Best Foods That Raise Metabolism | How To Boost Your Metabolism Naturally!

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 63 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #21 in Health, #556 overall

Best Foods & Exercises To Raise Your Metabolism - Naturally!

Want to know how to raise your metabolism naturally?

The rate at which our body burns calories is known as our metabolism rate. People with a high metabolism rate can eat more without gaining weight. Because many of us are not genetically blessed with a high metabolism, it's natural that we search for ways to raise our metabolism.


Many factors affect the metabolism rate... Want to know which foods, diets AND exercise methods are great for raising your metabolism? Read on...

Foods That Raise Your Metabolism 

Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce & zucchini.

You want to know a surefire way to lose weight? Eat fast food. No, not that type, but rather the super-charged, metabolism raising foods.

What exactly are these metabolism boosting (or negative calorie) foods?

Although no food is actually "negative calorie", there are certain foods that have such few calories that the act of digestion in the body will burn more calories than the food itself, creating a negative calorie balance.

For example, a 25 calorie piece of broccoli (100 grams) requires 80 calories to digest it in the body which results in a net loss of 55 calories! Some great foods which are extremely low in calories and require lots of energy for the body to break them down include asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce and zucchini.

A negative calorie diet is probably the best and most effective way to raise metabolism and burn calories. Eat these foods and you're guaranteed to burn more calories...while doing nothing! They are great foods to include in your weight loss plan.

Download FREE Report: - Discover how to Increase your metabolism naturally and force your body to work harder during digestion and turn it into a fat burning machine! Lose 9lbs. every 11 DAYS! ==> Click here to begin.



More about which other foods & diets which will increase your metabolism later... First, here are some tips, ideas and natural ways to raise your metabolism rate...

Raising Your Metabolism Ideas 

Best ways & tips to raise your metabolism - naturally

  • Eating healthy and small meals more often and regularly is one great and simple method. Metabolism is always raised with the intake of food. The frequent small meals you consume keep the metabolism going for a longer duration.

  • Eating protein-rich foods like low-fat dairy products, lean meat and skinless chicken is found to increase metabolism. Include fish, dark green vegetables and foods high in fiber to your meals. There is evidence to show that foods rich in protein increase the burning of calories by about 25%. More about foods to raise metabolism below. Also, drink at least 2 litres of water every day!

  • Consume foods that contain antioxidants for speeding up your metabolism. For instance, green tea will raise metabolism better than coffee due to its high antioxidant content.

  • The temperature of your body environment affects your metabolism. If it is very cold or very hot, the rate of metabolism is found to go up by about 20%. You can manipulate that temperature. You can either chill out or have a sauna to raise your metabolism.

  • Keep yourself active and moving throughout the day. When you increase your physical activity, your muscle increases and, consequently, the metabolic rate also goes up. Aerobic exercises coupled with resistance training and exercises are very useful in this regard. If you have a job that requires you to sit at the desk for long hours, find ways to incorporate some physical activity and movement that takes you away from the desk, even for short durations, as often as possible.

  • By increasing the heart rate, you can raise your metabolism rate. Adding spices, especially chili or green pepper, to your food will most likely do that. (see below). It is believed that spices speed-up the metabolism by about 50%. But you have to develop considerable tolerance for the spicy condiments if you do not already have it.

Metabolism Raising Foods: Low Fat Milk, Whole-Grain Cereal & Oatmeal 

Secret Ingredients: Calcium, complex carbohydrates, and fiber


  • How they work: ==> Complex carbohydrates and fiber raise your metabolism by keeping insulin levels low after you eat.


That's good, because spikes in the production of insulin send a signal to the body that it's time to start storing fat. And in order to stockpile fat, your body has to slow down your metabolism, causing you to burn fewer calories, says Margaret McNurlan, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition and medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Since oatmeal breaks down slowly in the stomach, it causes less of a spike in insulin levels than foods like bagels, she says.

