8 Power Foods To Ramp Up Your Metabolism
Let’s take a look at 8 power foods. Feeling like you’re not making any gains in winning the battle of the bulge? Or maybe you’ve made some strides towards wellness, but you’ve gotten tripped up a few times along the way. Your perspective is what makes the difference.
It’s never easy to accomplish anything in life without some degree of effort. And I’m sure that everyone has heard the old adage from one time or another that goes, “Anything worth having is worth fighting for.” Or at least working for. But some goals are harder to accomplish than others. Weight loss is no exception! I often get asked by people why it is so hard to lose weight. I tell them it is because there is a time variable that is ignored during weight gain that becomes very pertinent when trying to lose weight. Simply put: you have fun putting it on and you don’t care or maybe just don’t see the amount of again over time until it is too late. Not the same when trying to lose weight though. It seems like days go by and after all the hard work, only grams come off. Exercise is essential, but sometimes you need a little nudge to get you over the edge. Nothing wrong with ‘cheating’ as long as you lose weight! ?
Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.
Even when you’re at rest, your body needs energy for all its “hidden” functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells.
The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate — what you might call metabolism.
There are some foods that can give you the edge in slimming down. That’s where being educated can take you a long way. So I’m going to school you on 8 power foods that will get your metabolism revved up and burning calories in no time.
8 Power Foods for Ramped Up Metabolism
Power Foods 1. Blueberries – ‘Antioxidant’ seems to be the new buzzword nowadays and with good reason. Everyone needs more antioxidants. When your body undergoes oxidative (exercise driven) stress, such as when you’re sick, have a disease or after a workout, the product from this oxidation is known as a ‘free radical.’ These guys can damage cells which can lead to inhibited muscle growth, fat loss or even cause disease. Antioxidants help prevent free radical formation.
Power Foods 2. Protein – specifically whey. Whey protein also plays a role as an antioxidant and helps support a healthy immune system. Most importantly, consistent whey protein intake coupled with exercise will result in consistent muscle building and potential fat loss.
Power Foods 3. Almonds – are truly one of nature’s miracle foods. For a small portion size, you get a large amount of healthy macro-nutrients and one serving of almonds, or about a handful, is an excellent source of vitamin E and fiber. Almonds can lower cholesterol.
Power Foods 4. Spinach – provides more nutrients than any other food and protects against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time.
Power Foods 5. Oatmeal – one of my personal favorites. A great source of both insoluble and soluble fiber. Fiber keeps your digestive tract working, which burns energy. Also fights cancer by attacking certain bile acids in your gut.
Power Foods 6. Water – Almost two-thirds of our body weight is “water weight”. Blood is 83%; Muscles 75%; Brain 74%; and Bone 22%. So why don’t we replenish it when drops? Because we have other tastier options. More importantly, what happens to our bodies when it drops? Our bodily processes don’t function optimally because we are deriving it of an essential nutrient. So drink more of it!
Power Foods 7. Turkey – low in fat, provides almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, and is a good source of vitamins B, B1, B6, zinc, and potassium. It is also extremely high in protein. Roll up a piece of turkey along with a slice of cheese at night before you go to bed and allow a protein filled release into the blood stream on a tough exercise day.
Power Foods 8. Salmon – high in protein and a unique type of health-promoting fat. The omega-3 essential fatty acid it contains is essential for human health because they cannot be made by the body. You have to get it from foods you consume. The omega-3 fats found in salmon have multiple cardiovascular benefits: prevent erratic heart rhythms, make blood less likely to clot inside arteries, and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol. You’ll be less likely to have a stroke.
So there you have it. A weekly regimen of exercise along with good meal management, including these 8 power foods, will go a long way to keeping you fit. It may take a little effort, but the results are worth the struggle. These tips and more can be found in my new health book, Fat Free For Life: 13 Principles of Guaranteed Weight Loss and Ultimate Health coming out January 5th 2016. Until next time!
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