Metabolism is often talked about in conversations about health, especially those centered on weight loss. But what exactly is it, and how do we keep it at a healthy speed?

On the basic level, your metabolism is how your body uses what you eat and drink in order to turn it into energy. If you have a faster metabolism, your body is burning energy more rapidly, which is something that can aid in healthy weight loss and weight management.

While losing weight and boosting metabolism involves more than just a specific type of food or drink, there are items you can consume that can contribute to you meeting your goals based on the nutrients and antioxidants they carry.

To learn more about metabolism-boosting drinks, we talked with a couple of dietitians to get their choices for the best metabolism-boosting teas.

Making tea with ginger is known as being one of the healthiest teas you can drink.

“Ginger is unique to weight loss in that it contains compounds known as gingerols and shogaols. These compounds create an antioxidant effect in the body that reduces free radical damage in the body. This damage leads to an increase in oxidative stress that can both cause and exacerbate obesity, and can also lead to decreased metabolism, energy, and more,” says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, a registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements.

Black tea is a classic drink enjoyed by many different cultures. Not only does it contain helpful levels of caffeine, but it also comes packed with helpful nutrients for metabolism-boosting.

“It’s usually packed with flavones, which have shown to speed up metabolism and support weight loss by supporting excess calorie or fat burning in the body. The caffeine in black tea can also improve metabolism, especially when taken in the morning, and can also help regulate total BMI,” says Nataly Komova, RD, a registered dietitian and fitness expert at Just CBD

Matcha is a popular type of green tea known for having tons of health benefits.

“Matcha is a popular high-quality herbal Japanese tea containing caffeine, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Taking a cup of matcha tea before a workout has been shown to boost metabolism and fat oxidation, which can aid in weight loss. Fat oxidation is the pace at which the body uses or burns body fat, and a higher rate implies increased weight loss,” says Komova.

RELATED: What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Matcha

Green tea is a classic metabolism-boosting tea and one of the most common choices among tea drinkers.

“Green tea is rich in antioxidants and has been positively associated with fat loss and weight loss. It is loaded with catechins, a type of antioxidants that have been shown to help increase fat burning, especially during exercise. A study found that women who had green tea extract for 12 weeks had greater weight loss and smaller waistlines. A review of 14 studies in 2014 showed that obese participants lost an average of 0.44-7.7 pounds more compared to those who did not have green tea in a 12-week period,” says Vandana Sheth, RDN, CDCES, FAND, author of My Indian Table – Quick & Tasty Vegetarian Recipes.

If you’re not a fan of black or green tea, oolong is always a great alternative that still comes with helpful antioxidants for aiding in weight loss.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

“Oolong tea has been associated with promoting weight loss by enhancing how our body metabolizes fat. A study in 2009 found that over 64-66% obese and overweight participants in a six-week study while drinking 8 grams of oolong tea per day lost more than two pounds,” says Sheth.

Rooibos is a helpful choice for boosting your metabolism if you don’t want the caffeine that comes with the other types mentioned above.

“Rooibos, which is from South Africa, is an herbal tea that contains aspalathin. This compound may potentially help increase both sugar and fat metabolism. However, more research needs to be done,” says Sheth.

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Picture a pot of soup simmering on a stove. It’s not cold, and it’s not boiling. It’s simmering. This is akin to your metabolism right now while you’re sitting or standing and reading these words on your device.

Your metabolism is your body burning calories to energize all of its functions. Everything from breathing, digesting, and circulating blood, to growing hair, propelling you up a flight of stairs, and repairing cells after injury. It simmers even while you’re sleeping. This slow-burn remains mostly constant throughout your day. Body size, muscle mass, and age play a part in the speed of your metabolism, but it’s mostly set by your genes. You can pick up the pace of your metabolism to burn off calories throughout the day, calories that might otherwise end up stored as fat, including belly fat.

“The belly is one of the body’s primary areas of fat storage,” says Robert Herbst, a 46-time powerlifting champion and Olympic official, who recently broke a world record in the Yoke Carry (556 lbs.) at age 63. “Fat is stored there first and burned from there last, and unfortunately, despite what infomercials claim, we can’t spot reduce.  The only way to lose belly fat is to lose overall body fat.”

What works for your overall body, then, works for your belly, and in more ways than one. Most of the things you can do to speed up your metabolism can also improve your health, fitness, energy levels, mental sharpness, and self-esteem.

