4 Vitamins That Can Help Boost Your Metabolism
Your metabolism – the rate at which you burn calories – requires certain chemicals for it to function at a high incidence. Let’s look at 4 of the more important ones:
1) B-Complex
This group of vitamins is responsible for helping break down carbohydrates, fats and protein into energy the body can use. In particular, B-1 breaks down carbohydrates and fats; B-5 works on fatty acids; B-6 takes care of breaking down protein; B-12 also helps break down carbohydrates and protein along with producing red blood cells; B-2 helps move energy to the cells where it can be used by muscles and organs.
2) Coenzyme Q10
CoQ10, as it is commonly called, increases the production of energy within a cell’s mitochondria. Specifically, CoQ10 enhances the amount of oxygen available to cells. This boost in energy translates to more endurance as it not only improves the strength of muscles while exercising but also increases their efficiency or the level at which they work.
Vitamins are nutrients essential for health. While vitamins alone can’t help you lose all those unwanted pounds, not getting enough of certain ones may make the weight loss a little harder. But weight loss is more about calories than vitamins. When following a reduced-calorie diet, you need to eat foods that also give your body all the vitamins necessary for good health. If you think you might be deficient in nutrients and it’s affecting your weight, consult your doctor to discuss the need for additional supplements.
Vitamin A and Metabolism
Most Americans don’t meet the recommended intake for vitamin A, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. This fat-soluble vitamin plays an important role in the regulation of thyroid hormones, and not getting enough vitamin A in your diet is associated with reduced levels, according to a 2012 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Thyroid hormones regulate how your body’s cells use energy, which affects the rate of your metabolism. When thyroid hormone levels are too low, parts of your body slow down, and this may cause a decrease in your metabolism.
Add vitamin-A-rich foods to your daily diet to make sure you get at least 700 to 900 micrograms each day, helping keep your metabolism going at a good clip. There are plenty of low-calorie options to include on your weight-loss diet, such as carrots, red peppers, spinach, mangoes, cantaloupe, apricots, eggs and salmon.Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/153741-vitamins-to-help-lose-weight-boost-the-metabolism/
3) Creatine
Creatine is found in animal products and is used by muscles to store energy. However, if you are a vegetarian or don’t eat enough animal products, you can suffer from too low a level. Studies have shown that creatine in the proper amount can improve muscle strength by 15 percent.
This increase in power can also translate into weight loss as proven by an article in the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research”. They found that weight-training with creatine supplementation resulted in more weight loss that without the supplementation.
Metabolism Boosting Tips
Easy ways you can boost your metabolism involve lifestyle choices including:
- Eat a balanced breakfast every day. You may think skipping breakfast is a good way to cut a few calories, but it actually depresses your metabolism and puts your body into starvation mode, this requires more storage of fat and less energy for you.
- Eat a good lunch and a light dinner – Your food consumption should occur earlier in the day. Don’t eat anything late, particularly anytime in the three hours before you go to bed. Your body needs to process the food you ate and convert it to energy, what you eat late in the day just stores as fat.
Avoid starving yourself – Just like when you skip breakfast, starving yourself tells your body that food resources are low and it must hoard every calorie, every drop of energy and keep it locked away for survival.- Exercise – Regular exercise boosts your metabolism. Exercise, for example, walking for 30 minutes burns 150 to 200 calories for the 30 minutes you are walking, but your energy output is boosted for another 2 to 4 hours past your initial workout which means your body’s metabolism is boosted and your burning more and using more resources effectively. Weight training two to three times a week continues this boost.
- Water – Drink ice cold water. Yes, you need to drink water regularly for health, but cold water requires more energy to heat up inside your body, helping you to boost your digestion, metabolism and energy output.
Retrieved from http://vitamins.lovetoknow.com/Vitamins_that_Boost_Your_Metabolism
4) Iron
Not a real fancy name as in the other three, but it is just as important. Iron carries oxygen to your muscles so they can burn fat. Think of how a fire burns. Without oxygen, it smoulders but doesn’t burn. Add oxygen, and it instantly flares up and burns hot.
Are vitamins good for you
Your body is the same way. If the deficit in iron, you will feel sluggish. Your aerobic capacity and physical endurance will be significantly reduced. So how do you get enough iron naturally? By eating shellfish, lean meats, beans and spinach. Vegetarians can get their iron supply from tofu.
It is easy to see how they all work together:
1. The B-complex breaks down food.
2. CoQ10 helps the mitochondria in cells convert it into energy.
3. Creatine helps the cells store energy.
4. Iron provides the oxygen cells need to produce energy.
Deficient in one and the production of energy at the cellular level suffers. Have all at the minimum requirement levels, and your metabolism will function well resulting in maximum calories burned.
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