Adopting new healthy dietary habits requires significant effort, but when it comes to supporting a strong metabolism, it is worth it since the rewards are impressive, especially during fasting times. According to the website Eat This Not That, a healthy metabolism helps improve overall body function because it simply breaks down the nutrients from daily foods. According to nutrition experts (twins) Lacy and Tami Lakatos Shames, whether you want to lose weight or just maintain it, keeping a fast metabolism is crucial. Having a quick and efficient metabolism is recommended because "you can burn more calories throughout the day [and] food will not lead to severe consequences regarding weight gain and fat accumulation around the belly and thighs."
**Metabolic Dysfunction**
Warning signs of metabolic dysfunction include constant feelings of fatigue and tiredness, cravings for carbohydrates and sugar, difficulties in regulating body temperature, constipation, or irregular menstrual cycles (for females), which may suggest that your metabolism isn’t functioning as it should. Although these symptoms are common, the Lakatos sisters suggest considering that they could also be factors of other health issues and recommend consulting a doctor.
While planning meals for the upcoming week, the Lakatos sisters advise considering the following:
1. **Choose Snacks Wisely**
The Lakatos nutritionists explain the importance of choosing snacks that contain a suitable amount of protein exceeding the carbohydrate serving, which "increases the metabolic rate during the body's rest [not exercising] and when [the person] is sleeping." For example, after consuming 300 calories from turkey breast, "about 90 of these calories will be burned during the digestive process." When the body breaks down protein-rich foods, metabolism operates more efficiently compared to high carbohydrate intake.
2. **Smaller Portions Each Time**
The experts explain that "besides contributing to weight gain, consuming too much food at once will make you sluggish and less active," and advise starting with smaller portions on the plate and going back for more food later if still hungry. They add that if a person consumes "large, heavy, and high-calorie meals," especially if inactive, "they will burn fewer calories and won’t be able to initiate the metabolic process as happens when engaging in vigorous exercise." Essentially, if the metabolism cannot keep up with calorie intake, the additional time will slow down since it works overtime to digest such a large quantity of calories consumed at once.
3. **Sufficient Caloric Intake**
Eating enough calories throughout the day fuels the body and helps maintain a quality metabolic process. However, if a person is low on calories or if intake is below daily needs and sees no results in weight loss, it could be a sign that metabolism isn’t functioning at full capacity. Skipping meals and missing vital daily calories slows down metabolism by causing a prolonged caloric deprivation, preventing the body from performing its functions effectively. If the person consumes enough meals and snacks, the metabolism will work consistently (even at rest) and won’t have to struggle to maintain the minimum energy for the body.
4. **Leafy Greens**
The nutrients found in leafy greens are beneficial to the body in various ways. Eating more vegetables can help develop better digestion, thereby reducing metabolic effort after eating. A study found that including more servings of leafy greens in daily meals supports post-meal metabolic state, leading the body to metabolize smoothly, especially considering that leafy greens produce healthy levels of glucose and fats in the blood, which can be easily broken down into forms of energy.
