7 Ways To Increase Your Metabolism With Nutrition
Reviewed By Danielle Glesne, RDN, LD, CDCESThere is no shortage of claims floating around about what people can do to increase their metabolism.
So much so that it can be difficult to know which are true and which are simply marketing.
So let’s take an evidence-based approach to understanding some ways you can actually increase your metabolism, shall we?
What is Metabolism?
The term “metabolism” is used to describe all the chemical reactions that occur within cells of living organisms to sustain life. Metabolism can be divided into two categories: catabolism and anabolism. (PMID: 32830223)
Catabolism refers to breakdown of molecules to obtain energy, while anabolism refers to the synthesis of all compounds needed by the cells.
Nutrition And Metabolism
In her article What is Metabolism?, Dr. Ananya Mandal, MD posits that “Nutrition is the key to metabolism. The pathways of metabolism rely upon nutrients that they breakdown in order to produce energy. This energy in turn is required by the body to synthesize molecules like new proteins and nucleic acids (DNA, RNA).”
Nutrition provides an array of substances that are essential for the building, upkeep, and repair of body tissues, and for the efficient functioning of the body.
Benefits of a Higher Metabolism
One of the biggest benefits of a higher metabolism is that it helps lose weight/fat and keep it off long-term. Increasing your metabolism can also mean more energy and feeling better overall.
So without further adieu, here are some ways to increase your metabolism with nutrition…
1. Eat An Optimal Amount of Food
Eating food increases your metabolism for a few hours as your body metabolizes food and converts it into energy. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF).
The thermic effect of food is the energy (aka calories) required by your body to digest, absorb, and dispose of consumed nutrients.
Eating is the foundation of human metabolism. And eating an optimal amount of food, even if your goal is to lose weight/fat, is the foundation for a healthy metabolism.
Eating too few calories during weight/fat loss can cause your metabolic rate to decrease—a process known as metabolic downregulation—to meet the change in energy intake. (PMID: 8876348; PMID: 26399868; PMID: 19198647; PMID: 21432368)
Eating an optimal amount of food in accordance with your goals is the first step to priming your metabolism for change.
To learn more about energy balance, read my article: What is Energy Balance (And Why Does it Matter)?
2. Eat An Optimal Amount Of Protein
Of the three macronutrients (i.e. carbohydrates, fats, and protein), protein causes the largest increase in thermic effect of food. Protein can increase your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. (PMID: 25489333)
Eating an optimal amount of protein can also limit the reduction in metabolic rate often associated with the process of losing weight/fat. This is due to protein’s effect on reducing muscle loss. And maintaining muscle mass helps maintain your metabolic rate, even when losing weight/fat. (PMID: 19927027; PMID: 25926512; PMID: 16046715; PMID: 23446962)
To learn what an “optimal amount of protein” means for you, read my article: How Much Protein Should You Eat in a Day?
3. Drink More (Cold) Water
Drinking water may temporarily increase your metabolic rate, through a process known as water-induced thermogenesis. (PMID: 24179891; PMID: 14671205)
Even further, there is some evidence that drinking cold water can increase your metabolic rate even more, as your body requires energy to heat up the water once consumed. (PMID: 16822824)
4. Drink Green Tea or Oolong Tea
If I’m being honest, I’m not a tea guy. I’m a coffee guy. And if you’re like me, there’s good news coming. (Hint: See #5)
But if you do enjoy tea, drinking green tea or oolong tea has been shown to increase metabolism by 4–5%. (PMID: 16840650; PMID: 16176615; PMID: 20142827)
Green tea, specifically, has been shown to help convert body fat into free fatty acids, which can increase your body’s fat burning process by 10–17%. (PMID: 18326618)
5. Drink Coffee
Similar to green tea, coffee has been shown to aid in the fat burning process, and the caffeine in coffee can boost a person’s metabolism by 3–11%. (PMID: 2912010; PMID: 7486839; PMID: 7369170)
6. Eat Spicy Foods
Peppers contain the substance capsaicin, which is technically a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans.
This irritant is what causes the burning sensation when consumed, and has been shown to increase metabolism. (PMID: 3957721; PMID: 23021155; PMID: 16580033)
7. Cook with Coconut Oil
As opposed to saturated fats from butter and other cooking fats, coconut oil is relatively high in medium-chain fats.
Medium-chain fats have been shown to increase metabolism by 12%, compared to long-chain fats which raise metabolism by just 4%. (PMID: 3532757)
Other Ways to Increase Your Metabolism
There are, of course, other ways to increase your metabolism than with nutrition.
Some of those ways are…
Building muscle with strength training (PMID: 2243122)
Performing high-intensity interval training (PMID: 22248500; PMID: 23176325)
Standing more and sitting less (PMID: 24297826)
Getting a good night’s sleep (PMID: 20811596)
Whether your goal is to lose weight and keep it off, increase energy, or feel better overall, increasing your metabolism can be a key component to achieving your wellness goals.
Questions?
As always, if you could use guidance on what’s right for you, please don’t hesitate to CONTACT US.
We’re here to help.