Besides helping to keep insulin production down, eating breakfast can also help stoke your daily calorie burn. When the U.S. Navy studied the metabolisms and eating habits of a group of its personnel, it found that eating breakfast helped raise the men's metabolisms by as much as 10 percent. "By skipping meals, you slow down your metabolism and prime your body to store fat," says McNurlan.

The calcium in milk is a metabolic trigger as well. A University of Tennessee study found that dieters who consumed between 1,200 and 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day lost nearly twice as much weight as dieters getting less calcium. Be careful though as milk and calcium can cause bloating and colon problems.

Foods To Raise Metabolism: Salmon, Tuna & Sardines 

Secret Ingredient: Omega3 fatty acids

  • How they work: ==> By altering levels of a hormone called leptin in your body.


Several recent studies suggest that leptin directly influences your metabolism, determining whether you burn calories or store them as fat.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that mice with low leptin levels have faster metabolisms and are able to burn fat more quickly than animals with higher leptin levels. The best way to lower your leptin? Eat fish.

Mayo Clinic researchers studying the diets of two African tribes - one of which frequently ate fish and one of which didn't-found that fish eaters had leptin levels nearly five times lower than the levels found in tribes that primarily ate vegetables.


The good news, if you don't like fish: Fish-oil supplements may work just as well as the stuff with scales. French researchers found that men who replaced 6 grams of fat in their diets with 6 grams of fish oil were able to boost their metabolisms and lose an average of 2 pounds in just 12 weeks.

Great Books on How To Raise Your Metabolism on Amazon 

The Metabolism Miracle: 3 Easy Steps to Regain Control of Your Weight... Permanently

Amazon Price: $15.00 (as of 07/06/2009) Buy Now
Used Price: $13.50

Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!

Amazon Price: $15.60 (as of 07/06/2009) Buy Now
Used Price: $15.24

Fire Up Your Metabolism: 9 Proven Principles for Burning Fat and Losing Weight Forever

Amazon Price: $11.66 (as of 07/06/2009) Buy Now
Used Price: $1.59

The Thyroid Diet: Manage Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss

Amazon Price: $12.47 (as of 07/06/2009) Buy Now
Used Price: $6.25

Metabolism Raising Foods: Green Tea and Coffee 

Secret Ingredients: Caffeine and a chemical in the tea called EGCG


  • How they work: ==> Caffeine helps speed up your heart rate.


The faster your heart beats, the more calories you burn. EGCG works in a similar way, but instead of revving up your heart, it causes your brain and nervous system to run more quickly - again helping you burn more calories.

In studies, researchers found that a combination of caffeine and a 90-mg dose of EGCG taken three times a day can help you burn an extra 80 calories a day. And that's just when your body's at rest.

A study conducted by the Canadian government found that soldiers who consumed caffeine in the 12 hours prior to a physical-fitness test not only were able to work out longer before becoming exhausted, but also consumed more oxygen while working out. The body's oxygen requirements are directly related to the speed of your metabolism, so the more oxygen you use, the more calories you burn during your workout.

Foods That Raise Your Metabolism: Lean Beef, Pork, Chicken & Turkey 

Secret Ingredient: Protein


  • How it works: ==> It takes more energy for your body to digest the protein in meat than it does for it to digest carbs or fat.


According to Doug Kalman, R.D., director of nutrition at Miami Research Associates, a nationally recognized pharmaceutical-research facility..."The more protein you eat, the harder your body has to work to digest it, and the more calories you'll burn in the process," he says.

When researchers at Arizona State University compared the benefits of a high protein diet with those of a high-carbohydrate diet, they found that people who ate a high-protein diet burned more than twice as many calories in the hours following their meal as those eating carbs.

Even better, researchers in Denmark found that men who substituted protein for 20% of the carbs in their diets were able to boost their metabolisms, increasing the number of calories they burned each day by up to 5%.

