Top 10 Meals & Snacks To Boost Your Metabolism

People assume that boosting you metabolism will automatically help you lose weight but we know it’s not that easy, right? That’s where nutrients, whole foods, stress management, water and rest come in.  While fruits and vegetables won’t technically raise your metabolic rate, they will provide the valuable nutrients that enable your metabolism to function at it’s best.

And great news!  Lean meats, fish and dark chocolate will assist you with that as well.  Check out these Top 10 meals and snacks that will get you started.

1.

On Board in 20:  Glazed Salmon, Veggies and Noodles  |  Food Well Said

This 20 minute meal is chock full of nutritious and metabolism-boosting ingredients!  The salmon is loaded with healthy fats and the noodles are high in fiber.  The asparagus provides essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and C, folate, and iron.  Not only do cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts,  their fat is mostly unsaturated fatty acids – the good stuff that’s heart healthy.

2.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili  |  Watch Learn Eat

Kidney beans give you energy to burn while stabilizing your blood sugar and turkey is the preferred lean meat to beef.  Chili powder and cayenne pepper provide the  heat which will get your metabolism fired, increasing your calorie burn rate.

3.

Yellow Fin Tuna with Mango Salsa  |  Simply Fresh Dinners

Tuna is loaded with essential nutrients that boost your overall health and well-being.  It’s also a great weight loss food thanks to its high protein content. In addition to providing amino acids that your body can use to build muscle tissue, this process boosts your metabolism and helps with weight loss because of it’s high thermic effect.  Click here to read more about the thermic effect of food.

4.

Spicy Ethiopian Red Lentils  |  Hapa Nom Nom

Getting enough iron in our diet is a struggle and many women need help with this.  Your body needs iron to carry out it’s calorie-burning processes effectively.  One cup of lentils is going to get you to 35% of your daily iron needs.  They also provide protein and fiber, which aid in digestion.

5.

Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad  |  Bon Appetit

Grapefruit has long been the source of fad diets like The Hollywood Diet but there is evidence to suggest that including it in your diet will help in weight loss.   Livestrong.com tells us that, “A one-cup serving provides more than 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C.  It is also a good dietary source of thiamine and folate.  Thiamine, for example, is essential for glucose metabolism in the body.”  Add some walnuts to make it even better.

6.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Dough Balls with Hidden Veggies  |  Cotter Crunch

These tasty dough balls offer up loads of healthy ingredients. The dark chocolate is full of healthy fats to help curb cravings and peanut butter helps by providing satiating protein.  This is one satisfying and guilt-free treat!

7.

Vegetable Quinoa Soup with Red Beans and Spinach  |  Simply Fresh Dinners

Quinoa is packed with protein and fiber—a perfect combination to help you stay energized and keep your metabolism humming.  Red beans (black beans work well too), and fresh veggies make this a healthy dish for lunch or dinner.

8.

Cannellini Bean and Avocado Hummus  |  Watch Learn Eat

Cannellini beans are also a good source of B vitamins, a nutrient that has been shown to be important in keeping your metabolism going.   Not only do beans provide a metabolism boost, they’re heart-healthy as well.   Using beans as a protein source also helps reduce your amount of saturated fat consumed from animal proteins.

9.

Turkey Burgers Caramelized Onions and Sauteed Mushrooms  |  No Gojis No Glory

Yes, you can have this deliciousness!  As mentioned earlier, lean protein helps in the muscle building process with it’s amino acids.  Finding healthy proteins is the key to reducing junk food cravings.

10.

Chickpea Feta Tabbouleh  |  Oh My Veggies

This gorgeous salad features all of the key ingredients you’ll need to promote overall health, including a healthy weight: low-fat dairy (represented here by feta cheese), fresh vegetables (tomato, onion), healthy fats (olive oil), and lean protein (chickpeas).   Let’s not forget – it’s especially awesome with fresh parsley and mint!

Sources

Byrdie.com

Shapesense.com

Naturalnews.com

Worlds Healthiest Foods

BHG.com

Livestrong.com