Metabolism-Boosting Superfoods

There are natural ways to increase your metabolism. So if you’ve been Googling “how to increase metabolism” and wanting to pull your hair out (100 ways?! Does anybody *actually* need to do 100 things?! No.), take a breath. You’re here. And I’m happy to share the *best* metabolism-boosting tricks with you.

Just focus on these, created as a list by a Holistic Nutritionist who’s helped many women lose weight effectively (and get their metabolisms revving so they FEEL great!). Let’s have some fun with it all, too. Ok?

Because while initially you may have thought that boosting your metabolism was just for weight loss, it’s not. It boosts the energy that your body is able to use and produce, which means you feel happier, lighter, and your whole body can run at a faster speed.

And that makes you feel *glorious*.

So let’s dive in:

How to Increase Metabolism Speed Step One: Apple Cider Vinegar

If you’ve read about the magic of apple cider vinegar, you’re on the right track. I love apple cider vinegar for it’s thermogenic (metabolism-boosting) properties.

It’s magical and fantastic and it can make you feel great.

BUT  – it’s disgusting. Right?

Wrong.

It can be the tastiest drink you consume!

I’ve recently become addicted (as in: LOVE THEM) to Shrub: a natural, organic, raw, flavoured apple cider vinegar drink. Mine comes as a concentrate from this company. I *love* their rhubarb vanilla version!

You may be able to find a similar product in the fridge section of your best health food store, or recipes for how to make your own online. It’s basically a raw apple cider vinegar concentrate with other flavours so all you taste is the beauty of the drink. And I LOVE that it takes the taste out of the vinegar.

I love my concentrate with either flat water or a bunch of ounces of soda stream sparkling water.

(As a Holistic Nutritionist, I have chosen not to be affiliated with any companies, including the shrub one linked above. That way, my recommendations are always fantastically unbiased for you. I do, however, always share resources and new products that I personally love and believe in, or things that make my life and health easier and/or tastier.)

Otherwise, you can add some raw, organic, apple cider vinegar to a glass of water, add a sweetener/juice of your preference and drink it down. I like to have about an ounce of apple cider vinegar per day, though sometimes that comes in the form of a homemade salad dressing instead of an apple cider vinegar drink.

But here’s the trick that other sites won’t tell you: you can’t eat garbage, take an occasional shot of apple cider vinegar, and expect your metabolism to flourish.

So if you’re looking to find out how to increase metabolism speed, you’re going to want to continue paying attention, because getting your energy levels and body to a happier-feeling place can require a few (or more) consistent steps.

How to Increase Metabolism
Speed Step Two: Eat Seaweed

This tip might sound strange, but seaweed has become my FAVOURITE metabolism-booster. So much so, that if I were trying to lose weight, I would not go without it.

That said, it is not recommended without supervision of a great healthcare team if you have hyperthyroidism.

I like to think of the thyroid gland as being the base metabolism set point of the body. So any time you’re looking to boost your metabolism, you want to nourish your thyroid gland.

Now, if you’ve struggled for a while with thyroid challenges, check out my video-based online thyroid course which teaches you from the comfort of your own home how you can naturally improve the health of your thyroid gland.

At the base of thyroid health, you need to be eating what nourishes it: clean, natural sources of iodine. And seaweed gives you just that!

I love Seaweed Snacks (toasted organic nori sheets with wasabi flavouring or other natural flavours), or adding a little kelp powder onto cooked meals. Just be forewarned: if you add kelp powder or flakes *while* you’re cooking something, the end result will taste fishy. So just keep the flakes on your table instead to remind yourself to nourish that thyroid gland *after* you’ve cooked your favourite meal.

Those are my two favourite superfoods for metabolism-revving. Now let’s jump into some basic foundation support to help you learn how to increase metabolism speed:

How to Increase Metabolism Speed Step Three: Make Sure You’re Drinking Enough Water

Drinking enough water means you’re giving your body what it needs to function at its best.

I recommend drinking half of your body weight in pounds, in ounces of water each day. So whatever your weight in pounds, divide that by 2. The answer is how many ounces of water you should drink each day (though you’ll need more if you’re nursing, sweating heavily (lots of cardio workouts), drinking caffeine or if you’re drinking alcohol).

How to Increase Metabolism Speed Step Four: Eat Enough Fiber

If you’re not eating enough fiber on a daily basis, everything in your system gets backed up. This isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s very hard on your liver. And when we consider that the liver is the prime fat-burning organ in your body, it makes sense to give it at the very least, the base of what it needs to function well.

And that’s fiber.

Eating more raspberries, ground flaxseeds, dark, leafy green vegetables and/or making this scrumptious chocolate chia seed pudding are some easy ways to really boost the amount of fiber in your day. (Making the pudding above? Be sure to use coconut milk for the creamiest, dreamiest ever result.)

If you track your diet in an app like MyFitnessPal, take a peek at the end of a normal eating day for you, and look at your fiber grams for the day. I recommend aiming to reach 25-35 grams of fiber each day (based on recommendations for colorectal cancer prevention). At the beginning, that can feel like a lot. But don’t be tempted into fiber supplements or bars, it’s WAY better for your body to get fiber through wholesome, whole foods.

How to Increase Metabolism Speed Step Five: Balance Your Hormones

Hormones play a huge role in your metabolism speed, especially as a woman.

As some general hormone-supporting rules, you want to make time in your life for CALM. This can be in your home, in your mindfulness strategies, or in something timed like meditation.

I like to think of stress hormones as the first, huge set of hormones that start SO many cascades off in your body. So if your stress hormones are healthy, *generally speaking* the rest of your hormones will follow suit.

Otherwise avoiding plastic, avoiding heating up food in plastic and reducing (aiming to completely eliminate) conventionally-raised, high-fat meat and dairy products and instead swapping to hormone-healthier organic versions of your high-fat meat and dairy products can make a big difference to how your hormones work – in the best way.

I hope you loved this article, and now I’d love to hear from you in the comments:

What was the biggest “aha!” for you in this post? Which strategy will you put into place to create a lasting change in your metabolism?

I can’t *wait* to hear!
XO,
Nathalie
Holistic Nutritionist
Glow Nutritional Consulting