Foods That Raise Metabolism: Jalapeno, Habanero & Cayenne Peppers 

Capsaicin - the chemical in peppers that gives them their bite

  • How it works: ==> By speeding up your heart rate.


A study from the late '80s found that eating a single spicy meal can raise your metabolism by up to 25%, with the spike in calorie burning lasting for up to 3 hours after you finish eating.

More recently, a study from Laval University in Quebec found that men who consumed coffee plus red pepper packed snacks and meals were able to burn nearly 1,000 more calories a day than a control group.

Small snacks can also help keep your body from running out of fuel - preventing those 3 p.m. office blahs. "When you restrict the number of calories your body has for fuel, your metabolic rate can drop temporarily," says Susan Roberts, Ph.D., chief of the energy-metabolism laboratory at Tufts University in Boston. That makes it easier to pack on the pounds and harder to burn them off again.

Download FREE Report: - Discover how to Increase your metabolism naturally and force your body to work harder during digestion and turn it into a fat burning machine! Lose 9lbs. every 11 DAYS! ==> Click here to begin.

Exercises (Workouts) To Raise Metabolism 

Resistance training, weightlifting & turbulence training

What you do in terms of exercise is equally important if not more so than your diet to raise your metabolism rate.

This is because muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in your body and it's your "furnace" for burning calories throughout the day.

If you can add 1 extra pound of muscle, it will burn about 50 extra calories a day!

Therefore, increased muscle mass is ABSOLUTELY NESSESARY to raise your metabolism rate. It's very important to include some type of strength training routine into your overall fitness plan.

===> Turbulence Training - is an exercise program to raise metabolism which I highly recommend you try. It works on the principle of a high intensity, low volume, quick workout that combines resistance training and interval training to lose body fat and build muscle at the same time.

===> Interval Training in particular allows you to push your body for a short period of time and then take a period to rest and recover before going once again. This system of workout is much more effective than the standard pace, long duration cardio because it helps you develop your fast twitch muscle fibers and will kick your metabolism into high gear.

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Others by margin-strategies: retrieve deleted pictures and retrieve deleted emails

Raising Your Metabolism - Your Tips & Suggestions 

Let's share thoughts and ideas!

Your ideas on the best foods, diets and exercise programs to raise the metabolism rate:

BestWorkoutReviews wrote...

Nice article and good to see a different approach, putting your metabolism info together with the right workout should help a lot of readers in achieving their health and fitness goals, stick with it and good luck!

ReplyPosted June 26, 2009

Shankspony wrote...

Nice lens, lots of interesting stuff. We must not let our fear of fat lead us to eat too much protein. A lower carbohydrate diet works for a lot of people, but diets that are too high in protein cause the body problems because to get energy from them, not only requires a high energy input, but also involves the body excreting difficult to process waste products (unlike fat and carbohydrate metabolism).

I'm still looking for the right balance, but would not go above 20% calories from protein.

ReplyPosted May 18, 2009

FatBurningHormones wrote...

Great lense! I love working out and I only eat unprocessed foods. You're spot on with the Green Tea too, I try to drink at least 3 cups a day.

ReplyPosted May 13, 2009

CatharinaE wrote...

I've been on a lot of diets, but eating small meals during the day proved to be the answer to speeding up my metabolism. Thanks for the list of foods to help with this. Very informative lens! 5*

ReplyPosted May 01, 2009

Lensmaster

michael wrote

in reply to cyprestxmom thanx

Reply Posted March 24, 2009

LauraSchofield wrote...

Great stuff. I'm always glad to hear that I'm doing something right. I'm already eating small meals throughout the day, exercising, avoiding white carbs and eating high-protein foods, spicy foods and drinking coffee. I'm glad to see thats what I should be doing!

ReplyPosted March 09, 2009

rdb83080 wrote...

Great Lens! Lots of great info!

ReplyPosted March 07, 2009

StacyWhiting wrote...

