Are there certain foods that can boost my metabolism?
There are more myths than there are truths.
It is a common misconception that eating certain foods raises your metabolism helps you burn more calories and which increases weight loss. Eating foods like green tea, caffeine, hot chili peppers may provide small, short-term boost, but not enough. Digesting food is part of our metabolism. So is breathing, sleeping, all organ functions, and movement.
Thermogenesis or the thermic effect of food can be defined as the energy needed to digest, absorb, and dispose of ingested nutrients (Halton and Hu, 2004).
And it accounts for about 10% of our metabolism.
Try getting more in tune with your body. Just like you know when you gotta go, you should know when you gotta eat. Paying attention to this gives you insight to how much you need and when you need it. Ideally you want to eat every 2-3 hours to help manage your blood sugar. If you aren’t hungry 2-3 hours after your last meal- you ate more than you needed. So starting with half and waiting fifteen minutes really lets you check in and see what your body needs. If you only ate 1/2 of your original meal, it’s likely you would be hungry again in 2-3 hours and this means your blood sugars are controlled and that allows your body to run well, i.e. your metabolism.
Why am I gaining weight when I am eating less and working out? Well surprise, your body is starving and stressed out. The messages you are giving your body is that you are fighting a war and you are in a famine. We live in our body, and our bodies are self regulating and self healing, and constantly reacting to stress in our environment. I suggest slowing your workout to match your energy and eat often. Your body will recover instantly. Trust your body.
You got this!
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Kim
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Kim Shapira
dietitian and nutrition therapist.
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