Foods that help metabolism

None

Food doesn't increase metabolism unless you're eating in surplus (gaining weight) to try to add more muscle mass to your frame.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

It doesn't work that way.

xxxfox14 wrote: »

I'm glad I read this, I was told that if you eat 6 meals a day every 3 hours, this boosts your metabo...hmm mm confused

It's a myth, just keep your calories within your goals. Eat those calories any time you like.

Quite often I'll eat all mine from dinner time onwards.

xxxfox14 wrote: »

I'm glad I read this, I was told that if you eat 6 meals a day every 3 hours, this boosts your metabo...hmm mm confused

nope. your body is using energy all day long to keep you alive, heart pumping, breathing, functioning, etc. Yes, even when sleeping. And this is not even including intentional exercise or your daily movements.

There's not "revving up your metabolism" or "jumpstarting your day" or any other number of nonsensical crap we've all heard. All that matters is the total energy balance over a long period of time. Your body doesn't run on a 24 hour clock that resets or something.

So what does this mean? You should eat when it is most convenient for you and in a way that allows you to control your overall calories.


For some this means eating breakfast because it keeps them less likely to overeat on lunch. Or eating 6 meals a day because they don't ever get too hungry and eat over their calories. Or not eating after a certain time at night when they've already consumed all their calories for the day and eating after would cause them to eat in excess. Some people even prefer eating all of their calories in 1 or 2 large meals. etc.

So long as you control the equation the time and frequency don't matter.

There's no such magical unicorn.

Your metabolism is what it is.

You can give it a temporary boost through exercise but your base metabolic rate doesn't change based on what or how often you eat.
Side note: it also continues in your sleep.

MostlyWater wrote: »

I have an underactive thyroid and selenium is supposed to help. So I eat 2 Brazil nuts every day.

If you've been prescribed an appropriate dose of synthroid, your metabolism is what it would be with a healthy thyroid.

Carlos_421 wrote: »

MostlyWater wrote: »

I have an underactive thyroid and selenium is supposed to help. So I eat 2 Brazil nuts every day.

If you've been prescribed an appropriate dose of synthroid, your metabolism is what it would be with a healthy thyroid.

Synthroid is just T4. Selenium is supposed to help convert T4 to T3 for those who don't convert well, provided you're deficient in selenium. I'm one of those people (though not because of selenium). Doubling my synthroid dose did nothing for my symptoms or my labs.

BUT, for the OP, absent a medical condition that affects your metabolism, you're mostly SOL. Caffeine and exercise.