Excellent lens! I too believe in the power that is held by the food we eat and advocate natural, healthy food that can have many overall health benefits. Great info on cayenne pepper - it is a stable in our kitchen!

ReplyPosted March 04, 2009

operasinger wrote...

Great lens! Now I understand why my metabolism is high. I'll be spreading the word!

ReplyPosted February 10, 2009

Lensmaster

Leon wrote

Ripped Fuel, Slim Fast, ALOT of water, and one square meal....lost 10 pounds in 7 days.

Reply Posted February 09, 2009

Lensmaster

Enjoyed your lens a lot. Found it interesting and easy to read.

ReplyPosted February 06, 2009

Erzulie wrote...

Thanks for creating this lens. This will come in handy to help shift the inevitable new year weight gain.
Great lens

ReplyPosted December 10, 2008

Weight_Loss_Review wrote...

Top Quality Lens for sure. The information is outstanding. This is perfect for all of us trying to loose weight and stay healthy. Thanks, http://www.audiobookscorner.com/list.aspx?catID=154

ReplyPosted December 01, 2008

magcody wrote...

Great lens! I am a newbie, love the concept of wellness. I am an organic food person....
If you do not have your health you do not have anything....

ReplyPosted November 30, 2008

Arananthi wrote...

Excellent advice. A strong metabolism is so important in today's unhealthy food environment. Thanks for the lens!

ReplyPosted November 29, 2008

SaraMu wrote...

Hmmmmm.....sardines are out, but broccoli and green tea I can definitely do.

ReplyPosted November 29, 2008

totosmom wrote...

Great Lens - I'm an Atkins person and eat plenty of protien an veggies. I do notice when I eat Tuna, I have a lot of energy.

ReplyPosted November 25, 2008

Lensmaster

Sarah wrote

OMG, Thanks so much for this heads up, I hardly eat, work out 4 x a week and yet, still gaining tons of weight! My bf of course eats like a pig and still has a six pack! Thanks again.

Reply Posted November 12, 2008

DrGerardMusante wrote...

Great lens! There is a lot of very helpful information here for people interested in raising their metabolism. When you get a chance I'd love for you to visit the Structure House Weight Loss Clinic lens and say hello.

ReplyPosted November 11, 2008

Heidi-Marie wrote...

Great Lense, lots of information. Thanks!

ReplyPosted November 09, 2008

Meresmaa wrote...

I have to agree, that was pretty well done!

ReplyPosted November 01, 2008

Karolsstuff wrote...

Great info! Thanks!!

ReplyPosted October 22, 2008

ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...

Great lens! Very informative.
Lizzy

ReplyPosted October 17, 2008

BradChamp wrote...

Great lens for speeding up our metabolism rate

ReplyPosted October 04, 2008

Lensmaster

The Wu Yi Tea Guru wrote

An excellent and informative article, first class my enlightened friend.

The Wu Yi Tea Guru

http://www.wuyiteaguru.com

Reply Posted September 24, 2008

daily_chic wrote...

Good lens. Very informative.

ReplyPosted September 19, 2008

Alternative-Health-Advice wrote...

Great lens! Proper nutrition is often overlooked when many people think about losing weight. Check out my lens for more good things to eat.

ReplyPosted September 17, 2008

JoyMesser wrote...

Enjoyed your lens! Nice to know which foods help the metabolism!

ReplyPosted August 28, 2008

geetoo wrote...

Balanced lens. The information are well organized. The details of foods which could improve our metabolism are more useful to all. I would like your ideas for raising metabolism. Intake of Balanced Diet is more important for raising metabolism. If your time permits please check out the blog

http://www.herbscancure.com/blog/

This blog emphasizes the importance of Balanced Diet for a sound health.
Thanks.

ReplyPosted August 26, 2008

MYNEWPEACE wrote...

Wellness & Blessings to you
NATASHA
MYNEWPEACE

ReplyPosted August 23, 2008

TheNewGreenWayToHealthyLiving wrote...

