Are you sabotaging your metabolism?
If your metabolism is healthy and running well, it uses energy (aka burns calories) and keeps you feeling energetic. Exercise and plenty of sleep helps your metabolism function at the best level. But did you know that certain foods you eat could be sabotaging your efforts?
These foods could be slowing down that burn you count on your metabolism for to keep things running optimally.
Are you consuming any of these metabolism-busters regularly?
1. Refined grains
There’s a difference between whole grains that fuel your body and refined grains. Refined grains are stripped of necessary fiber and nutrients your body needs. These grains are refined in the interest of taste and texture, but they can leave your metabolism slower. You can bypass this issue by choosing whole grains that haven’t gone through the refining process.
2. Sugary drinks
Sugar is dangerous, especially in liquid form. Sodas, energy drinks, or even sports drinks can all drag your metabolism down. If you want to make sure your efforts at the gym aren’t wasted, stop drinking your calories. Save the sugar for an occasional treat, like a cupcake! Yum! It’s a much better tradeoff!
3. Processed vegetable oils
They might sound healthy with names like sunflower oil, canola oil, or soybean oil. But these processed vegetable oils have a higher risk for heart disease. Consider mixing it up with coconut oil instead, which may speed up your metabolism to boot.
4. Artificial sweeteners
You may think you’re making a healthier choice, but choosing sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin are all linked to health issues you certainly want to avoid. They can also affect the good bacteria in your gut, which could hinder your weight loss efforts. Avoid artificial sweeteners — if you need to use a sweetener, use something natural such as stevia, monk sugar or raw honey.
5. Granola
It seems like a healthy choice, but the granola you find in your supermarket often contains hidden sugars. When you take in more sugar than you think, you cause an overload known as leptin resistance. This makes you hungrier while slowing that metabolism to a crawl. If you love granola, you can make your own by selecting fresh seeds, nuts, and oats to enjoy the taste and get true health benefits.
Are you ready to cut out some of these foods that may be affecting your metabolism?
If it’s hard to rid soda from your life, start weaning until you no longer crave it. Replace it with water infused with fresh fruit.
Start where you are and take a small step today!