If you want to lose weight, gain weight or even just maintain weight, you probably know calories in versus calories out is the key to success. However, the total amount of calories you burn comes less from exercise and more from yourmetabolism— the process of converting calories into energy — that occurs naturally throughout the day.
The calories you use when breathing, digesting and generally being alive are known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Increase your BMR, and you’ll increase your daily calorie burn.
That brings us to thermogenesis, which is just a big word for the metabolic process in which your body produces heat (or energy) by burning calories. Think of thermogenesis like your internal furnace. You crank up that furnace during exercise, digestion and due to environmental factors, like shivering when it’s cold outside.
According to the Nutrition & Metabolism journal,diet-induced thermogenesis accounts for 5–15% of your daily calorie burn。那么，您可以通过吃某些食物来增加新陈代谢吗？好问题。要找出答案，我们问Amy Goodson，MS，RDN。
“No food boosts your metabolism long term,” says Goodson, “but some foods can help give you a little pep in your step after eating.” To see how eating and drinking can affect your metabolism, she recommends adding these four foods to your diet.
4 FOODS THAT BOOST METABOLISM
“Protein takes more energy to breakdown, so consumingadequate protein在所有餐点和小吃中，都可以帮助增加食物后食物的代谢燃烧或热效应。”古德森说。她补充说：“基本上，消化高蛋白食品需要更多的精力。”为了利用这种效果，请确保消耗大量蛋白质，无论是从动物或植物来源中消耗的。好的选择包括鸡肉，瘦牛肉，鸡蛋，豆类和豆类。
如果您喜欢热，您的新陈代谢很幸运。古德森说：“辣椒素是辣椒中发现的一种化学物质，可能在增强新陈代谢中起略有作用。”她指的是research表明消耗135-150毫克的辣椒素可能会导致每天燃烧50卡路里的热量。这听起来可能不多，但是要做一点数学，而且每年约为5磅。
“Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and thus can help you burn more calories and possibly burn more fat,” says Goodson.One studyshowed coffee can increase your metabolic rate by up to 11%, while另一项研究发现每天消耗270毫克咖啡因的人会燃烧额外的100卡路里。
古德森强调咖啡因会影响每个人differently, and caffeine-sensitive people should be careful not to overdo it. The 270 grams mentioned above is equivalent to about three cups of coffee, which may be too much for some people.
“咖啡因teahas also been shown to help boost metabolism a small amount,” says Goodson.Studies showoolong tea may increase your body’s energy expenditure by as much as 10% over a 2-hour period, and that tea也可能有效in increasing fat oxidation.
BUT STILL … YOU NEED TO EXERCISE
Eating specific foods isn’t the only way to ignite your internal furnace. Goodson mentions thathigh-intensity exerciseis also an effective metabolism booster.
“We know that metabolism is significantly increased after interval-type training, and [that it] stays elevated a little bit longer than after steady-state activity,” she says. So, to keep your metabolism burning hot, supplement your healthy diet with plenty of vigorous exercise.
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