So, let’s turn up the heat and look at some ways you can speed up your metabolism and burn fat! And while you’re doing that, check out the 11 Worst Foods for Your Metabolism.

“Think of fat cells as hibernating,” says Ellie Busby, a registered nutritionist in the United Kingdom and founder of the nutrition website Vojo Health. “They require very little energy to maintain because these cells are not very active.”

Exercise reduces these sluggish cells and replaces them with muscle cells, which are more active in boosting metabolism.

“Studies show that even people with a gene called ‘FTO’ that’s associated with a slower metabolism lost as much weight as people without the gene when they engaged in regular exercise for four weeks,” Busby says.

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so the more you have, the more calories your body will burn even at rest.

“The best way to elevate your metabolism is through resistance exercise, such as lifting weights, which raises your metabolism for 48 to 72 hours after as your body recovers from the workout,” says Herbst.

Strength training becomes even more critical to keeping your metabolism revving as you age. This is because inactive adults can experience a 3% to 8% loss of muscle mass every 10 years, accompanied by resting metabolic rate reduction and fat accumulation, according to a study by exercise physiologist Wayne Wescott, PhD, in Current Sports Medicine Reports.

This study also found that 10 weeks of resistance training may increase resting metabolic rate by 7%.

To make metabolically active muscle, the key is consistency (working out 2 to 3 times a week) and compound lifts, says Joe Johnson, owner of 9 to 5 Nutrition, a fitness coaching service for busy office workers.

Compound lifts are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time, making workouts more efficient and productive.

“Focus on basic compound exercises like bench press, pull-ups, squats, deadlifts, and shoulder presses, and try to lift a little more weight or do 1 extra rep per week,” he says. Lifting this way keeps your muscles challenged for greater growth.

If you are constantly consuming calorie-rich foods and beverages, you’ll take in more calories than your metabolism can burn off. This can lead to weight gain and belly fat.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

To counter that, weight-loss surgeon Jessica Cutler, MD at The Maryland Bariatric Center at Mercy in Baltimore recommends drinking unsweetened beverages, abstaining from snacking, and “allowing your pancreas and storage hormones a chance to rest between meals.”

“Eliminating any food intake after dinner until breakfast or lunch the next day allows your body a chance to use the energy it has already stored in the form of fat,” Dr. Cutler says.

By dieting and essentially starving yourself, you are forcing your metabolism to slow down and go into survival mode. That’s counterproductive.

“Constantly dieting will wreck your metabolism,” warns Lara Days, a certified personal trainer and owner of Lara Elizabeth Coaching. “When we eat more food, we support an efficient system, we have more energy to work harder in the gym, we can build more muscle, and we can burn more through TEF (thermic effect of food).”

In other words, digesting, absorbing, storing, and excreting the food you consume burns calories. About 10% of the calories from the carbohydrates and proteins you eat are used up processing what you eat and that’s part of your overall metabolism. So, eat to boost your fat burn. And make sure to increase your protein intake.

“Protein uses more energy in the digestion process,” says Days. “It also helps us retain muscle mass, which we just learned uses more energy than fat.”

While restrictive diets tend to lower metabolism, intermittent fasting can elevate metabolism. One type of intermittent fasting is limiting eating to a window of time, say, the eight hours between your first meal of the day and the last, and fasting for 16 hours, mostly overnight.

“Intermittent fasting lowers insulin levels so our bodies can tap into stored sources of fats and boost fat oxidation,” says nurse practitioner Cynthia Thurlow, founder of the Everyday Wellness Project and author of Intermittent Fasting Transformation.

Fasting can also boost growth hormones in the body, helping to build more muscle if you strength train.

“Muscle is the organ of longevity,” Thurlow says. “We want to view our muscles as glucose reservoirs, so strength training and intermittent fasting can help us balance blood sugar and insulin and contribute to fat loss.”

Not only does eating breakfast jumpstart your metabolism for the day, but studies also suggest you may consume fewer calories the rest of the day, especially if breakfast includes satiating protein.

“If weight loss is your goal, it’s important to eat a nutritious breakfast that is going to fuel your morning,” says registered dietitian Rima Kleiner, MS, RD, a blogger at Dish on Fish.

Aim to include protein, fiber, and a little heart-healthy fat, a combination that helps to keep you feeling fuller longer.

