Secrets To Improving Metabolism
In light of the myriad diet programs available today, questions about what to eat - and when - to assist metabolism are common, and either are answered with inconsistency, or go completely unanswered. In the interest of simplifying the topic, I offer the following analogy…The Fire Within!
Essentially, metabolism is about generating energy. A calorie is a measure of heat, and the metabolism is a measure of how quickly the body expends those calories over time. Building and maintaining an effective metabolism is very much like building and maintaining a fire. The quality of any fire is dependent on fuel; the better the fuel, the hotter and longer the fire will burn. In this case, the available fuels are carbohydrates and fats.
Carbohydrates are generally categorized into simple and complex. Examples of simple carbs include sweets and low-fiber, high-starch foods made with processed white flour, like white bread, most cold cereals, and pastas. Complex carbohydrates include vegetables and whole-grain, high-fiber breads & cereals. Fruits fall somewhere in between, as they typically are high in fructose (fruit sugar) but also have some beneficial fiber.
Like carbohydrates, fats are also grouped in two general categories: saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are to be avoided, as they have demonstrated a link to many health risks including heart disease and high cholesterol. Saturated fats also have a higher propensity to be stored as bodyfat. The rule of thumb for distinguishing a saturated fat from an unsaturated one is that the saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Hence, foods like butter, cheese, and animal fats all qualify. Unsaturated fats include those in vegetables (e.g. avocados), nuts, and fish; all are rich in nutrients and are more readily used by the body as fuel.
Protein is not to be forgotten, but it should be noted that protein is not truly a fuel; it is a ‘building block’ composed of amino acids. These amino acids are used by the body primarily to build, repair, and maintain muscle tissue. Primary sources of protein are meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. While not readily useable as a fuel, they do play an important role in the metabolic process, which will be explained shortly.
Back to our analogy; when building a fire for heat and warmth, we usually opt for large logs which will provide a long, slow burn. In the nutritional sense, complex carbohydrates are the logs. They take a while for the body to digest, and are therefore good sources of energy. As a complex carb is a log, a simple carbohydrate is a piece of newspaper. It burns hot, but for a very short duration, requiring another piece of newspaper to achieve the desired result. Reading into the analogy, it takes far fewer complex carbohydrates (and calories) to get the metabolism cooking. If simple sugars are a staple of the diet, it takes repeated servings to keep energy levels up…requiring more and more calories. This is secret number 1! Eating complex carbohydrates is an easy way to eat fewer calories without truly depriving yourself of food.
Each time you consume food, the body must expend calories to digest it. The more chemically complex the food, the more energy required. Complex carbs are chains of sugars necessitating about 20 calories per 100 grams of carbohydrate. Here’s where protein comes in; proteins are chains of amino acids which require up to 30 calories per 100 grams to process. Eating these complex foods together provides a metabolic boost. Secret number 2: when trying to build the metabolism, it is helpful to combine moderate portions of lean protein and complex carbohydrates with almost every meal.
An unattended fire tends to go out. In order to keep the fire burning, it must be stoked at regular intervals. Studies have shown that the body finishes a digestive cycle within 4 hours, so it is important to get more fuel in the system before that happens. It is recommended that meals be consumed approximately every three hours to keep the metabolism running at a high level. The added benefit of such a schedule is that, like resistance training conditions the muscles, frequent feedings conditions the metabolism to burn food efficiently. Secret number 3: eating smaller, more frequent meals provides metabolic boosts throughout the day, and conditions the metabolism to burn calories efficiently.
A final rule of thumb: stoke the fire based upon the three hours following the meal. If you’re just starting your day, it is important to build a hot fire which will provide energy through the morning. Complex carbohydrates provide a long-lasting, slow burning source of energy, and are ideal for breakfast, along with a bit of lean protein. Conversely, if you’re eating dinner, and you’re going to bed soon, it is not necessary to build a roaring fire. Protein and vegetables provide a nice combination of metabolic boost and little residual calories. Secret number 4: plan meals to fuel you through the next three hours.
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