How to Speed up Your Metabolism | 15 Metabolism-Boosting Tips

Are you working out hard in the gym but not seeing any changes in your body? Do you feel stuck when trying to lose weight? There are many ways that you can impact your metabolism and give it a boost to help see the results you’re looking for. 

Foods, beverages, exercise, and your lifestyle habits can all impact your metabolic rate. We’ve broken down all of these and exactly how they can impact your metabolism. 

Foods That Boost Metabolism 

Calories 

This one might seem counter-intuitive, but your body needs fuel (calories) in order to burn fuel (also calories). Just like your car’s engine, your body needs to have fuel available to keep moving forward.  

If your calorie intake is too low, your body starts to think it doesn’t have enough fuel coming in and will conserve energy (in the form of fat) and burn muscle. Extra fat and muscle loss are both culprits for slowing metabolism, so make sure you’re giving your body enough food. Choosing high quality calories, from energy dense foods, is the best way to manage your intake.

Protein 

Lean body mass (muscle) burns more calories at rest than body fat. Maintaining your muscle mass with both exercise and adequate calories is important, and getting sufficient protein is a big part of that. 

Our muscles are constantly in stages of breaking down and rebuilding, and taking in protein in your diet is the best way to make sure there is enough protein for them to rebuild and maintain over time.

Protein can be found in foods like chicken, beans, eggs and yoghurts, or if you're struggling to meet your protein needs, a protein shake is the perfect way to boost your levels quickly.

Fats 

Not only is fat satisfying, making you digest your food more slowly and feel fuller after eating, specific types of fats are actually preferred sources of energy that can boost your metabolism. 

Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), a specific type of fatty acids, have been shown to increase metabolism based on the way they are broken down for energy. Medium chain triglycerides are a type of saturated fat, and coconut oil is an excellent source.  

Dairy products also contain a lesser amount of MCTs, but are an easy way to incorporate these fats into your diet - with the bonus of protein. MCT oil is also available as a supplement. 

Spices 

Spices are an excellent way to add flavour to your meal without adding calories - and many also pack a metabolism boost, too! Capsaicin, found in hot peppers, has been proven to increase calorie burn. 

If you can’t handle spicy food though, similar benefits have been found with black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, and ginger. Combine these spices with high protein foods for a double boost to your metabolism.

Fiber 

Fiber has all kinds of benefits — from improving digestion and heart health, to increasing fullness and reducing overeating — but it can also benefit metabolism. Fiber, by definition, is a plant-based form of carbohydrate that our body can’t digest or absorb for calories - making it calorie free. 

However, our body still tries to digest it and burns calories in the process. This is the idea behind “net carbs” and foods that people consider to have “negative calories”. 

While not a miracle worker, fiber is a great way to increase your body’s calorie burn with a lot of additional benefit for your health overall. 

Foods like beans and lentils are high in fiber and are definitely worth implementing into your diet. If you struggle to hit your fiber needs with your day-to-day diet, supplements are available to top you up!

Vitamins and Minerals 

Metabolism, or the breakdown of food for energy and waste removal, happens through many different chemical reactions throughout the body. Carbohydrates, fat, and protein are all broken down through different pathways, all of which require certain vitamins and minerals. 

Vitamin D, for example, is chronically low in many people who are overweight with metabolic syndrome.

How do we get adequate levels of all of the vitamins and minerals we need in our diet? 

By eating a varied diet of healthy foods.

Fruits and vegetables contain many different vitamins and minerals, as do animal-based foods. An easy way to get enough is to “eat the rainbow” different colored fruits and vegetables are higher in different vitamins and minerals. To top up your vitamin levels, a daily multi-vitamin can be really useful.

Drinks That Boost Metabolism 

Water 

Proper hydration is key to all of our body’s processes - and metabolism is no different. Cells that are healthy have the nutrients and water that they need to carry out their jobs. Not only does drinking plenty of water keep you hydrated without contributing any calories, it can reduce over-eating as sometimes thirstiness can present itself as hunger. 

Research even shows an increase in lipolysis (fat burning) with increased water intake. Choose plain water over sweetened beverages most of the time for maximum benefit. 

Coffee 

Coffee is not only the best way to wake up in the morning, but it can also be used to increase your calorie burning. It is often used as a nootropic (supplements that improve cognitive function) to boost focus and concentration. Studies have shown that it has a metabolic boosting effect on its own, but caffeine is also used as an ergogenic aid to boost speed and power.  

Being able to crush a tough workout and challenge your muscles can lead to increased muscle mass over time which of course means increased metabolism; doubling the impact of caffeine. It may be a combination of other compounds that naturally occur in coffee as well. 

Tea

Green tea is another nootropic that is also used to boost metabolism. Many types of tea have various plant-based compounds that work in different ways to influence metabolism, with more than just caffeine.  

Catechins and EGCG are other powerful plant compounds that are found in tea and can help give you a brain and metabolic boost.