I work for a local health club and they just added a machine that tests your metabolism! Its really neat......what is also neat,nifty and groovy is this lens, a great read!!

ReplyPosted August 21, 2008

Pam_McDonald wrote...

You've got some great tips here. Very helpful! If you'd like to learn about the role genetics plays in your weight loss, please feel free to visit my lens about the ApoE Gene Diet.

ReplyPosted August 16, 2008

scarsdalediet wrote...

Fantastic info. When I was younger I had a phenomenal metabolism but nowadays i feel the need to augment it for sure so very useful tips!

ReplyPosted August 12, 2008

Lensmaster

clearviewpatch@gmal.com wrote

Great Info as well...I like to wear an all natural weightloss patch to help me... 44 lbs and more than 55 inches...

Reply Posted August 09, 2008

SemperFidelis wrote...

Excellent lens here margin-strategies!
Blessed by a Squid Angel today! :)
Colleen ~ www.squidoo.com/squid-angel

ReplyPosted August 08, 2008

Lensmaster

jennifer wrote

this is a great way for me to watch my weight !thank you. plus its surprising that almost everything they said is good to eat i eat frequently! i LOVE MUSTARD =]

Reply Posted August 08, 2008

Joan4 wrote...

This is certainly a helpful lens. I learned more about foods that will boost my metabolism. Thank you!

ReplyPosted July 23, 2008

cyprestxmom wrote...

Great lens! I love all the hints

ReplyPosted July 10, 2008

MiaBellezza wrote...

Great info. Thanks for sharing! *****

ReplyPosted July 05, 2008

jessica-garner77 wrote...

Excellent information. This is a very good lense with some great information. I am actually giving away an ebook on how to raise metabolism for weight loss so your readers may be interested in it. They can find it at Learn To Lose Weight For Free Lense

ReplyPosted June 28, 2008

beeobrien wrote...

This sounds like good, sensible advice. I'm 49 yo and I can really use a metabolism boost right about now.

ReplyPosted June 27, 2008

sisterra wrote...

Great lens and info. I'm going to give this a try!

ReplyPosted June 25, 2008

Dad-The-Lad wrote...

Really Good. One of the most interesting and useful lenses I have read. I can now justify spending alot of time in the Sauna after I workout. Well done.

ReplyPosted June 24, 2008

AbbasAbedi wrote...

Useful info.

ReplyPosted May 27, 2008

CleanFace wrote...

Nice pictures and useful information. thanks! 5 stars.

ReplyPosted May 17, 2008

Lensmaster

jeanne wrote

47 years old and in best shape ever by following this advice. I eat all these foods, work with weights and stay active. Finally firm and toned after 5 kids, thanks for this info, it works!!!

Reply Posted May 16, 2008

margin-strategies wrote...

Thank You Ronald. But please everyone - no spam.

This forum is for posting ideas on raising metabolism. Use it for such and lets share food ideas.

Please note that I do not endorse the below website.

ReplyPosted May 08, 2008

Lensmaster

Ronald Godlewski wrote

Wow, good information. Appreciate the perspective and learned a few new things. I am very interested in the health benefits of vitamins and minerals. I wrote a bit about liquid supplements at
http://www.pillfreesupplements.com/
Thanks again. I'll be sure to return often!

Reply Posted May 08, 2008

luiyuming wrote...

interesting piece!

ReplyPosted May 07, 2008

beachbum_gabby wrote...

thanks for the very nice and helpful tips.

ReplyPosted April 27, 2008

Lensmaster

MrCooker wrote

Great great tips. And a very good explanation of things. I'm sure these will help me lose a few pounds

Reply Posted April 26, 2008

WhippetTalk wrote...

Great information. I'm going to implement some of this into my diet. Thank you! 5*

ReplyPosted April 24, 2008

collagen wrote...

