Although this blog is a Signtech blog that promotes paperless forms and solutions, paperless business forms, going paperless and all that good stuff, we want you to be the healthiest you. So every now and then, it’s important to us to share some form of useful health information. And, that’s what this post will be about.
There are thousands of articles about diets and fads and pills on the internet that people swear would burn your calories without any manual effort on your side. However, most of them are FAR from the truth.
However, there are foods that can help your body’s metabolism work more effectively due to their nutritional content. But even they can never be a replacement for good old fashioned exercise!
In an article for the Washington Post, Ellen Krieger , a registered dietician, highlighted those items that might actually have metabolic value. She named four foods – green tea, cayenne pepper, protein, and whole grains – but benefiting from them isn’t as simple as chowing them down.
- Green tea gets a lot of well-deserved attention, for it contains polyphenols (specifically, one called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG) and caffeine that increase the calories and fat your body burns. Studies show that a minimum of 250 milligrams of EGCG must be consumed in order for it to work. This translates to three cups daily of the highest-quality green tea, which isn’t too difficult for tea-lovers. Just be sure to buy the good stuff.
- Cayenne pepper is a tough one because studies recommend consuming 10 grams a day; this works out to nearly 2 tablespoons. As anyone who’s eaten cayenne pepper knows, it’s nearly impossible to ingest that much, even if it’s spread out over three meals. But a small amount can help a bit, too:
“A 2011 Purdue University study looked at more palatable quantities of cayenne and found that even about half a teaspoon in one meal worked to increase energy expenditure, but only by 10 calories, which, incidentally, is the number of calories in one peanut.”
- Protein is notable for automatically burning 20 to 30 percent of its own calories through the process of digestion. Krieger compares this to fat (0 to 3 percent) and carbohydrates (5 to 10 percent), though these are still crucial components of a well-rounded diet and should not be neglected in favor of excess protein.
- Whole grains are similar to protein in that their digestion burns more calories than when you eat refined carbohydrates. Plus, you get the added benefit of fiber, which is sadly lacking in a typical diet and is desperately needed for healthy guts.
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