“My Turmeric Smoked Salmon Breakfast Bowl is a great way to ensure you’re getting the ideal amounts of these key macronutrients and a host of other important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including turmeric, which is known for its anti-inflammatory properties,” she says. “The salmon provides protein and omega 3’s for brain and heart health, and gets you one serving closer to meeting the recommendation for 2 to 3 seafood meals each week.”

Eating foods like protein that increase your resting metabolic rate can help you burn more calories and ultimately tap into the fat stored in your belly. One type of food that works particularly well for this is anything spicy.

“I recommend all my clients to add spicy foods to their menu in order to take full advantage of this opportunity to burn additional calories outside of daily physical activity,” says certified personal trainer Ryan Ernsbarger, fitness editor of Zenmaster Wellness.

A study in PloS One demonstrated that capsaicin, the active compound in chili peppers that gives spicy foods their heat, promotes fat oxidation and provides a short-term boost in metabolism.

Another piece of the metabolism puzzle is nicknamed N.E.A.T. for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which encompasses all the physical activity you do in a day that isn’t planned exercise.

This can include pretty much anything, from washing dishes, mowing the lawn, tapping your foot to an upbeat tune, fidgeting in your seat in economics class, and even sex.

To boost your daily N.E.A.T., simply “move more,” says David Smithey, a Level 1 Certified Nutrition Coach and owner of Resolve Nutrition.

“My favorite metabolism booster is recommending 10-minute walks after each meal, which also improves insulin sensitivity,” he says.

As long as you don’t load it up with cream, tons of sugar, and squirts of those sweet flavorings that are popular at coffee shops, your coffee cup can deliver a daily boost to your metabolism, too.

“Caffeine elevates metabolism by increasing thermogenesis via its effects on brown adipose tissue,” says Busby of Vojo Health.

If you want an even greater metabolic response, she says, drink caffeinated green tea. Studies show that a green tea-caffeine mixture improves weight maintenance through thermogenesis and fat oxidation. And powerful antioxidant compounds in green tea called catechins may stimulate the body to burn more fat, studies suggest.

“Your body is 80% water; if you don’t drink enough, your cortisol levels (a stress hormone) will be raised, which will keep you from being able to reduce tummy fat,” says doctor of chiropractic Susan Wong, DC, co-founder of Twin Waves Wellness Center. Wong recommends women consume 2 to 3 liters per day, and 3 to 4 liters daily for men.

Exercise is good for boosting your metabolism, and vigorous exercise is even better because you use more oxygen while huffing and puffing, and your metabolism stays at that higher-rate state long after you hit the showers.

The technical term for this phenomenon is EPOC, which stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which is characterized by short bouts of very rigorous effort interspersed with intervals of resting/recovery activity, has been shown to boost EPOC.

A 2021 study in the International Journal of Exercise Science found that both vigorous strength training and HIIT sessions significantly increased energy expenditure for 14 hours after the exercise sessions were complete.

“Getting enough sleep each night is essential to maintaining your metabolism and keeping belly fat away,” says Janet Coleman, RD, a registered dietitian with The Consumer Mag.

One study in the research journal Obesity showed that sleeping only 4 hours per night for 5 nights significantly reduced morning resting metabolic rate in healthy adults.

“Aim for at least seven hours a night and try to get your last meal of the day at least three hours before bedtime so your body has time to fully digest it,” Coleman recommends.

For more strategies that may help you lose your belly, check out these Abdominal Fat-Shrinking Secrets that Actually Work.

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If you’ve been trying to lose a few stubborn pounds and finding that diet and exercise just aren’t doing the trick, a new study in the journal Diabetologia suggests there may be one quirky trick that might make a difference: How you’re using your indoor lighting.

Looking at 14 overweight men and women between the ages of 40 and 75, researchers had participants stay in a special indoor chamber that measured respiration rates for 40 hours. That measurement allowed them to determine factors like how quickly and when they were burning calories, both while awake and sleeping.

The time was broken into two separate sessions based on light exposure. One mimicked natural light with a bright day and dim evening, while the other flipped that sequence. In both sessions, participants were in darkness during the night and had regular meals that kept calorie and macronutrient content consistent.

