How quickly your body sheds unwanted fat depends on one factor: your metabolism. Your body’s metabolic process converts food into energy. The higher your metabolic rate, the faster you burn calories.

Your diet plays a significant role in how effectively your metabolism breaks down fats for both immediate use and long-term energy storage. Some foods actually burn calories as you eat them — what fitness experts call the thermogenic effect, or TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) — while others contain nutrients and compounds that temporarily speed up your metabolism. If you want your meals to give your metabolism a boost, try adding these healthy ingredients to your menu.

Hot peppers 

The heat of hot peppers, supplied by capsaicin, can temporarily increase your metabolism. So don’t shy away from adding a little spice to your next meal.

Whole grains

Whole grains are packed with fiber and complex carbohydrates (starches). To digest these compounds, your body’s metabolism has to work longer and harder, ultimately burning twice as many calories as it would if fed processed foods. Fuel your body with whole grains like barley, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa and whole wheat.

Wild caught salmon

Salmon contains heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids that work to lower levels of the hormone leptin. High leptin levels can slow down your metabolism and thus slow down how quickly your body burns fat.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been proven to boost your metabolic rate by helping the body transform more sugar into energy. Your body otherwise converts sugar into fat, storing it away for later use via a process called lipogenesis. And the less fat represents a proportion of your body weight, the higher your natural metabolism.

Green tea

Eight ounces of green tea contain about 70 milligrams of caffeine. (The average cup of coffee often contains over 100 milligrams.) That amount of caffeine is just enough to bump up your heart rate and give your metabolism a lift.

Grapefruit

Research suggests that the juice from this citrus helps to inhibit your pancreas’ production of insulin. Lower insulin levels means better blood sugar levels. Good glucose management is necessary if you want to process food more effectively, burn more calories and store less fat.

Almonds

Packed with protein, almonds help you feel more full after eating while also kickstarting your metabolism.

Broccoli

Calcium and vitamin C work together to help you burn calories more quickly, and broccoli is rich in both. As a bonus, broccoli — more so than most other vegetables — is also high in dietary fiber.

Water

Proper hydration is key to a maintaining a healthy weight. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to take advantage of its thermogenic effects and keep your metabolism running at peak efficiency.

Is your metabolism ready for a tune-up? If so, contact McCarty Weight Loss Center today and find out how our nutritional counseling services can help you change your diet and achieve your weight loss goals.