Eat This to Boost Your Metabolism and Burn Calories

Eating foods found on a low-carb Mediterranean diet can boost your metabolism and aid weight loss. That’s because a higher metabolism burns more calories. And that makes it easier to get rid of unwanted body fat.

Low calorie intake can hit the brakes on weight loss. 

The body can go into “starvation mode” if we take in a very low calorie diet for too long. This is the body’s defense that prevents starvation by making the most of the calories from food and drink.

What happens is stored body fat is protected by using lean tissue or muscle to provide calories to fuel the body with energy. This results in a loss of muscle instead of fat loss and that is a very bad thing. Keep in mind that your heart is a muscle!

[Read: *Mediterranean Diet Fights Metabolic Syndrome and Belly Fat]And, this in turn lowers metabolism, and as the body needs fewer calories then weight loss slows down, or stops.

Metabolism refers to the chemical reactions that keep our bodies alive and functioning. However, the word metabolism is often used interchangeably with metabolic rate, or the number of calories our bodies burn.

Ideally, you should eat foods that increase your metabolic rate.

Eating food, particularly those foods that boost your metabolism, can increase your metabolic rate for a few hours. In fact, WebMD says 50 studies of a half million people show the Mediterranean diet reduces metabolic syndrome, a condition that includes excess belly fat.

The low-carb Mediterranean diet is more a way of eating than a diet plan. And there is more than one Mediterranean diet, like the Crete Diet (Cretan Diet) and the Omega Diet. Each includes the traditional foods and eating patterns of people in the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea.

They all have high levels of vegetables, fish and seafood, grains, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds. Olive oil is often the only source of fat in the diet. There are moderate amounts of fruit, dairy, and poultry. There is little red meat. Eggs are four times per week or less. Wine (optional) is two glasses per day for men and one glass for women.

The diet is high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Studies show that the people of Crete are the healthiest in the world. This health is attributed to the diet and lifestyle of the Cretan farmer.

Also, a low-carb Mediterranean diet requires eating every two hours. This maintains blood sugar levels between meals so you don’t crash. You will maintain energy and not have cravings or feelings of starvation.

Now that we have this information, we can construct our leaner, meaner selves. We eat better, exercise, and burn more calories than we eat.

Foods that naturally boost your metabolism and burn calories.

In order to boost your metabolism it is best to get your carbs from whole fruit, veggies, beans, low-fat dairy and whole grains while avoiding refined foods such as white bread and sugary food, according to a study published in JAMA.

Foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids from fatty cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, herring and mackerel should be on your menu. Walnuts, flax seeds, and green leafy vegetables are also in the diet.

Choose natural sources of protein and organic meats that are raised without estrogenic hormones and antibiotics. Do not eat man-made deli meats. Organic non-commercial whole grains are okay but refined carbohydrates like white flour, white rice, white pasta, and white sugar are not.

Do not eat carbohydrates by themselves, especially at breakfast. Always include protein in meals and snacks.

Your main source of fat will be from monounsaturated oils, especially virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil.

Eat seven or more servings of vegetables and fruit everyday but minimize fruit during the first few months because of high sugar/carb content. Fruits and vegetables should be fresh or frozen but not canned. Eat more vegetable proteins: peas, beans, lentils and nuts.

Eat whole foods, fresh foods, and real foods while minimizing your intake of fruits and fruit juices. Plenty of water is your source of hydration. Drink filtered water or spring water, not tap water.

What not to eat.

Avoid caffeine, sugar, and alcohol. All are stimulants which provoke stress handling glands to release epinephrine and cortisol that raise blood sugar and release energy.

Junk foods is off the board. They do not help to reconstruct a body and can steal nutrients from the body.

Trans-fats and rancid fats are of no use, as well. Cell membranes, nerve tissue, and steroid hormones all require healthy fats. Trans-fats and rancid fats are interferences.

Being active will boost your metabolism, too.

Remember: Keep an eye on your total calorie consumption, and be active to further boost your metabolism! Just two 15-min session of exercise done 5 days a week meets the 150 minutes of exercise recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine.