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Which foods are best to boost your metabolism?

Your body burns more calories as it digests, absorbs and stores the nutrients from what you’ve just eaten. So which foods burn more?

Whenever we eat, our body needs to burn calories to process what we’ve just consumed.

The increase in this metabolic rate that occurs after we eat is what’s known as the thermic effect of food or TEF.

US research suggests our TEF can even be increased with larger meal sizes – instead of frequent small meals – as well as our intake of carbohydrates and protein, rather than dietary fat, and low-fat plant-based diets.

It also found age and physical activity likely played a role.

That’s not to say this increase in calorie burning means you can eat whatever you want.

But it is worth knowing some foods are better than others in the TEF stakes – some can even help you lose weight.

How much calorie burn does the thermic effect of food account for?

Naturopath Dr David Jivan says the thermic effect of food accounts for about 5 to 10 per cent of the energy content of what we eat.

“This means, for example, if we eat a 400-calorie meal, we can reasonably expect somewhere between 20 to 40 calories to be burned in the process of digesting, absorbing and storing nutrients from the meal,” Dr Jivan says.

“Or, as another example, if we eat 2000 calories per day, roughly 100 to 200 calories will be burned each day as a result of the thermic effect of our food.”

Which foods have the best and worst thermic effect?

It’s the question on everybody’s lips and Dr Jivan says the answer is fairly simple.

“Proteins have a TEF of 25 per cent and fats and carbohydrates about 5 per cent,” Dr Jivan says.

“So when you consume 1000 calories of protein, around 250 calories of that will be used digesting it.

“If you eat the same amount in carbohydrate or fat, then only 50 calories will be used.

“So you’ve got 950 calories versus 750 calories as a result at the end of the day.”

Foods high in protein – such as meat, eggs, fish, dairy, nuts, legumes and seeds – may help boost your metabolism for a few hours.

Some of these foods – such as meat, seafood, nuts, legumes and seeds – are also rich in iron and selenium.

These minerals benefit your thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism.

Capsaicin – the chemical found in chilli – may help you burn about 50 additional calories per day, while coffee and tea can increase your metabolic rate, depending on the person.

Dr Jivan says processed foods have only half the TEF of wholegrains and wholesome foods.

“Basically a processed carbohydrate creates a low thermic effect because it doesn’t take much work to digest,” he says.

Interestingly, raw celery and grapefruit are believed to have a negative caloric balance – requiring more energy to digest than they supply, so it might be time to stock up on those staples.

You may also want to consider adding ginger, cacao, apple cider vinegar and seaweed to your diet.

How to get the best thermic effect out of food

Dr Jivan recommends three simple steps to maximise the thermic effect out of what you eat.

  1. Consume raw and fibre-rich foods, such as raw celery and pink grapefruit.
  2. Ensure your complete protein intake is kept up daily.
  3. Avoid refined sugars and carbohydrates – and add some chilli to your food. An Oxford Brookes University study found it increased TEF by more than 50 per cent.
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