Seven nutrition tips for metabolism

Nutritionist Michele Chevalley Hedge reveals the foods that will have your metabolism firing. Check out her top seven nutrition tips for boosting metabolic rate.

1. Quality over quantity

Lowering your food intake can actually slow your metabolism down rather than firing it up. Instead of thinking about the quantity of food you are eating, try to focus on the quality. Make sure most of your diet consists of wholefoods.

2. Green is your colour

Reduce triglyceride levels by cutting down on refined carbohydrates and increasing your daily intake of dark green vegetables. Repair abnormally elevated levels of these fats and the body will use fat storage for energy more effectively.

3. Go pro protein

The body can develop negative feedback messages from inadequate protein in our daily diet. Consider high-protein snacks between your protein- packed meals. Opt for walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cheese and natural yoghurts.

4. A is for amino acids

Include avocado and asparagus in your meals. These vegetables are full of the amino acid L-carnitine, which plays a critical role in the metabolism of fats. Meat, peanuts and dairy are also excellent sources of L-carnitine.

5. Get your beauty sleep

It isn't called "beauty sleep" for nothing. Harvard researcher Charles Czeisler found that when restricted to four hours of sleep a night for two weeks, 18-year-olds performed more like 60-year-olds when it came to metabolising glucose.

6. Water for weight loss

Hydrate your cells. The body needs water to process calories and even mild dehydration can slow down metabolism. Adding a twist of lemon or lime will help increase alkalinity in the body, often improving uptake of water into cells.

7. Go berry mad

The anthocyanidins from berries, resveratrol from grapes, capsaicin from chilli, and catechins from green tea have a thermogenic effect. That is the ability to speed up your metabolism by the simple act of consuming them!

Source
http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/nutrition/nutrition+tips/galleries/seven+nutrition+tips+for+metabolism,20017