Top Ten Metabolism Boosting Foods

taken from a SavingDinner.com news letter

1—Some Like It Hot. Chilis, cayenne pepper, salsa—just add some picante to your meals and watch your metabolism climb, perhaps as much as 20%! Who knew a spicy burrito could work wonders?

2—Berry Interesting. With their high fiber content, berries have the distinction of giving you less calories than you eat! Add to that their natural sugar content that nicely satisfies a sweet tooth, berries need to be on everyone’s shopping lists!

3—Fishing for Compliments. Once again, wild salmon makes the list with its abundant omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids not only increases your metabolism, but it increases energy levels too and makes your skin positively glow!

4—A High Celery. Celery is one veggie that uses more energy to digest and absorb it then the calories you get from eating it. Put some celery sticks in your lunchbox this week!

5—Pucker Up. By adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to a glass of water every morning, you’ll slow digestion down a bit, aiding to your body’s ability to metabolize and thus speeding everything up! No sugar though…this is lemon-aid in its purest form!

6—Ice, Ice Baby. Regular water consumption is good for one’s metabolism by helping your body with digestion and detoxification and can help raise metabolism rate by 30%. Bring down the temperature a bit on your trusty bottle of water (40 degrees F) and you’ll burn even more, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

7—Float Your Oats. Oatmeal’s slow release of glucose and fiber to fill you up makes this a metabolism favorite of those in the know for years! Even if your memories of childhood porridge are less than fond, try a bowl of steel cut oats (and blueberries for a double whammy!) and get your oats on—it will do your body good.

8—Cabbage Patch. Actually anything in the brassica family will do the trick. All of these cabbage patch kids—from broccoli, to cabbage to cauliflower and anything in between, improve the function of a gal’s (or guy’s) metabolism.

9—Soup’s On. A study at Baylord College of Medicine, found that people who ate a bowl of soup before meals lost more weight than those who didn’t. The soup is about three-fourths water, giving you the benefit of #6 and possibly #8, too. Make sure you’re eating veggie-filled, broth-based soups though—cream soups will just add to your girth!

10—An Apple a Day. Or make that an apple per meal! Research from the State University of Rio de Janeiro discovered three small apples a day will satiate (from the pectin and natural fruit sugar) and help people eat less at each meal with the result being a boost in metabolism. Can’t beat that!

There you go…now go add this stuff to your grocery list and get your metabolism PUMPED

Green and Purple Smoothie

2 C packed spinach (can do less if you want)
2 C orange juice
1 Mango
2-3 C blueberries

Blend very well

Green Smoothy

2 handfuls of greens (spinach, kale, etc)
1 cored apple (I like the texture better with it peeled)
2 bananas
water, enough to fill about half the blender, add more if needed

Blend until smooth

Berry Pineapple Smoothy

1 C frozen berries any kind you prefer
1 banana
1 C fresh pineapple
¾ C Milk or Soymilk
Protein Powder if desired

Blend until smooth, add more or less milk depending on your preference

Almond Butter Smoothie

1 banana
1 1/2 Tbl almond butter
1 cup apple juice

Blend until smooth. Add more juice or ice till your desired consistancy.