Does your metabolism need a boost?

March 3, 2016

March is National Nutrition Month!  It is also that time of year when we start getting to enjoy more sunshine and some warmer temperatures!  That always seems to give me some motivation to get moving and putting some thought into improving my health.  An important way to do that is to make sure my metabolism (how fast my body burns calories or turns food into energy) is on my side.

Usually when I think about my metabolism the first thing that comes to mind is exercising.  Exercising is an important part of a healthy metabolism, so goal number one is to keep moving!  It’s also a great idea to include strength or resistance training in your routine somewhere.  This builds your muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn!

There are many other players that affect metabolism too!  Here are a few things to you might not normally think of to help give your metabolism a little step-up:

1. Eat Breakfast, and include protein in it!  This will energize you, keep you full longer, and get your metabolism fire burning, making it more effective for the day.  *People who eat adequate amounts of protein throughout the day burn more calories.

2. Include some spices and peppers to your main dish or veggies.  Spices like pepper, chili powder, red peppers, and even onion power or ginger have been shown to boost metabolism for hours after you eat allowing more calorie burning!  This is also true of hot sauces, salsa, wasabi, jalapenos, hot mustard and others.

3. Keep those healthy Omega 3’s coming!  Along with all the heart healthy benefits, these superfoods speed up metabolism, so don’t forget to mix in things like salmon, tuna, white fish, walnuts, brussel sprouts, kale, avocados, and spinach.

4. Think about what you drink! Water, green tea, and oolong tea boost metabolism too!

5. Get some sleep!  People who are sleep deprived have a less effective metabolism.

– Gina Dowling, RD,LD, WIC Coordinator