Blood samples were taken before breakfast and dinner, then at 30-minute intervals in the four hours after both meals to determine triglycerides, insulin, melatonin, and glucose levels. All of those play a role in metabolism, according to lead author Jan-Frieder Harmsen, in the nutrition and movement science department at Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

The study found that spending the day in bright light led to lower blood glucose levels before dinner compared to spending the day in dim light. By contrast, having bright light in the evening led to a reduction in sleeping metabolic rate, which means participants were eating the same amount but burning fewer calories as they slept.

While spending more time outdoors is always a good idea, Harmsen tells Eat This, Not That! that you don’t necessarily have to rely on outside lighting to get the benefits of the correct day-evening mix.

“Redesigning indoor lighting conditions so they mimic the natural light and dark cycle holds promise to improve metabolic health,” he says. “At the least, avoiding bright light in the evening can affect your glucose metabolism in significant ways that reduce risk of weight gain.”6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

To learn more about light and metabolism, check out Avoiding This One Thing Before Bed Can Help You Burn More Fat, New Study Says.

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If you’ve been certain that your metabolism began to slow down years ago, well… you’ll definitely want to read this. A new study suggests your metabolism stays steady for a way longer range of time than you’ve previously thought. Check out why your fifties really are the new forties… and thirties… and, even twenties.

A study published last month in Science examined how humans’ energy expenditure changes over our lifetime. The concept of “energy expenditure” translates in large part to calorie-burning—so this study’s question was, from birth through adulthood, how does the body’s efficiency change in its use of input (food) for energy?

RELATED: 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work

An international team of more than 80 researchers in biology, anthropology, nutrition, and other fields investigated by analyzing 40 years of data from 6,500 participants (males and females) who ranged from eight days old to 95 years. To measure variations in metabolism, the scientists employed a technique that estimates the amount of carbon dioxide the body eliminates.

You might be thinking they found what we’ve known all along: That metabolism starts to decelerate around our late twenties and just continues to taper off from there. Actually, that wasn’t the researchers’ discovery at all.

They found that our metabolism actually stays the same from around age 20 until our early sixties! And, even though the scientists had hypothesized that menopause would cause metabolism to slow for women, that period of hormonal changes that typically occurs in the late forties into the fifties wasn’t a huge factor—said the study’s lead author Herman Pontzer, PhD, an evolutionary anthropologist: “We just didn’t see that.”

So stay healthy, stay active, and stay encouraged: As it turns out, your age may not be the biggest predictor of your body’s ability to maintain balance and stay trim.

This same metabolism study revealed lots more compelling discoveries—be sure to check it out.

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You can probably recall the stage in your life when you started to notice that weight just wasn’t dropping off as fast as it had when you were younger. If you’ve ever been discouraged because you can look back and pinpoint the exact period when your metabolism started to taper off… actually, according to a compelling new study, you’re probably wrong. Here’s why that’s a good thing.

A new study published Thursday in Science reveals that the age when our metabolism starts to slow down is actually much later than most of us (and many researchers) previously thought. Keep reading to learn what could be some of the most encouraging news about your fitness in years. Also, if you love this, don’t miss The #1 Best Food to Boost Your Metabolism, Says Dietitian.

As a New York Times report pointed out this week, over 80 researchers from 63 teaching institutions (located throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean) submitted data to be compiled and analyzed for the study.

The data had been taken over 40 years from 6,500 people between the ages of eight days old and 95 years.

RELATED: You Shouldn’t Skip Exercise if You’re Older Than This Age, Says Science

The study found that the speed of our metabolism is influenced by what the authors refer to as “four distinct life stages.” Here’s what they are:

• Infants up to one year old have the fastest metabolism (about 50% faster than adults);
• After a year old, metabolism “declines slowly to adult levels” by approximately 20 years of age;
• Metabolism “remains stable in adulthood (20 to 60 years), even during pregnancy;
• Then, the researchers report, our energy expenditure “declines in older adults” by about 20%, to age 95. (This “may mean that crucial organs are functioning less well as people age,” since our heart, liver, brain, and kidneys account for 65% of our resting metabolic rate, the New York Times reports.)

While diet apps, fitness machines, electronic bodyweight scales, and others often call on you to select your gender—since the conventional understanding is that men burn more calories than women—this study found no difference in energy expenditure between the two genders when the researchers controlled for other factors.

(Feel like celebrating this news? Check out The 10 Best Date Night Restaurants in America, Data Shows.)

And, while the researchers were anticipating the forties would see a slowdown in energy usage (especially for women, coinciding with the start of menopause), lead author Herman Pontzer, PhD, an evolutionary anthropologist, said: “We just didn’t see that.”

