6 Affordable Foods that Speed Up Metabolism

Want to lose weight?

Then it’s a great idea to speed up your metabolism.

When your metabolic function is increased it means you burn more calories, and the more calories you burn, the better your chances are of losing weight.

Let me qualify that statement. 

If you speed up your metabolism and don’t also add extra calories to your diet, then you improve your chances of losing weight.

I.e. if you burn 2,100 calories a day and your average daily calorie consumption is 2,000 calories, you’re going to lose weight.

For many people, especially those who get older, their thyroid function (which plays a serious role in regulating your metabolic rate) becomes impaired over time and so a body that used to burn 2,000 calories a day eventually only burns 1,800 a day (this is just an example and not a truism) and weight gain becomes the new normal.

To help increase your metabolic rate you can begin to eat foods linked to a faster metabolism. 

The additional benefit incorporating these foods into your diet will provide is many of them also positively influence other aspects of health, and I’ll touch on that in this article.

Without further delay, here are…

6 Affordable Foods that Speed Up Metabolism

1 - Coffee:

Let’s start with the only food on this list that’s actually a drug. 

Coffee.

Well, coffee isn’t a drug, but caffeine certainly is. Caffeine is a powerful booster of metabolic health. There’s ample research surrounding how caffeine will stimulate how much energy your body produces and how that correlates into an increased metabolic rate.

If you think you can get the same results from decaf, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s definitely regular, caffeinated coffee that helps with metabolism. 

Be aware adding sugar in any form to coffee will dampen the increased metabolism as the metabolism of carbohydrates is known to dampen metabolic rates.

Caffeine is also a nootropic which optimizes brain function and helps you think more clearly, forms better memory recall, and more PLUS it’s incredibly affordable.

2 - Broccoli:

That’s right, regular old broccoli is shown to improve metabolism. It’s believed it influences metabolic rate because it contains a substance called glucoraphanin.

A study published in the Journal of American Nutrition showed that when people consumed diets rich in glucoraphanin it helped improve how our mitochondria function.

Mitochondria are essential for ATP/energy production and it appeared glucoraphanin was able to get them better adapted to metabolic needs by lowering blood fat levels.

While most broccoli contains glucoraphanin Beneforte broccoli has the highest observed levels of glucoraphanin.

Broccoli is affordable, easy to find, and great at boosting various aspect of gut, cardiovascular and mental health. 

3 - Brazil Nuts:

I already like Brazil nuts because I believe they’re one of the better foods to add to a ketogenic diet (and ketogenic diets are ideal from a metabolic standpoint) but Brazil nuts are also one of the best sources of selenium on the planet. 

Selenium is a trace mineral your body relies on for metabolic function; as selenium has a direct effect on your thyroid and how it regulates metabolism.

Many people don’t get enough selenium in their diet, so eating a few (3-5) Brazil nuts will supply your body with the recommended daily value of selenium, no problem.

NOTE: If you’re taking a multivitamin with selenium then I suggest maybe just 1-2 Brazil nuts as you don’t want to consume too much selenium on a daily basis. 1 average sized Brazil nut will give you 70 mcg of selenium and I research shows more than 300-400 mcg of selenium a day could cause adverse health effects.

Because you need so few of them, Brazil nuts are a great and affordable food to add to your diet for better metabolism.

4 - Chili Peppers:

Out of all the foods on this list, this may be the one you’re already aware of. 

All you have to do is eat a chilli pepper and you’ll feel the effects on your metabolism. The increased heart rate, enhanced blood flow and sweating are all indications of your metabolism being driven into overdrive.

Capsaicin is the compound that amplifies your metabolic rate. And there’s science to backup claims about capsaicin’s metabolic boosting effects.

Back in 2015 the journal Open Heart reported on how it helped kick metabolism up a notch. The authors of the study concluded chilli peppers added to a diet would have possible benefits for weight management and may increase how fast a person could burn fat. 

Their research confirmed what a study in 2012 demonstrated, where capsaicin intake could help people burn as many as 50 extra calories each day.

Because chilli peppers are so potent you don’t need to add many to your diet to get the full effect. 

5 - Ginger: 

Ginger is easily one of the best foods for total health and if you’re struggling with weight control then adding ginger to your diet could be quite beneficial.

Healthline writes:

“Adding ginger to meals could increase body temperature and metabolic rate, and help control appetite.

A 2018 review of studies evaluated ginger's effects on weight loss and metabolic profiles in people who were overweight. It found that the spice may help to reduce body weight and fasting glucose levels while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol.

Ginger also has anti-inflammatory properties, and it may help to reduce nausea during pregnancy and after chemotherapy treatment.”

Ginger is quite affordable. It can be purchased at grocery stores in bulk and ground ginger is easily added to dishes not just for therapeutic benefits but also to make food taste much better.

6 - Eggs:

Funny how for years eggs were a terrible health food and now, new research and a better understanding of dietary fat, shows eggs are one of the best foods you could ever eat. Protein-rich foods are amongst the best options for boosting metabolism.

Because eggs are rich in protein and dietary fats, they’re easily one of the best foods for metabolism. 

Protein is helpful at increasing metabolism as it’s incredibly dense and requires considerable resources to break down and convert into end-stage nutrients your body can use. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF), and eggs are one of the leading foods in regards to TEF.

On average a regular, large egg has 6 grams of protein, which is quite a bit for such a small food.

There’s research showing when people eat a considerable amount of protein (in this study 29% of total calories were protein) their metabolism were elevated than when compared to people who only consumed 11% of total calories from protein.

I’ll add a caveat here, from a ketogenic principle, that is if you’re going to rely on protein as a booster of metabolism I don’t recommend going over 20-25% of your daily caloric intake coming from protein. 

Also, if you get eggs, always be sure to do pasture-raised eggs as they’re far healthier and better from an ethical/environmental standpoint too. 

                One More Metabolism Booster?

The Ketox Shake is one more food you can add to your diet for better metabolic health.

I recommend it because it’s roughly $1.33 a meal, and all the ingredients are helpful for supporting an increased metabolic rate.

Additionally, using the Ketox Shake as a meal replacement will put most people into a calorie deficit which is helpful at ramping up metabolism. 

Patients who are a part of our Ketox program here at our office can testify to how well the Ketox shake works for weight loss goals and I’d be willing to bet if you added it to the mix you’d find it works quite well for you too.

Click here if you’d like to try the Ketox shake out.