There are many all-natural ways to speed up your metabolism. That would be a magical statement if people didn’t regularly sabotage their metabolism and ability to burn fat. How do they do this? Well, as with most things that relate to your health, it all comes back to what you put in your body. That’s right, folks, there are many foods that slow your metabolism and prevent you from reaching your weight loss goals.
The problem with “healthy diets” is that many of the foods that sabotage your weight loss efforts. You may engage in moderate aerobic exercise for 30-40 minutes per day for weeks on end without seeing any progress. Well, the foods you eat can plateau your weight loss by slowing your metabolism. What is it about these foods that makes them slow your metabolism, though? Some foods kick your immune system into overdrive and throw your blood sugar out of whack. If you are intolerant to certain foods, then you may experience chronic inflammation, keeping your nervous system in a constant state of fight-or-flight. Finally, some foods negatively affect the gut and take very long for the body to digest. If you want to know what foods are ruining your metabolism, continue reading.
Canola Oil And Vegetable Oils
Canola oil and processed vegetable oils are extremely popular in various cooking applications. Safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil can be used for cooking or frying foods, or in salad dressings. Unfortunately, these oils are processed and rich in unhealthy fats that may interfere with appetite regulation, your mood, and hormone levels. Canola oil, in particular, has a reputation of being a “heart-healthy oil,” when it is not in reality. Most canola oil is genetically modified, meaning that the crops used to produce the oil are rich in pesticides. Several studies indicate that GMO foods cause cellular change and toxicity, two things that don’t help your body’s metabolism. Instead, it is better to consume oils that are naturally rich in monounsaturated fats. Some of these oils include cold-pressed olive oil, virgin coconut oil, and avocado oil.
Fruit Juice
Fat in your diet isn’t the primary culprit that makes your waist bigger. More often than not, it is the excess sugar you consume. Sugar hides in many different beverages and foods, and consuming too much sugar wrecks your metabolism. Too much sugar in your body contributes to sluggishness, unhealthy food cravings, and inflammation, all of which slow down your metabolism. Some of the most sugar-laden beverages are bottled fruit juices, including orange, grape, and apple juices. These are more like sugar water than juice, and they are extremely unhealthy for you, even though they sound healthy. Store bought fruit juices do not contain the benefits from the fruit, unlike juices that you make yourself. Consider this: one eight-ounce serving of fruit juice can contain up to 30 grams of sugar! If you are going to drink juice, do so sparingly and make sure that you are making your own juice.
White Flour
White bread and white pasta are the enemy, in addition to all of the other white flour floods. All purpose white flour is essentially processed wheat that is bleached, enriched, and stripped of all the antioxidants and fiber. Because white flour lacks fiber, your body breaks it down quicker than whole grains, which take longer to digest. The body doesn’t burn extra calories to break down white flour foods, leaving your metabolism operating at a slower level. Alternatively, whole grains that are high in fiber ramp up your metabolism because it has to work harder to break down the fiber.
Artificial Sweeteners
Similar to high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners slow your metabolism like no other food. Aspartame is linked to lots of adverse health effects, such as apoptotic changes in the brain, free radical damage, and altered brain antioxidant status. In addition to these adverse health effects, artificial sweeteners trick your body into wanting more food because of how sweet they actually are. For example, one study evaluated the effects of diet soda on people with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. Consuming just one diet soda a day significantly increased the risk for weight gain. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose increase your cravings for carbohydrates. So although diet drinks are “calorie savers,” you end up eating calorically dense foods as a result of drinking them.
