Good nutrition, hydration and exercise are all important for a healthy
metabolism. Taking a daily multivitamin and/or minerals supplement can
help to meet the daily nutritional needs and help maintain your energy
while your system adjusts to consuming less calories. But more
pointedly, select supplements have demonstrated the specific ability to
enhance metabolism. For instance, calcium is necessary for bone health
and has demonstrated benefits for helping to maintain weight.
In this article, we discuss three steps involving select supplements to
add to your daily regimen to get your metabolism in gear quickly and
easily. Here's how to boost metabolism naturally.
- Add green tea to your diet. People have known about the benefits of green tea
for ages. Green tea also boosts your metabolism in a few ways. First,
substituting green tea for coffee will prevent your body from producing
extra insulin. Insulin slows your metabolism and adds that extra weight
to your belly and around your middle. Secondly, green tea tricks your
body into thinking it is full. Third, it accelerates cell function,
which speeds up your metabolism. Dr. Nicholas Perricone of Yale
University, better known for his Perricone skincare line and anti-aging
book, stated on Oprah in 2004 that just the simple change of
substituting your morning cup of coffee with a cup of green tea would
cause you to lose ten pounds in six weeks. How can you lose this much
weight safely? The medical reasoning according to a study published in
the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (December 1999)
says, "Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation
beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se." In laymen's
terms, green tea helps burn fat. Considering all of its benefits for
your heart and skin and overall health, green tea makes for a very easy
way to jumpstart your metabolism.
It is readily available. If you do not like the taste of green tea, some resources for quality flavored teas include Adagio Teas and Stash Tea, who feature flavors such as strawberry, tiramisu, peach, chocolate and pina colada, taking away the bitter taste. Green tea also comes in a vitamin supplement form both in a pill and in a concentrated liquid drop form. Resources include Dr. Brandt's water booster green teas (including Lo-han, which reduces sugar cravings), and Pure Inventions Tea drops as well as store brands produced by Vitamin Shoppe and GNC. Green tea vitamin supplements are made by companies such as Natrol and Nature's Bounty.
- Add natural supplements that enhance muscle tissue activity. The
second way to boost your metabolism via supplements is the use of
vitamins that help the development of muscle. Two supplements include
DMAE and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), both of which increase muscle
tissue without steroid use. DMAE causes increased energy levels. Psychology Magazine (2001)
says that by supplementing with DMAE while engaging in muscle-building
activity, the user may notice "shorter recovery times and improved
athletic performance. DMAE also plays a role in muscle contractions (by
being a precursor to ACh)." Two reputable companies selling DMAE include
TwinLabs and Vitamin Shoppe. CLA Studies have shown a body fat-lowering
effect. Some studies suggested that CLA may have a tendency to increase
lean body mass. Muscles burn more calories than fat, so the higher
ratio of muscle steps up your metabolism exponentially. The more muscle
you have, the more calories you burn, even when you are at rest.
DMAE and CLA are also popular as beauty and skin tone enhancing vitamins, so these are often expensive supplements. However, you can find these cheaper at GNC, and brands such as Nature's Made, Nature's Bounty and Natrol.
- Use antioxidant vitamin supplements to maximize your muscles' calorie burning capacity. The third way to boost your metabolism is to help your muscles with antioxidants. Healthy muscles burn the most calories, even when at rest. Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants that help to fight free radicals and protect the cells in your muscles. The removal of these wastes from your cells means your body can function more effectively and accomplish more, as well as feel less sluggish. The B vitamins are also important to support metabolism and help with energy production so you are not exhausted while dieting. Perhaps one of the most powerful antioxidants that are readily available is alpha lipoic acid. Dr. Bruce Ames, a Professor at the University of California at Berkeley says that while the production of energy in the mitochondria in your cells is highly efficient, the minor element of inefficiency that releases free radicals slows down of your metabolism. To help combat this, Dr. Ames pairs alpha lipoic acid with acetyl-l-carnitine. While this combination is intended to combat the effects of aging, the benefits demonstrated in this pairing show great benefits to using alpha lipoic acid as part of your metabolism-boosting regimen. Alpha lipoic acid is available from Nature's Made, GNC, and a host of brands available at your local drugstore.
These ways to increase metabolism all lead to
natural weight loss. Remember that losing weight takes time and can't be
rushed. Good luck.