5 Foods To Rev Up Your Metabolism

The problem with many diets is that they focus on what you shouldn't have instead of on what you should have!

"I felt like they were telling me everything I couldn't have, which left me completely deprived," my friend confessed, recalling a particular diet she'd adamantly adhered to until finally she got frustrated with all those restrictions.

Instead, think about it this way: before you dump sugary, highly reactive foods that stall fat loss and leave you feeling lousy, fuel up on healthy, crave-busters that edge out bad foods and keep you from feeling hungry and reaching for the junk.

You know, the usual appetite-curbing add-ons like lean protein, fiber-rich veggies, and green tea. these work great. But I've also picked up some unique, off-the-beaten-path ones that rev up your metabolism so you blast more fat. Best of all, they taste good and become easy to incorporate into your diet.

Add these five things to your diet and see if they don’t become your needle movers for easy, lasting fat loss:

1. Lemon Juice

You may have heard of having hot water with lemon in the morning to support good digestion. I did this when I lived in Japan years ago.

Turns out, a few tablespoons of lemon juice just before or during a meal may also help lower your blood sugar response from that meal. You might also have a glass of sparkling water with lemon juice during your meal or squeeze on some lemon onto your salad or your fish.

2. Cinnamon

What’s not to love about this delicious spice that helps balance blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity?

Cinnamon also tastes so darn good and helps curb your sweet tooth.

3. Kefir

Speaking of a sweet tooth kefir, or other sour cultured foods, can help zap sugar cravings. The sour taste of cultured or fermented foods kills your sweet tooth and feeds the good bacteria in your gut.

Too much bad gut flora means you can extract more calories from the foods you eat and store them as fat. Not cool! My favorite kefir is made form coconut water (this is available in many health food stores). You can also shop online for culture starter kits to make your own!

4. Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne can help you burn more calories and curb hunger. You can also get the same effect with some hot sauce or hot peppers.

One of my favorite snacks is blending non-dairy, non-soy, plant-based or defatted beef chocolate protein powder with avocado, coconut milk, and a quarter-teaspoon cayenne pepper (you can always increase the amount of cayenne per your personal taste, but a little goes a long way). Cayenne can really provide that get-up-and-go morning kick!

5. Coconut Oil & Coconut Milk

Coconut oil and milk remain kitchen staples for everything from cooking to shakes. Both the oil and milk are antiviral and antibacterial, making them perfect to keep that good balance of good bacterial in your gut.