We all know that metabolism has an impact on weight loss. If you have ever known a person who can eat anything they want throughout the entire day without gaining weight, you are seeing a high metabolism at work. Metabolism comes down to a person’s basal metabolic rate and thermogenesis, which is how much energy is used to perform basic functions each day. The heat generated from a person’s BMR, as well as thermogenesis, is what provides the heat to burn calories.
What Is Thermogenesis?
Thermogenesis can be generated by a person’s diet, as well as the exercise they are able to get each day. In fact, heat can be generated by digesting certain foods. The act of processing the foods themselves burns away a certain percentage of the calories. Thermogenesis and protein is one of the best ways to burn more calories. You’re generating heat to burn those specific calories and storing heat that will continue working long after the meal is over.
The next question you may ask yourself is what kind of foods should I be consuming to generate thermogenesis? This thermogenesis food list can help you make decisions when it comes to a healthy diet to help you lose weight. There are three basic building blocks of food. They’re either a protein, carbohydrate, or a fat. Fats will burn 3 percent of their own calories in digestion, while carbohydrates will burn 7 percent, and protein will burn 30 percent. Spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol increase the thermogenetics of your food as well.
Thermogenesis Food Intake List
Eggs
These are a healthy addition to your diet, but shouldn’t be eaten too frequently. While they’re high in protein, they can also increase the cholesterol in the body. The hardest thing about dieting to lose weight is, that most good foods should still be eaten in moderation.
Lean Meat
Steak, lean ground turkey, and lean pork are good to have in the diet since they are packed with protein. It’s important that you try not to get all your protein through meats. You can certainly eat steak once a week, though. You want to be careful to get variety in your diet.
Whole Grains
Oatmeal is a great grain that has a high amount of protein. Dietary fiber can also level off the blood sugar in the body. Blood sugar spikes and crashes lead to extreme hunger and overeating.
Fish
Overall, fish is an important part of your diet. It’s packed full of protein, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. These are some of the good fats that people should consume. Like eggs, you shouldn’t consume too much of this good protein. In the case of fish, it can contain high amounts of mercury, which leads to problems. The right balance is around 8 ounces per week. Salmon, cod, herring, and sardines are terrific choices.
Chicken or Turkey
These are easy meats to cook with plenty of protein, which makes them the easiest meats to have with many of your meals. They should never be breaded or fried. Remove the skin to get rid of extra fat, too.
Vegetarian Options
It can be tough to lose weight with this method if you’re a vegetarian, but you can supplement the protein from meat with beans, seeds, and tofu. Protein drinks are a good source of protein, but be careful of those with tons of added sugar.
Peanut Butter
Most diets recommend that you stay away from peanut butter because it’s loaded with fats and oils. You can choose some natural alternatives including peanut butter powder to add to soy milk for a fantastic shake.
Hummus
Along with whole grain pita bread, you can enjoy hummus to boost your protein each day. It’s a healthy snack that will start burning calories as soon as you consume it.
Broccoli Rabe
This is one vegetable that has more protein than a spoonful of peanut butter. For every 8-9 calories, it has a gram of protein. It has the added bonus of providing a serving of vegetables as well as fiber you need in your diet.
Mushrooms
You can replace a burger in your diet with a Portabella mushroom. They have approximately 4 grams of protein for each serving with a limited amount of calories. Add sauce and cheese to create a fantastic Portabella burger. If you can’t live without a good burger, though, choose a lean 90/10 ground beef.
Along with the previous additions to your diet to pack on the protein, other foods can work to increase diet-induced thermogenesis in the body. Very hot peppers, spices that bring on the heat, and spices like turmeric can boost your metabolism. Very cold water has an impact on metabolism, too. You should always work to increase the cold water you drink each day, anyway. All the protein in the thermogenesis food list can be incredibly binding unless you drink enough water to counteract it.
