5 Items To Have In Your Diet To Boost Metabolism

Boosting your metabolism is never a bad thing – it doesn’t matter if you are on a cut or trying to bulk. Controlling your nutrition and making sure you take in these five things will certainly help you boost your metabolism all day while allowing you to better manage your weight and overall body fat. 

You might be asking yourself why this is so important if you are bulking? It’s simple, the less body fat you add while bulking means the less cardio and hardcore dieting you’ll have to do later on down the road after your bulk. And I don’t think we need to go into detail as to why boosting your metabolism would be helpful during a cut – it means simply more calories burned throughout the day (even while at rest).

So, let’s set the stage for the big reveal of these five things you should have in your diet to boost your metabolism. Some of these are things you should have in your daily nutrition plan as is while some of them you may need to do some planning around. Regardless, the five things mentioned below can give you the boost you need to kick your metabolism into high gear. Let’s get into it.

1. Green Tea

The first thing you should consider adding to your nutrition plan to boost your metabolism is green tea. You can make your own homemade green tea via tea bags or loose tea leaves, but I’ve also found a premade diet green tea that I use on a daily basis – Arizona Diet Green Tea. It contains only one carb and less than a gram of sugar per serving. I generally buy it in bulk by the gallon jug and drink it throughout the day.

Green tea has natural caffeine in it, so the beverage will give you a nice little pick-me-up and help energize you throughout the day. How you consume your green tea is totally up to you as well. You can either drink it warm or store it in the refrigerator and drink it cold. Personally, I prefer mine cold but your mileage may vary.

Green tea also contains helpful antioxidants to aid in fighting off free radicals.

2. Protein

When you look at the macros you consume on a daily basis and which can help boost your metabolism, protein should always be at the forefront of your mind. You should be taking in protein (either plant or animal sources) with all of your meals (this also includes any snacks you have throughout the day).

Protein is a macronutrient that takes more energy than the others to breakdown which is why it helps boost your metabolism – it’s the thermic effect that accounts for the increase. In a nutshell, what this means is that protein is harder to digest by the body and causes it to work harder to break the protein down into usable amino acids which can then be shuttled out to the muscles to help them repair and rebuild.

3. Coffee

I’m sure this got your attention. Who doesn’t love coffee, right? If they came out with a coffee IV drip, I’d be all over it. But in all seriousness, coffee is a fantastic beverage to help boost your metabolism while also helping enhance your immune system thanks to the natural antioxidants present. Coffee is generally consumed in the morning to help people wake up but can be used anytime you want a natural boost of energy. 

Coffee is a natural stimulant and can help you stay energized throughout the day while also helping to keep your metabolism cranking and burning fat. Including coffee during your day (such as your morning cup with breakfast) can help you burn upwards of 100 extra calories assuming you drink enough to take you around 300mg mark of caffeine for the day. 

It should be noted, however, that everyone is different when it comes to caffeine and stimulants. If you are sensitive to stimulants, 300mg may be way too high and could disrupt your sleep. 300mg of caffeine would put you around three cups of coffee. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you may want to skip coffee in the afternoon to allow the effects of your morning cup of coffee to wear off. 

4. Peppers

Cues up Nelly’s hit song “Hot in Herre.” And yes, I spelled it correctly (Google it if you don’t believe me). Peppers are one of those foods that can get you hot and sweaty without even getting out of your seat. Why? It’s because of the capsaicin found in peppers. If you’ve heard the word “capsaicin” before, it may sound familiar to you as it’s used in many fat burners and thermogenics on the market these days.

Capsaicin is a natural chemical found in peppers that can boost your metabolism when consumed in the range of 135-150mg. It’s what produces the heat (and could even cause you to sweat) when you consume peppers or a food that contains peppers in it. Not a pepper fan nor a fan of food with some heat and spice? No worries, there are four other things on this list that you can utilize to help boost your metabolism and keep it supercharged. 

5. Water

I’m willing to bet you’re probably not drinking enough water during the day. You may think you are, but you probably aren’t. I highly recommend carrying a water bottle with you everywhere you go and when it’s empty, refill it and keep going. Sipping water throughout the day is a great way to boost your metabolism, especially if the water is cold. Why? Because your body needs to work to warm up the cold water you drank which causes you to burn calories – even though water is a calorie-free beverage which is actually pretty cool when you think about it. 

Not only does drinking cold water boost your metabolism, but when you drink upwards of 17 ounces at a time, it has been shown to naturally increase your metabolism 10-30% for upwards of 60 minutes. Another little tip or trick is to drink water before your meals. While this doesn’t necessarily have a direct effect on your metabolism (unless you drink 17 ounces), it does trick your body into thinking your stomach is full once you start eating – ultimately preventing you from overeating at meals. Filling your stomach up with some water helps you stay satiated as well and if you feel a hunger pang throughout the day, more than likely you’re just thirsty and drinking some water will eliminate those pangs and hold you over until your next meal.