9 Top Tips for Maximising your Metabolism

In my last three articles I revisited the topic of boosting your metabolism discussing the effect that both food and exercise can have.  I explained that metabolism generally refers to the number of calories your body burns in a day.  It is influenced by three main things:
- Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the number of calories you burn performing the basic functions that keep you alive).
- Your level of Physical Activity.
- The Thermic Effect of Foods that you Eat (the number of calories it takes to digest and absorb the foods you eat).

Today I would like to bring all this information together and give you nine top tips for maximising your metabolism.

1) EAT HIGH FIBRE CARBOHYDRATES:- High fibre carbohydrates are harder to digest than simple carbohydrates and therefore have a greater thermic effect.  On top of this foods that are high in fibre are generally lower in calories (because fibre itself contains zero calories), help suppress your appetite and provide you with many more fantastic benefits.  High fibre foods include fruits, vegetables and wholemeal products so where possible make sure your dietary carbohydrates come from these sources.  Not only will they help you burn slightly more calories but they will also make it easier for you to lose weight.  However, you need to make sure that you do not go overboard on the fibre.  Excessive fibre consumption has been linked with wind, diarrhea, constipation and more.

2) EAT VITAMIN RICH FOODS:- Your body relies on vitamins and minerals to perform a number of essential functions.  If you become deficient in any of the thirteen vitamins you may not be able to perform some of these functions properly which can have a negative impact on your BMR.  There are lots of vitamin rich foods including fruits, vegetables, eggs, liver and nuts.  To maximise your metabolism you need to make sure you are getting the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for all your vitamins from the foods you eat.  It will keep your BMR at its optimal level and also promote good overall health.  However, like with fibre you need to make sure you don’t overdose.  Getting too many vitamins has a number of adverse effects including cell and organ damage.

3) DRINK LOTS OF WATER:- If your body is not properly hydrated it may not be able to perform certain vital functions.  This can lead to a reduction in your BMR.  Therefore, you need to make sure you are drinking enough water to maximise your metabolism.  I find that keeping a water bottle at your desk and topping it up regularly plus making an effort to drink extra water whilst exercising helps me stay hydrated throughout the day.

4) MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING ENOUGH PROTEIN:- Most people’s diets are rich in fats and carbohydrates but contain very little protein.  However, protein is a very important macronutrient that is essential for the growth and repair of your body’s cells.  It also has a greater thermic effect than fats and carbohydrates with research suggesting that 25% of the calories in protein are burned during digestion and absorption.  Therefore, you can give your metabolism a boost by making protein a richer part of your diet.  However, you need to make sure that you are not consuming too much.  Overdosing on protein can place stress on a number of vital organs including your kidneys.

5) ADD SOME SPICE TO YOUR DIET:- Spicy foods can temporarily increase your BMR.  For starters they increase your body’s temperature for a short period after consumption meaning that you will burn more calories as your body attempts to regulate this temperature.  Secondly, spices such as cayenne are thought to have thermogenic properties meaning that they temporarily increase the rate at which your body burns fat.  Like with the other foods mentioned in this article you need to exercise moderation when it comes to spicy foods.  Getting too much can lead to unpleasant side effects such as heartburn, stomach ulcers and an irritable bowel.

6) CUT BACK ON THE ALCOHOL:- Alcohol has a dehydrating effect and can therefore reduce your BMR.  Many alcoholic beverages are also full of simple carbohydrates meaning that they have a reduced thermic effect when compared with high fibre carbohydrates and protein rich foods.  On top of this excessive alcohol consumption can cause vitamin deficiencies which further slow down your BMR.  You don’t need to eliminate alcohol from your diet completely but if you drink regularly perhaps you should consider cutting down.

7) REDUCE YOUR CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION:- Like alcohol, caffeine has a dehydrating effect and can lower your BMR.  Drinking a couple of cups of coffee each day is unlikely to have any adverse effects on your metabolism but if you are getting all your fluids from caffeinated beverages you might want to think about substituting in some water.

