Metabolism Boosters

With some medical conditions and as we age and hit certain hormone milestones, our metabolism naturally starts to slow down and if we continue to eat as we always have, we will gain weight. Here are some ways to combat this natural process:

Getting quality sleep is essential for all body processes to work optimally, this includes your metabolism. This may be the number one factor in good metabolism.
Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. It increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats (1). Having protein makeup at least 25-35% of your diet will improve your metabolism. You need 0.5-1 gram of protein per one pound of body weight.
Drinking cold water will improve your metabolism by lubricating bodily processes. If the water is cold, then the body has to work to warm it up too!
The more movement you add to your day, the more work your body has to do, therefore, your metabolism will increase.
Lifting heavy things increase your muscle mass, which increases your metabolic needs, therefore your metabolism increases.
Stand up, if you have a job where you sit most of the time. Standing up more can cause you to burn over 170 calories (2).
For some people, drinking green tea can boost their metabolism 4-5% (3, 4, 5).
Peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that can boost your metabolism, eating peppers can burn around 10 additional calories per meal (6, 7, 8, 9). Alone, the effects of adding spices to your food may be quite small. However, it may lead to a slight advantage when combined with other metabolism-boosting strategies (10).
Studies have shown that the caffeine in coffee can boost metabolism by 3–11%. Like green tea, it also promotes fat burning (11, 12,13).

1. Pesta, D. H., & Samuel, V. T. (2014). A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutrition & metabolism, 11(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-11-53 2. Buckley JP, Mellor DD, Morris M, Joseph F. Standing-based office work shows encouraging signs of attenuating post-prandial glycaemic excursion. Occup Environ Med. 2014 Feb;71(2):109-11. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2013-101823. Epub 2013 Dec 2. PMID: 24297826. 3. Diepvens K, Westerterp KR, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Obesity and thermogenesis related to the consumption of caffeine, ephedrine, capsaicin, and green tea. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2007 Jan;292(1):R77-85. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00832.2005. Epub 2006 Jul 13. PMID: 16840650. 4. Bérubé-Parent S, Pelletier C, Doré J, Tremblay A. Effects of encapsulated green tea and Guarana extracts containing a mixture of epigallocatechin-3-gallate and caffeine on 24 h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in men. Br J Nutr. 2005 Sep;94(3):432-6. doi: 10.1079/bjn20051502. PMID: 16176615. 5. Hursel R, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Thermogenic ingredients and body weight regulation. Int J Obes (Lond). 2010 Apr;34(4):659-69. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2009.299. Epub 2010 Feb 9. PMID: 20142827. 6. Gregersen NT, Belza A, Jensen MG, Ritz C, Bitz C, Hels O, Frandsen E, Mela DJ, Astrup A. Acute effects of mustard, horseradish, black pepper and ginger on energy expenditure, appetite, ad libitum energy intake and energy balance in human subjects. Br J Nutr. 2013 Feb 14;109(3):556-63. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512001201. Epub 2012 Jul 5. PMID: 23021155. 7. Henry CJ, Emery B. Effect of spiced food on metabolic rate. Hum Nutr Clin Nutr. 1986 Mar;40(2):165-8. PMID: 3957721. 8. Westerterp-Plantenga M, Diepvens K, Joosen AM, Bérubé-Parent S, Tremblay A. Metabolic effects of spices, teas, and caffeine. Physiol Behav. 2006 Aug 30;89(1):85-91. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.01.027. Epub 2006 Mar 30. PMID: 16580033. 9. Ludy, M. J., & Mattes, R. D. (2011). The effects of hedonically acceptable red pepper doses on thermogenesis and appetite. Physiology & behavior, 102(3-4), 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.11.018 10. Ludy, M. J., Moore, G. E., & Mattes, R. D. (2012). The effects of capsaicin and capsiate on energy balance: critical review and meta-analyses of studies in humans. Chemical senses, 37(2), 103–121. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjr100 11. Dulloo AG, Geissler CA, Horton T, Collins A, Miller DS. Normal caffeine consumption: influence on thermogenesis and daily energy expenditure in lean and postobese human volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/49.1.44. PMID: 2912010. 12. Koot P, Deurenberg P. Comparison of changes in energy expenditure and body temperatures after caffeine consumption. Ann Nutr Metab. 1995;39(3):135-42. doi: 10.1159/000177854. PMID: 7486839. 13. Acheson KJ, Zahorska-Markiewicz B, Pittet P, Anantharaman K, Jéquier E. Caffeine and coffee: their influence on metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/33.5.989. PMID: 7369170.