The secret to boosting metabolism is hidden in a great variety of vitamins, all of which can easily be found in food. Since we need to feed our bodies with adequate vitamins, our choice of nutrition does bear a lot of relevance in terms of boosting metabolism. Scientific research has proven that B vitamin complex plays the biggest role – vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12 not only transform carbohydrates into body fuel, but they also facilitate the fat-burning process and strengthen the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, helps balance the level of blood sugar, and is significant for glucose tolerance. Furthermore, it is necessary for the production of new red blood cells. Without it, our vision would not be as strong, and our skin as healthy and fresh. When it comes to vitamins B5 and B6, they equilibrate the level of protein and control the energy flow in the body throughout the hard-working days. Last, but not least, vitamins B9 and B12 are crucial to producing new red blood cells, and can be found in foods such as chicken, eggs, whole cereals and vegetables.
Besides the aforementioned B vitamins, vitamin C and green tea extract may be of a tremendous help. Firstly, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant as it basically controls the metabolism by lowering the level of oxidative stress from reactions in the organism. On the other hand, green tea extract is yet another antioxidant that will, without a doubt, help you release everything that pollutes your organism within. Statistics have shown that daily metabolic rate rises by 4% in people who drink green tea on a regular basis.
However, what truly matters is in what way we take in all the vitamins important for boosting metabolism.
- An energetic, healthy breakfast is the first step. It has to be moderate and taken at regular times, for the sake of the body’s functioning. Avoiding breakfast merely disrupts normal body processes, since our organism cannot run on empty. Although it seems like skipping a meal helps you lose calories, quite the opposite happens. Due to a lack of nutrients, your body craves more fat, thus making you starve even more and, consequently, eat more food.
- Have a fulfilling lunch, but opt for a light dinner. If you have a meal late at night, your body does not have enough time to process food and convert it into energy. On the contrary, it merely turns it into fat, which is later on difficult to get rid of. Therefore, avoid eating at least three hours before you go to bed, which is approximately the number of hours your digestive system needs to complete its functions successfully.
- Never let yourself starve. The prefect time to have a meal is when you are feeling just slightly hungry. By the time starvation occurs, your stomach will have suffered enough from a desperate need of healthy nutrients. In addition, an empty stomach sends signals to the brain that it must start storing every left-over calorie and keep it for extreme survival, thus creating confusion.
- Exercising is another wonderful way to boost your metabolism. By walking or speed walking for about 30 minutes, not only do you burn 150 or more calories, but you also add 2 to 4 more hours to your metabolism and give it that much energy to keep functioning properly. If you have a wish to boost your metabolic ‘working time’ to more than 4 hours, weight lifting work-outs can be of a significant help.
Finally, provide your organism with plenty of water. For better results, drink ice cold water from time to time. Cold water sends the message to the brain that it needs to heat up the body, which will then speed your metabolism up and consequently raise your energy supplies.