START A CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE ROUTINE:- Your metabolism is partially affected by your level of physical activity.  Regular cardiovascular exercise helps in two ways.  First, you burn additional calories whilst performing the cardio.  Secondly, the number of calories you burn following a cardiovascular workout remains elevated for a few hours after you finish.  By going for a walk, jog, run, bike ride, swim (or whatever other cardiovascular exercise takes your fancy) a few times a week you can burn extra calories and boost your metabolism.

9) START A RESISTANCE TRAINING ROUTINE:- A pound of muscle burns around 6 calories per day whilst a pound of fat burns around 2 calories per day.  Therefore, by increasing your lean muscle mass you can raise your BMR.  If you perform a resistance training workout a few times per week and combine it with proper nutrition you can build additional muscle and increase the amount of calories you burn whilst resting.

As you can see from this article it is possible to boost your metabolism through a combination of smart food choices and a well structured exercise routine.  However, you need to remember that metabolism is not the key to successful weight loss.  Whilst you can increase the number of calories you burn on a daily basis by following the above tips there is a limit to their effect.  Maximising your metabolism will not compensate for eating too much food BUT if you learn to control the amount you eat and follow the above advice metabolism can be a powerful tool in your weight loss arsenal.  I highly recommend that you try and implement the above tips in to your lifestyle because they will give your metabolism a boost, help you burn more calories and more importantly they will improve your overall health.

Now I want to hear from you guys.  What’s your opinion on metabolism?  Do you think it’s an essential part of weight loss or do you think it’s over hyped?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

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Eating and Metabolism Revisited

In my last article I answered the question ‘what is metabolism?‘.  In that article I explained that metabolism (the number of calories you burn in a day) is essentially the sum of three parts:
- Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the number of calories you burn performing the basic functions that keep you alive).
- Your level of Physical Activity.
- The Thermic Effect of Foods that you Eat (the number of calories it takes to digest and absorb the foods you eat).

In the past I have written about the effect food has on your metabolism.  However, after reviewing these articles I have discovered that some of the information in them is not 100% correct.  That’s why today I want to revisit the topic of food and metabolism to explain exactly how eating can affect your metabolism.

WHICH FOODS CAN BOOST YOUR METABOLISM?

As you can see from the list at the start of this article the main way food affects your metabolism is through its thermic effect.  The thermic effect of foods is relatively static.  However, there are certain foods that can give your metabolism a slight boost and I have outlined these below:

1) FIBRE:- Simple carbohydrates such as sugars, white bread and white pasta are much easier to digest than more complex, fibrous carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and wholemeal products.  On top of this high fibre carbohydrates have a number of fantastic health benefits and fruits and vegetables are a rich source of vitamins.  Therefore, by making the switch over to wholemeal bread, pasta, rice etc, substituting some of your processed snacks (chocolate, crisps, etc) for fruits or vegetables and making fruit and vegetables a richer part of your main meals you can improve your overall health and give your metabolism a slight boost.

Why not try having a bowl of oatmeal with fruit for breakfast, a piece of fruit as a mid-morning snack, a wholemeal sandwich or two for lunch, a handful of dried fruit for an afternoon snack and a vegetable rich evening meal?  Not only will this be a much healthier choice and probably contain less calories than a diet which contains crisps and chocolate as snacks but it will also burn a few more calories during digestion and absorption.

2) PROTEIN:- Your body uses more energy when breaking down protein than it does when breaking down carbohydrates and fats.  This was demonstrated in a study by McArdle et. al (1986) [1] which concluded that if you eat a meal consisting of pure protein up to 25% of the calories will be burned during digestion and absorption.

Most people’s diets today are rich in carbohydrates so increasing the amount of protein you consume and cutting down on the carbohydrates is another good way to provide your metabolism with a little boost.  However, you need to make sure that you do not go overboard on the protein.  Whilst extra protein can be beneficial eating too much places stress on a number of your vital organs including your kidneys.  On top of this if you cut down on the complex carbohydrates or fats too drastically you will be missing out on a number of essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids which can lead to a number of health problems.  Vitamin deficiencies can also stop your body from performing certain functions and lead to you burning less calories.

