inflammation. Nuts are also excellent for improving metabolism, raising satiety, and helping metabolize fat. It is advisable to eat 5 to 6 soaked almonds with your breakfast in the morning. Also, you can include walnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, etc. in your dark chocolate or yogurt to give it an additional crunch and flavor.
6. Consume Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Being polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids are helpful in reducing inflammation in your body. Nowadays most foods that we eat have an imbalanced scale of omega-3-fatty acids & omega-6-fatty acids. Eating foods that contain a good quantity of omega-3s will help rebalance the scale and help to enhance metabolic rate. Consequently, it will help decrease weight. Consume fish (with skin), fish oil, flax seeds, soybean, hemp seeds, spinach, walnut, caviar, Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and egg yolk.
7. Consume Foods Rich In Irons
Iron plays a vital role in the metabolic reactions. Thus, lack of iron can cause your metabolism to reduce and deprive the cells of oxygen that can result in improper cell functioning. It’s suggested to consume foods high in iron such as dark green leafy veggies, beans, seafood, peas, beetroot, spirulina, dark chocolate, lentils, raisin, beef liver, and pistachio.
8. Follow A Healthy Eating Pattern
Apart from eating healthy foods, you also need to follow a healthy habit to increase metabolism. Consuming regular meals & healthy snacks help to support your metabolism all the day.
- Begin your day with a balanced and healthy breakfast. According to a study in 2012, a high-fat breakfast will help your body reduce fat and boost your metabolism too.
- In between meals, eat healthy snacks.
- Instead of consuming two large meals, consume smaller meals regularly during the day.
- If you’re trying to decrease weight, stay away from indulging in heavy dinners. In addition to this, eat dinner at least two hours before hitting the bed.
9. Lower Stress Levels
Stress induces insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and inflammation, etc. in your body. Inflammation can cause slowed down metabolism. In any case, stress isn’t good for your mental and physical health. Thus, it’s advisable to relax and remove any negative thought. You can do something to reduce your stress such as cooking, playing a sport, traveling, painting, watching movies, going out with friends, going to the spa, learning a new skill, and walking your dog.
10. Avoid Trans-Fats
Generally speaking, trans fats are not good and can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver, insulin resistance, etc. Consuming foods having trans fats can cause inflammation and toxic buildup, which ultimately leads to a slow metabolism. Stay away from foods such as fries, doughnut, potato wafers, batter-fried foods, deep fried chicken, frozen pizza, biscuits, fried crunchy noodles, non-dairy creamers, etc.
11. Decrease Alcohol Consumption
Weddings, promotions, birthdays, house parties, office parties, you name it. These days, alcohol is an elemental part of any celebration. But, you should be careful about drinking alcohol since you can have a slow metabolism. Besides, too much alcohol in your body can lead to dehydration that increases inflammation. As a result, it will lead to a slower metabolic rate. Thus, it’s important to reduce alcohol consumption.
12. Get Enough Sleep
It will cause a toxic buildup in your body, leading to inflammation along with slow metabolic rate if you don’t sleep enough. Sleep deficiency is closely associated with weight gain. Ensure you get a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily. Don’t use your bed for non-sleeping activities. For examples, don’t read, play video games or watch TV in bed.
13. Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods are full of sugar, fat, and salt and consist of few or not vitamins and nutrients. These foods taste great, yet they reduce your metabolism. Along with that, they will make you feel hungry and wanting more, causing even greater weight gain. So, avoid sweet baked goods, candy, chips, fast food, candy, and other processed foods.
14. Get Enough Protein
Lean proteins such as chicken breast, tofu, beans, and nuts can be great for increasing your metabolism. Plus, proteins are harder to digest than salt, sugar, and fat, and thus require you’re your body work harder. Consequently, this will speed up the metabolism.
- Bake or grill chicken or turkey if you like them.
- Don’t consume processed cheese or dairy.
- Avoid processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, sliced beef, salami, and fast food burgers because these are related to heart disease and cancer.
IV. Effective Remedies To Increase Your Metabolism
Here are some of the most effective remedies to increase your metabolism naturally.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Why This Works
Don’t ignore apple cider vinegar because it is an ideal remedy to increase your metabolism rate, helping you to burn calories more effectively. It additionally prevents you from becoming too acidic by alkalizing your body.
You Will Need
- Raw, unfiltered ACV – 1 to 2 teaspoons
- Water – 1 glass
How To Do
Just mix the prepared amounts of ACV in the water and consume this solution each morning & before meals. For best results, follow this routine every day.
Side Effects Of Apple Cider Vinegar
- Overconsumption of apple cider vinegar can lead to bone loss and low potassium levels.
- It isn’t good to drink undiluted ACV since it’s highly acidic and may irritate the tissues of your throat and esophagus.
- ACV can interact with some medications such as Digoxin, diuretic drugs, and diabetes medicines. Thus, before taking it, consult your doctor.
