It is said to increase your metabolism you have to exercise. That statement is true, but to really kick it up a notch you need to change the way you eat! Even though it’s half exercise and half diet, it really doesn’t matter which one you start first to see results. There are some surprising ways to drive that metabolism in the right direction. Let’s not waste any more time!!!

Water

Water is essential for life, right? Well it’s also essential for speeding up your metabolism. When your body is metabolizing nutrients, it needs a good liquid environment for chemical reactions to occur. Simply keeping your body well hydrated creates this ideal environment.

Now compared to popular belief, you do not need 8 glasses of water to stay hydrated. As long as you do not wait for thirst to set in, you should be fine. A good amount of liquid intake comes from food! Who would have thought?! Also, limit that soda intake because soda is not a good way to rehydrate.

With addition on increasing that water intake, throw a lemon in that water also. A little lemon water first thing in the morning actually preps your system for better efficiency of processing nutrients.

Peanut butter

Well, I know that everyone knows peanut butter is great on sandwiches, but did you know that its great for fat burning?

Peanut butter contains a solid source of protein while it also has a high thermic effect. Thermic effect? Thermic effect is basically the energy that is used when metabolizing food. You are basically burning calories by just eating! Is that not awesome or what?!

Remember, don’t consume too much because your body will not be able to process it fast enough and it will be stored as fat.

Green Tea

Get that green tea! Besides protecting your body from cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, green tea also has metabolic boosting qualities. It has a component called EGCG ( epigallocatechin gallate). This component can potentially increase your metabolism by 10%! This may not seem like much, but it can be the difference of having that half pound at the end of the week.

Salmon

It’s a great source of protein, and not a very bad source of the “Great” omega 3-fatty acids. The protein will keep your engine churning while the omega 3 will slow down the rate of digestion. Now, you are probably thinking why would I want to slow down digestion? Shouldn’t I want to speed it up? Well no, and that is because you want your body to utilize that food you consumed to the fullest. You want to receive the most amount of energy out of food (i.e burger) as possible. With addition to that, slower digestion prevents over eating because you feel fuller for a longer duration.

These are just some of the foods that will put your metabolism into overdrive. Let me know if you have heard of some others!!!

-Phil