10 foods that burn calories faster
Wednesday 27 May 2009
Heard about the new miracle drink that promises to speed up your metabolic rate so you burn up 60 – 100 extra calories a day? Well put your purse away. We’ve found some simpler – and much cheaper – ways to do exactly the same thing…
Here’s some more ways to burn extra calories:
1. Eat more fruits like apples and berries. They contain a chemical called pectin which slows down the body's capacity to absorb other foods - including fat.
2. Eating soybeans three times a week will also have the same effect.
3. Eat more fibrous foods. These will help reduce the amount of fatty cholesterol in your blood and also help to prevent your body from absorbing cholesterol. They fill you up quicker too.
4. Lettuce, horseradish and radish are rich in magnesium and iron, which actually help speed up the metabolism and also have fat-dissolving properties.
5. Brussels sprouts and tomatoes stimulate the pancreas and kidney to flush out the waste matter and thus cleanse body cells.
6. Eat 3 portions of low-fat dairy foods. Research form the National Dairy Council has shown that 3 portions of high-calcium food can speed up your metabolism.
7. Your body uses up more calories to digest whole foods than it does for highly processed ones. Lean protein from solid foods uses up the most energy - go for chicken or turkey breast, very lean red meat, various types of fish or egg whites. Leans proteins also help decrease your appetite.
NB: In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2005, researchers divided a group of 113 overweight subjects who had just finished a calorie-controlled diet into a protein group or a control group for a 6-month weight maintenance programme. The protein group was given an extra 30 grams of protein per day on top of their usual diet, yet this group was LESS likely to regain the lost weight. The results were put down to more energy being used in digesting the extra protein, plus a decrease in appetite.
8. Eat celery to bulk out your meals. It is so low in calories that you actually burn up more crunching your way through it than you gain when it hits your stomach!
9. Drink iced water. Your body burns up calories heating up the water to body temperature. By drinking 8 glasses a day, you should burn around 70 calories.
10. Eat Spicy Food. Some research shows that Spices, especially chilli, can raise the metabolic rate by 5 - 8 per cent for as long as three hours after you've eaten.