7 Foods You Should Eat to Speed up Metabolism and Burn Fat

The internet is full of advice on how to speed up your metabolism. However, as you age, it's only natural that various bodily systems start to slow down, including your metabolism. Unfortunately, this can lead to weight gain and excess fat, which none of us want. Certain foods can speed up or slow down metabolism, potentially affecting weight loss—eat these to boost your metabolism and lose weight.

1. Chili pepper

Studies have shown that eating spicy foods like chili peppers may help speed up your metabolism, mainly because capsaicin, an active compound found in peppers, helps speed up your metabolism and therefore may aid in weight loss.

2. Avocado

Avocado is high in healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, helping overweight people promote satiety. Avocado is also an anti-inflammatory food that can definitely interfere with other things, one of which is metabolism.

3. Whole grains

Different from refined grains, whole grains are complex carbohydrates made up of a long series of sugars. This means your body takes longer to break them down, so you lose more calories during digestion.

4. Beans

Beans are a great source of protein to keep you feeling satiated - while amino acids are the building blocks of protein that help maintain muscle mass, and your body uses a lot of energy when breaking down fiber and protein, making Your metabolism keeps working well.

5. Lean Meats

Lean meats are high in protein, and digesting protein requires more work than carbs or fat. Digestion requires a lot of energy, so you need to burn calories to break them down. Research shows that protein can increase your post-meal calorie consumption by up to 35%. What's more, protein is necessary for building muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism.

6. Nuts

Nuts are another great source of protein and fiber. Likewise, nuts take longer to break down, which makes them more satisfying and better for your metabolism. On top of that, studies have even found that nuts can speed up your metabolism. Several trials show that nuts provide more energy expenditure.

7. Caffeine

Research shows that caffeine can increase your resting metabolic rate by about 3-11%, which is mostly depending on your dose. It has also been shown that this can help burn fat faster. One study even showed that people who took caffeine supplements had a 29% increase in fat burning