Great lens I am sure will be helpful for many and solving problem for others. Keep up a good work. Health Beauty and Skin Care

ReplyPosted April 17, 2008

Lensmaster

Bethany wrote

This is exactly what I've been looking f's almost identical to the diet my Dr. gave me! I've already lost nearly 50 lbs. but I seem to have plateaued, so I'm going to add some Green Tea & hot peppers to my diet. I'm already eating everything else listed plus doing strength training 4 days a week. Thanks for the tips, it was just what I was looking for!

Reply Posted April 15, 2008

tom191085 wrote...

Great lens. I've given it five stars and added you to my lensroll. I particularly like your section on metabolism raising foods. If you get a chance please check out my Free Fitness Tips lens which contains some related metabolism boosting tips.

ReplyPosted March 24, 2008

Denise_RN wrote...

An excellent lens, with easy to use methods that can be put into practice immediately. Five stars!

ReplyPosted March 17, 2008

Acne-Treatment-Guru wrote...

I know the importance of metabolism but I was not much aware about its diet. Your lens provided great information in this regard.

Thanks greatly for your lens.

ReplyPosted March 13, 2008

PopularDietReviews wrote...

Great lens! I am also very interested in this subject and found your lens very informative!

If you have time, check out my lens: safe fast weight loss and tell me what you think ;)

ReplyPosted March 09, 2008

Lensmaster

janny wrote

I will give this leptin lowering technique a try.

Reply Posted March 09, 2008

Ener-G wrote...

Thanks for all this great info. I'm currently in massive :-) weight loss program. My goal is 100 pounds (8 down, 92 to go). It is a lot of hard work. This lens has helped me stay focused and on task. My secret weapons (as I call them) are chinese and aryuvedic herbs such as Carulluma. As a 52 year old woman, my metabolism needs lots of help.

ReplyPosted March 09, 2008

StewartC wrote...

hi there, this is a good lens! i rated 5 star!

ReplyPosted March 09, 2008

Lensmaster

a.j. wrote

COOL! This is such awesome page!5 stars!

Reply Posted February 28, 2008

thomasz wrote...

Interesting lens. Nice info.

ReplyPosted February 13, 2008

Donna_Fallon wrote...

Hiya
5 stars Lens!,Check out my lens on belly fat.
:) Donna

ReplyPosted February 12, 2008

Lensmaster

wrote

Hi,

Excellent lens.Raising your metabolism is the best way to burn body fat stores and the time honored way of doing this is with exercise. I have visited another lens Skin Care Productswhich is helpful for all.As this lens helped me.

Reply Posted February 11, 2008

BookMama wrote...

Nice lens. I gave it 5 stars and added to my lensroll for digestive enzyme supplements lens. I like any ideas for helping burn through that food. It's preferable to restricting food intake!

ReplyPosted January 17, 2008

fitbody2day wrote...

"The more protein you eat, the harder your body has to work to digest it, and the more calories you'll burn in the process"
I never knew that. 5 Stars!

ReplyPosted December 31, 2007

Lensmaster

Chris wrote

wow, that's pretty interesting

Reply Posted December 16, 2007

krisManuel wrote...

Hey there, great tips! thanks for sharing. 5-stars from me :)
If you have time, stop by my lens Your Health and Freedom

ReplyPosted December 09, 2007

Raise metabolism from the blogosphere 

Foods that Speed Metabolism - Metabolism Boosting Foods - Speed up ...
The rate of the metabolism determines the amount of fat we burn. It is the key to weight loss. There...
Want To Speed Up Your Metabolism But Don't Know How? : CVN Home
And there are recognized ways to increase the speed of your metabolism. It takes some effort to do,...
Strain Guide » Blog Archive » Marijuana Increase Metabolism?
Metabolism is just how effective your body is in converting food to heat. No, mary jane does not inc...
Supercharge Your Metabolism | Learn to Speak French
Your 'basal' metabolism is the minimum metabolic rate and caloric expenditure to keep your body aliv...
Create a Lens!