2. Warm Lemon Water
Why This Works
Warm lemon water is beneficial for alkalizing your body and boosting your metabolism. Along with that, it keeps you hydrated and helps fight hunger cravings. Adding some black pepper to lemon water will enhance your metabolism and lose weight.
You Will Need
- Warm water – 1 glass
- ½ lemon
- Honey – one teaspoon
- Black pepper powder – ½ teaspoon
How To Do
Squeeze out the lemon juice and add it to warm water. Then, mix in the black pepper powder and honey. After that, consume it on an empty stomach in the morning. Enjoy it every day to ignite your metabolism.
Side Effects Of Lemon Water
- Overconsumption of lemon water can worsen acid reflux and trigger heartburn.
- Lemon juice can erode your tooth enamel because of its citric acid.
- Because it has the diuretic effect, lemon water can lead to excessive dehydration in rare cases.
3. Ginger
Why This Works
Ginger can help increase body temperature slightly when consumed it because it possesses thermogenic qualities. This aids in increasing your metabolic rate. It is also helpful for increasing the feeling of being satisfied so that you consume less and burn calories more quickly.
You Will Need
- Freshly chopped ginger root – one teaspoon
- Boiling water – 1 cup
- Honey
How To Do
Firstly, add the ginger root the boiling water. Next, cover and let it steep for around 10-15 minutes. Then, strain and add some honey. After that, sip one cup of this tea gradually twice or thrice every day. You can also chew a small fresh ginger root piece or take ginger capsules after checking with your doctor.
Side Effects Of Ginger
- If you have a bleeding disorder or bad heart, consult a doctor before using ginger medicinally.
- If you’re pregnant, use lower doses of ginger. Also, ginger is not recommended for breastfeeding mothers.
4. Oil Pulling
Why This Works
Oil pulling is often used in Ayurveda for detoxification of your body. Plus, it can be effective for increasing metabolism and shedding excess pounds. Oil pulling is harmless, inexpensive and easy to do.
You Will Need
- Sesame oil or organic coconut oil – one or two tablespoons
How To Do
At first, put the sesame or coconut oil in your mouth and begin swishing it around your mouth for around 20 minutes. Spit it out and brush your teeth. Redo it every day on an empty stomach in the morning.
Note: Don’t swallow or gargle the oil.
5. Green Tea
Why This Works
Green tea has been shown to increase your metabolism by 4 to 5 %. It can raise metabolic rates and encourage fat oxidation since it contains powerful flavonoids and antioxidants.
You Will Need
- Green tea leaves – one teaspoon
- Hot water – 1 cup
- Honey
How To Do
Add the green tea leaves to the hot water, cover and let the mixture steep for about 5 -7 minutes. Afterward, strain and add some honey to it. Consume around three cups of green tea every day.
Side Effects Of Green Tea
- Green tea contains caffeine and excessive caffeine intake may cause a variety of problems.
- The tannins present in it increase stomach acidity, which may cause nausea, stomach ache, or constipation.
- If you’re pregnant, be careful when using green tea because consuming more than two cups of green tea a day has been associated with an increased risk of miscarriage along with other negative effects.
V. Warnings
- Consume a diet high in calcium, iron, fiber, protein, and vitamins C and B.
- Never skip breakfast.
- Include oily fish such as salmon and tuna in your diet.
- Don’t wolf down your food.
- Don’t take OTC pills to boost metabolism.
- Don’t starve yourself since it can reduce your metabolism drastically.
- Consume a cup of coffee every day since a small quantity of caffeine can promote your metabolism by encouraging your central nervous system.
- Include organic foods in your regular diet, as the toxicity from pesticides can slow metabolism down and promote weight gain.
VI. Frequently Asked Questions About Metabolism
a. Does Dieting Lower Metabolism?
Yes. Dieting directly affect your TEM (Thermic Effect of a Meal). Because you just need to use less energy to digest and absorb food when you eat less it. RMR is related to body weight and body size. Besides, dieting usually reduces your energy levels.
b. Do Women Have Lower Metabolisms?
Yes. Muscle often has a higher metabolic activity in comparison with fat. RMR is associated with lean body mass or muscle mass. Lean body mass (LBM) is everything in the body besides fat including muscles, organs, bones, skin, etc. Women often have a lower resting metabolic rate than men because they have a greater percentage of body fat & less lean body mass than men.
c. How Can You Increase Your Metabolism If You Have Low NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)?
You can follow the tips below:
- Do exercise. You increase the duration or intensity of your workout. It will assist in increasing your amount of TEA (Thermic Effect of Exercise).
- Increase NEAT. You should move more regularly all the day.
- Increase your intake of protein.
To sum up, metabolism can depend on different factors, but you can boost your metabolism by incorporating these tips and remedies into your routine and making some small lifestyle changes. So, now that you know various ways on how to increase your metabolism naturally and fast. Start to follow these easy methods and get back to being free from illnesses and fit. All of the contents provided in this article are for informational & educational purposes. We recommend you consult a healthcare professional to determine which method is appropriate for you.