St Pete Personal Trainer Talks “Metabolism Boosting Foods”
As St Pete’s go to personal trainer for men and women over 50, one of the questions I get asked on an almost daily basis is: “Are there really any foods that will boost my metabolism?”
In fact, one of the top questions that I get asked in general is …. “how do I speed up my slow metabolism?” and I’ve written numerous blog posts on this and topics related to it .
I’m happy to tell you that this is actually one of those “diet myths” that holds some truth ! As much as the “Calories In Calories Out” pundits argue that “all calories are equal”, I’m here to tell you that they aren’t and share with you some “secrets” that have had our St Pete personal training and small group fitness class members dropping weight without being hungry.
While there is no magic food, pill or potion that will magically dissolve fat or undo a poorly planned diet, You CAN eat to beat fat, if you pick foods that help boost your metabolism and help regulate hormones.
I’ve written about how important getting adequate protein and non processed foods are to losing weight without being hungry, increasing energy and really changing your body. I also gave you my list of Ultimate High Protein Snacks AND 4 fav high protein on the go recipes to make getting in your protein easier.
If you missed them, just click the highlighted links above. I even included downloadable PDF’s to make it even easier 🙂
Most of the members who come in on our challenges say “How am I losing weight without being hungry. This is too much food. I’ve never eaten THIS much food What’s the “secret?” Here they are…….
PROTEIN
Protein – We have our members consume 30% of their daily intake from fat blasting protein sources. Most “diets” are either ridiculously low (around 16%) or absurdly high and unsustainable with a myriad of other issues. 30% is the highest amount recommended by the AHA for overall health and optimal body functions and runs in line with numbers from the National Academy of Sports Medicine for bodies during “adaptation” (losing fat, adding lean body mass) You see, foods that are high in protein such as lean meats, eggs, fish and greek yogurt take more work to break down, so your body has to work harder (and burn more calories) to digest them.
Some estimates go as high as 30% of the calories you take in of protein being burned during digestion. So, for every 100 calories of protein you eat, the net calories retained to be used by your body are 70 vs, 97 ish for carbs.
This is called TEF or thermic effect of food and it’s what I call our little “fat loss secret”. The thermic effect of feeding (TEF) refers to the amount of energy the body burns to process the foods we eat.
TEF is a major component of daily metabolism. The TEF of protein is about 3 times greater than carbohydrate and 6 times greater than fat. In other words, high-protein foods boost the metabolism to a substantially greater extent than carbs or fats.
The 2nd “secret” to “boosting your metabolism” via food is to Eat REAL food.
As basic as it sounds, real, whole, minimally processed foods are simply better for our metabolism.
Research shows that it takes the body more energy to process (digest, absorb, utilize) whole-food meals compared to processed foods.
I believe this is because your body isn’t quite sure what to do with the calories from man made food like substances made in a lab but I have only anecdotal proof of this after working with almost 3000 clients struggling to “lose weight” by counting calories (usually around 1200) and watching the fat melt off eating 1400-1600 of whole, nutrient dense foods 30% coming from protein.
The third “secret” is Don’t fear the fat.
While fat IS calorie dense and has a low TEF, it doesn’t inherently make you fat.
The key is to make sure that the majority of the 20% of our member’s daily fat intake is from MUFAs (monounsaturated fats) like avocados, nuts, olive oil and Omega 3s like salmon, walnuts and chia seeds.
Foods with omega-3 fatty acids can affect levels of the hormone leptin, and studies have associated lower levels of leptin with burning more calories and losing weight. Monounsaturated fatty acids
(MUFAs) are simply a healthy type of fat. Replacing less healthy fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats, with unsaturated fats, such as MUFAs and polyunsaturated fats, may offer health benefits.
The fourth and final “secret” to turning your diet into a fat blasting, metabolism boosting diet is to eat more “resistant” starches.
Going low-carb is on trend these days, but you don’t need to run the other way when you see carbs; you just need to pick the right carbs. While I’m on the subject, you DO NOT need to completely eliminate starchy carbs. In fact, foods like raw oats, sweet potatoes, legumes and quinoa contain resistant starch (insoluble fiber), which is a unique type of carb that “escapes” digestion and boosts the metabolism.
Then, we have foods like Chia and flax seeds which are loaded with fiber AND MUFAS that add tasty AND fat blasting fats and carbs.
Research also suggests that spicy foods such as cayenne pepper might also have metabolism-boosting benefits. Purdue University researchers found that capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers hot, can actually increase calorie burn and for some, reduce cravings for unhealthy choices.
The uptick in burn is minimal though so it’s not a “quick fix” to burn calories from a wholly unhealthy diet but rather a way to enhance the effectiveness of your current properly planned menus .
Sorry to say, there are NO actual “negative calorie” foods but a you CAN use food and proper nutrient supplementation to boost your metabolism and turn your diet into fat blasting awesomeness.
So, there you have it. Your list of “metabolism boosting foods”.
REFERENCES
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4258944/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23446962
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2912010
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16630552
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14671205
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/resistant-starch-101
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/green-tea-and-weight-loss
https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19529482/why-spicy-foods-boost-your-metabolism
How many of these do you include in your daily diet? Did this inspire you to make some changes and add some metabolism boosting foods? Drop a comment below and let me know.
If you found this helpful and want more tips like this, Come Join Us in Our FREE, Private Facebook Community St Pete & Tierra Verde’s Fit Over 50 where you will be surrounded by some of our most successful clients and we get real, bust through myths and talk about what REALLY works when it comes to losing weight, reshaping your body and having a body you LOVE ! This is Community for St Pete and Tierra Verde residents who want to get tips, recipes and strategies for living a healthy lifestyle and learning how to eat more, train less and achieve a body they love
Committed To Your Success and Awesomeness,
Dianne Villano – Your Personal Fitness & Transformation Expert
Fitness St Pete I Tierra Verde Fitness
727-742-0816
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