5 Drinks to Kick-Start your Metabolism
Metabolism is a complicated system that includes almost every chemical reaction that takes place within your cells and provides energy for most of your body's vital processes. In other words, your metabolism encompasses way more than the process of burning up the calories from the food you eat, which means that its efficiency, or "speed," is reliant on many different factors.
The speed of your metabolism is dependent on a variety of factors, including genetics, gender, age and your percentage of lean body mass. Thanks to genetics, some people have "speedier" metabolisms than others. However, there are some scientifically backed things you can do to make yours work a little more quickly.
Among these things are certain drinks that can temporarily increase the speed of your metabolism, which may allow you to lose weight faster.
1. Iced Green Tea
Tea’s ability to boost metabolism is due to its ‘catechins’, but you probably need two cups a day to have any effect. Mixing with lemon juice is also recommended, as it is also thought to help your metabolism function better. Addition of Ice is useful because iced drinks force your body to work to warm up, which burns more energy.
2. Coffee
One cup of coffee contains an average of 200 mg of caffeine. Caffeine is a mild stimulant, and drinking two to three cups throughout the day can boost your metabolism temporarily by up to five percent. The caffeine in coffee may also increase the efficacy of your cardiovascular system, which can make it easier for you to exercise. If you're not used to drinking coffee, you'll want to start with one cup a day. Otherwise, you may develop unpleasant side effects.
3. H2O/Ice
Water is arguably the most cost-effective and accessible beverage you can drink to help boost your metabolism. Studies have shown that dehydration, even in small degrees, can contribute to the slowing of your metabolism, so make sure you’re not skimping on water throughout the day. In University of Utah study, participants who downed eight to 12 glasses of water a day burned more calories at rest than those who drank four. Better yet, as with the coffee and green tea, drink your water icy cold to help force your body to burn more energy.
4. Grapefruit Juice
Studies have shown grapefruit juice (and grapefruits in general, really) to be effective in boosting one’s metabolism and contributing to weight loss. This is thought to be thanks to the fruit’s apparent ability to reduce high insulin levels, helping one’s body to better metabolize fat. A word of warning, however, to those on medication: the chemical components in the fruit have been found to inhibit the metabolism of certain drugs.
5. Watermelon Juice
Watermelon juice will put you on your way to a slimmer physique. Watermelon contains arginine, an amino acid that prevents fat storage while promoting fat burning. We call this a win-win situation.
