November 30, 1999

High Protein Diet Can Spark Metabolism

Getting a sluggish metabolism working at its peak of performance is going to take a little work. No matter what program, diet or supplemental program you decide to go with, you're going to find that a bit of effort on your part is simply mandatory. You can't really lose weight by doing nothing. You can, however, boost your metabolism by taking some fairly easy steps. Adding more lean proteins to your diet is one such step.

Lean proteins, such as those found in poultry, fish and even white pork, can help the body burn through energy faster. Studies have proven that high-protein diets tend to produce more calorie-burning following meals than diets high in carbohydrates and sugars. In some cases, calories are burned at two times the rate!

While this sounds really good, there are some warnings about going with a high protein diet. The body does need carbohydrates to survive. Completely cutting them out of daily routine is not good for overall health. Carbohydrates, however, can be cut to a minimum and fatty proteins can be replaced with leaner, meaner choices.

So, why does lean protein work so well? The answer is simple, it takes more energy for the body to process high quality proteins. This means more calories are burned during the basic act of digestion. Plus, it is not as likely that proteins will be stored in the body as fat and extra calories, although they can.

To make the most of lean proteins to help with metabolism boosting consider:

* Keeping lean meats lean. Don't take a perfectly healthy chicken breast or salmon patty and fry it in heavy grease. Skip the breading, too. Sorry!
* Select side dishes with care. Some carbohydrates are very smart to include in the daily diet, but overloading is not wise. Pick fruits or vegetables when possible to compensate. Use whole grain fiber breads and rolls instead of white.
* Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Don't eat a jumbo chicken breast in a single sitting. Split it up and eat half right after cooking and eat the other half about four hours later with mini portion of side dishes. Smaller, more frequent meals can really boost metabolic rate - especially when smart food choices are selected.
* Exercise. Don't forget the benefits of basic exercise for boosting metabolic rate. A gym membership is not required to get results. Just get up and move! A combination of cardiovascular exercise, such as swimming, and a bit of weight training can go very far in increasing metabolic rate.

Losing weight and increasing metabolic rate is more than possible when the right foods and actions are taken. Lean meats can help a great deal along the way.

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