Want to shed some unwanted pounds without feeling deprived? Eat fast food - no, not triple decker burgers and supersized fries, but foods that function almost like amphetamines, says a “Men’s Health” article posted on on AOL Health. These foods help burn calories without any extra treadmill time. Take a taste of these 15 metabolism-boosters.
Milk contains calcium, which acts as a metabolic trigger. A University of Tennessee study found that dieters who consumed 1,200 to 1,300 mg of calcium daily lost almost twice as much weight as dieters who ingested less calcium. Milk also is a rich source of complex carbohydrates, which can boost your metabolism by helping your insulin levels stay low after a meal. And low insulin levels are desirable - high insulin levels are the signal to your body to hang onto fat.
Whole grain cereal is a fab source of both complex carbs and fiber, and these are what’s needed to keep your metabolism pumped by keeping insulin levels low after a meal. Since insulin spikes make your body think it’s time to start storing the fat, eating foods that lower insulin levels makes sense. In order to stockpile fat, State University of New York at Stony Brook nutrition professor Margaret McNurlan, Ph.D., tells AOL, your body slows down your metabolism. The result is that you burn fewer calories. The antidote? Eating metabolism-boosting foods - like whole grain cereal.
Oats are a rich source of fiber, which pumps up your metabolism. And since oatmeal breaks down slowly in your stomach, says AOL Health, it doesn’t cause a big insulin spike the way carbs like bagels do. Oatmeal is typically eaten for breakfast, which is an important meal to consume for anyone who wants to burn calories. Eating this meal keeps insulin production down and revs up the daily calorie burn. When the U.S. Navy studied the eating habits and metabolisms of some of its personnel, it found that eating breakfast helped raise the men’s metabolisms by up to 10 percent. “By skipping meals, you slow down your metabolism and prime your body to store fat,” McNurlan tells AOL.
Jalapenos contain a chemical called capsaicin, which not only gives peppers their pungent flavor but speeds up the heart rate and boosts the metabolism. They’re good for spicing up not just meals but snacks, too. Research also found that eating small snacks helps the body not run out of fuel and may prevent those 3 p.m. slumps at the office, reports AOL Health. “When you restrict the number of calories your body has for fuel, your metabolic rate can drop temporarily,” Susan Roberts, Ph.D., chief of the energy-metabolism laboratory at Tufts University, tells AOL. This can make it easier to put on weight - and to take it off again.
Habaneros , extremely hot chile peppers, are found both fresh and dried in spicy foods. A recent study from Laval University in Quebec found that men who consumed coffee and red pepper-packed snacks and meals burned almost 1,000 more calories a day than the control group, according to AOL Health.
Pungent, bright red cayenne chiles are often ground into cayenne pepper, a typical ingredient in a spicy meal. One study found that eating just one spicy meal a day boosts metabolism by up to 25 percent, reports AOL Health. The calorie burn lasts for up to 3 hours after you stop eating.
Green tea has a chemical called EGCG that causes the brain and nervous system to run faster and helps you burn more calories. EGCG works sort of like caffeine except that caffeine causes your heart to beat faster. Want a super boost of your metabolism? Try combining caffeine and a 90 mg.dose of EGCG three times a day and you can burn an additional 80 calories a day, AOL Health says. Researchers found this out, along with the great news that you don’t have to engage in exercise for this to happen; it occurs when your body is at rest.
Chicken made the "Men's Health" because it is high in metabolism-boosting protein. Danish researchers found that men who subbed protein for one fifth of their daily carbs increased the number of calories they burned each day by up to five percent, AOL Health reports.
Coffee contains caffeine, which helps speed up your heart rate and thus helps you burn more calories, reports AOL Health. And this benefit comes in coffee of all kinds, whether it’s iced, hot or in a mocha smoothie. Of course, the hundreds of calories in a sugar and fat-rich blended coffee drink can negate whatever heart-quickening benefit the coffee in caffeine imparts, so you may want to consider using skim milk and keeping sweeteners to a minimum.
Pork is an excellent source of protein. The more protein you consume, the harder your body has to work to digest it. But be smart about pork consumption, and keep it lean, AOL recommends. Lean pork chops that are grilled and seasoned with fresh herbs are a much better bet than ribs slathered with barbecue sauce.
Salmon contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which can alter the levels of a hormone in your body called leptin, says AOL Health. Lower leptin levels are associated with a higher caloric burn. This fish is excellent on the grill, so think of it when it's time to fire up the barbecue this season.
Eating tuna can help reduce the level of the hormone leptin in the body. Lower leptin levels are associated with faster metabolisms - at least in mice. University of Wisconsin researchers discovered that mice with low leptin levels have faster metabolisms and burn fat more efficiently than aniamls with higher leptin levels, reports AOL Health.
Turkey is a dieter’s friend because it’s a great source of lean protein, which helps boost metabolism, says AOL Health. Removing the skin before eating saves additional fat calories, too. Turkey breast can be used just like chicken, so try dicing and using in a stir-fry, cubing and skewering onto kabobs, or grilling.
Sardines are rich in fish oil, and French research has found that men who replaces six grams of fat with six grams of fish oil lost an average of two pounds in just 12 weeks, according to AOL Health. And by the way, if you hate fish, not to worry. Fish-oil supplements appear to work just as well as the real thing.
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