This post has been updated since its initial publish date to include more expert insight.
If you’re looking to shed pounds, it’s likely that you want to eat more foods that can boost your metabolism. Certain foods, like chili peppers, beans, ginger, and cacao, may help increase your metabolic rate (learn about the best diet for keeping your metabolic rate up!). We spoke with registered dietitians Trista Best, at Balance One Supplements, Zoë Schroeder, and Jennifer Hanes, and Lisa Richards, a nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet. They explain why these foods, along with creating a calorie-deficit with your diet and exercising more, are the key to speeding up your metabolism and losing weight. Find out more below!
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1. Ginger
"Ginger is unique to weight loss in that it contains compounds known as gingerols and shogaols," Best tells us. "These compounds create an antioxidant effect in the body that reduces free radical damage in the body."
Free radical damage leads to an increase in oxidative stress, which in turn can cause and exacerbate obesity. "This damage occurs at a cellular level and once those damaged cells replicate the body's natural processes that maintain homeostasis can become disrupted leading to decreased metabolism, energy, and more," she adds. Drinking ginger tea, for example, or adding whole ginger to your meals, may increase your metabolism, help your weight loss goals, and reduce morning bloat, Richards explains.
2. Cacao
Cacao is pure chocolate commonly used in recipes of various kinds, Best explains, "It is often mixed into shakes, coffees, and desserts as a sweetener but also to help raise metabolism." It works a lot like coffee, in its "ability to raise metabolism and improve fatigue," she adds—but without the caffeine! And, health experts recommend adding cocao powder to your morning cup of joe to accelerate weight loss and minimize bloating.
3. Chili Peppers
Studies have shown that chili peppers can aid in weight loss by reducing hunger and improving metabolism, Trista explains. "They blunt hunger by reducing ghrelin production, the hunger hormone," she notes. "This pepper can speed up metabolism by raising the body's internal temperature even slightly. This is the result of capsaicin and is known as the thermogenic effect of food, capsaicin is also found in cayenne peppers." People who practice intermittent fasting have been known to add cayenne pepper to their drinks to "blunt their hunger during longer fasts." Interesting!
"Cayenne or chili peppers contain the compound known as capsaicin which can help acutely increase the metabolism in people who are not accustomed to eating spicy foods," Schroeder agrees.
4. Legumes And Beans
"Legumes, which include beans, peas, and lentils, have a high thermic effect of food (TEF)," Trista explains. These foods that increase the TEF "will increase your metabolism as well."
"When these foods are digested they raise the body's internal temperature which increases the amount of calories burned during that time," she explains. This means you are burning calories while eating.
Beans and legumes are rich source of fiber and B vitamins, too. Fiber is essential to a healthy digestive system, and helps your body to continuously burn fuel. "This keeps digestion moving through the day," Hanes explains.
The Bottom Line
Of course, it will take a bit more than a few healthy ingredients to get in shape by summer. Weight loss requires a variety of different factors, including a great workout routine and a balanced diet. While ginger, cocao powder, chili peppers, and legumes and beans may not the magical solution for losing weight, they'll certainly help you boost your caloric rate in the long run.