3) SPICY FOODS:- Spicy foods give you a temporary boost in metabolism in two ways.  First, certain spices have thermogenic properties i.e. they stimulate your body’s fat burning process.  Cayenne, a red hot chilli pepper, is used as an ingredient in many diet pills for this very reason.  Secondly, eating spicy foods raises your body’s temperature temporarily meaning that you will burn more calories as your body attempts to regulate this temperature increase.

Like with protein, eating a little more spicy food is another effective way to increase your metabolism slightly.  However, spicy foods also need to be added to your diet in moderation.  Eating too much can lead to stomach ulcers, an irritable bowel, heartburn, damaged taste buds and sleep problems.

4) WATER:- Drinking water does not boost your metabolism.  However, it prevents you from becoming dehydrated.  If you become dehydrated your body stops performing certain basic functions and therefore burns less calories.  Therefore, whilst drinking lots of water does not exactly boost your metabolism it does prevents it slowing down.

WHICH FOODS CAN SLOW DOWN YOUR METABOLISM?

As I said above the thermic effect of foods is relatively constant.  However, just as there are foods that can slightly increase your metabolism there are also foods that can slow it down.  I have listed a number of these below:

1) ALCOHOL:- Alcohol itself does not slow down metabolism.  However, it can lead to dehydration which affects your BMR and reduces the amount of calories your burn on a daily basis.  On top of this many alcoholic beverages contain simple carbohydrates and sugars which require less calories to break down than more complex carbohydrates.  Therefore, excessive alcohol consumption is likely to lead to a slight slow down in metabolism.

2) CAFFEINE:- Like alcohol, caffeine does not slow metabolism down itself.  However, when consumed excessively it can cause dehydration which means that you burn less calories on a daily basis.

3) SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES:- Simple carbohydrates such as white pasta, white bread and sugary foods require slightly less calories to digest and absorb than more complex, fibrous carbohydrates.

DOES MEAL FREQUENCY AFFECT YOUR METABOLISM?

In a number of my previous articles I highlighted the importance of eating mini meals to boost your metabolism.  However, after reading up on the subject I found that this may not be the case and I may be wrong when it comes to the impact mini meals have on your metabolism.  This post from Fitness Spotlight sums it up quite well but the general logic is that the amount you eat affects how many calories you burn through digestion and absorption.  Logically it makes sense.  Let’s say for example a chicken breast takes 100 calories to digest.  It’s still going to take 100 calories to digest whether you eat it all at once or as part of two mini meals.  Although I have said in the past that mini meals are essential for boosting your metabolism I have to admit that this was an area where I was wrong.  Despite the popular rumour, meal frequency does not affect your metabolism unless the total amount of calories changes.  Skipping meals will not slow down your metabolism.  Eating more meals will not increase your metabolism.

However, just because the frequency with which you eat food does not affect your metabolism this does not mean mini meals are useless.  As Mike (from the IF Life) says eating more frequently can help you lose weight because people are generally advised to eat complex carbohydrates and protein as part of their mini meals.  These nutrients help keep you fuller for longer and are generally lower in calories.  Mini meals also help reduce cravings and stop you feeling hungry meaning that you are less likely to over eat and binge on calories.

I hope this article has shown you that the food you eat does NOT have a massive impact on your metabolism.  By making sure your diet is rich in fruits, vegetables and protein (without containing excessive levels), keeping yourself hydrated and perhaps eating a few more spicy meals you can give your metabolism a small kick.  However, the thermic effect of food only accounts for 10% of the total calories you burn in a day so the type of food you eat is never going to have a massive impact on your metabolism.  The frequency with which you eat these foods also does not have an impact.  The key factor is how much food you eat and how many calories you consume.  Yes eating more fibre, protein and eating smaller meals more regularly may help you lose weight BUT this is because you are eating less calories and because you feel less hungry NOT because your metabolism has significantly increased.

What do you guys think?  Do you agree that the type of food does not have the massive effect on metabolism that some people think?  Do you think the total amount of calories consumed is the deciding factor?  Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Sources:
[1] McArdle, W.D., Katch, F.I., Katch, V.L., (1986) Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance Lea and Febiger Philadelphia p. 134, 135
Eating More Meals Does NOT Speed Up Your Metabolism (Fitness Spotlight)