RELATED: Over 40? Here Are The Best Foods To Eat Every Day, Say Dietitians

This study might inspire you to reflect about that time when you thought your metabolism significantly dropped. It’s very possible that was also the timeframe when you began to sit for around a third of your day at the office, or when family, the house, or other responsibilities crept up to steal away the minutes that you’d previously spent exercising.

RELATED: Eating Habits to Avoid If You Sit All Day, Say Dietitians

Finding ways to eat healthy and stay active (and, when possible, engage the people in your life to do it with you) is a surefire approach to keep your fitness and physiology both in tip-top shape.

Sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter for daily wellness news to help keep you on track. Also, keep reading:

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It’s summer, so you’re staying hydrated… right? Great—and if slimming down is another health goal on your list, get ready to refill your cup. Two diet and nutrition pros have just listed the three best beverages to drink if you’d like to maximize your metabolism this summer.

Keep reading to learn the exact drinks that nutritionists say will help speed up your metabolism… and, on the flip side, don’t miss The Worst Foods for Your Metabolism.

The simpler your sip selection, the better for your body. You already know this: Choosing drinks with sugar, sodium, and fat weigh down your system in ways that make it tougher to be toned. Also, if you have access to learn the ingredients of whatever you’re drinking, seek out drinks with uncomplicated and easy-to-understand ingredients.

RELATED: This Popular Oat Milk Is Being Criticized for Its Ingredients

You’re probably not surprised that water is number one for your metabolism. The common understanding is often that water “flushes” fat from the body, but Serena Poon, CN, CHN goes a little deeper into the science. She told Parade that studies have shown that water can boost your body’s energy spend and turn stored fat into fuel. On that note, we’re thirsty!

RELATED: I Drank Chlorophyll Water for 7 Days—Here’s What It Did to My Skin

Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, and the CEO of NY Nutrition Group, also told Parade what you’ve perhaps already heard: Caffeinated coffee is a stimulant that can increase your resting metabolic rate while also suppressing your appetite. Here’s something interesting, too: That hungry feeling you might get after you’ve drunk coffee on an empty stomach might be your body telling you two things: That the caffeine is wearing off, and it really is time to eat.

Check out exactly how to take your coffee to optimize metabolism.

The beauty of the all-natural. If you didn’t read The #1 Best Tea to Drink, According to Dietitians, here’s a spoiler, followed up with great insight: Green tea has been shown time and again to support the metabolic process. Moskovitz told Parade that green contains EGCG, a compound that’s been shown to increase resting energy expenditure (that’s the amount of calories you burn when your body is physically inactive).

Moskovitz added that green tea’s antioxidants can also combat oxidative stress, which can slow down your metabolism over time.

Isn’t science fun? Also, check out The One Thing To Eat To Get Rid Of Belly Fat, Says Dietitian, and keep reading:

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With summer and swimsuit season rolling in, you might be in search of some easy ways to make your everyday diet choices help you feel your best. Well, here’s some sunny news: According to a dietitian at a weight loss clinic in one of Florida’s hottest beach cities, your metabolism ramps up as soon as you take your first sip of coffee, which can set you up to eat healthier, burn more calories, and even lose weight.

Keep reading to find out how coffee helps you burn fat, even when you’re not moving. And for more, make sure to check out Making This One Change to Your Diet Could “Reprogram” Your Metabolism, New Study Says.

Donald Mankie is a registered dietitian at the Sarasota Memorial Bariatric and Metabolism Center who just spoke to Sarasota Magazine to answer the burning question about whether coffee fuels metabolism. Mankie told the local outlet: “The stimulating effect is definitely there.” (In fact, this has been demonstrated in a number of great studies.)

Related: Sign up for our newsletter for the latest healthy eating and weight loss news.

Mankie said that in the simplest sense, coffee helps your metabolism because its caffeine gives you more energy. He noted that “caffeine can reduce the perception of fatigue” during exercise, which might simply give you that extra “oomph” to power through your workout to maximize your output.

RELATED: Eva Longoria Reveals the Exact At-Home Workout She Uses to Stay Fit

According to Mankie, coffee can also keep your metabolism raised even when you’re not hard at work, thanks to “thermogenesis,” which is the body’s process for producing heat.

As Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic, has said, caffeine amps up the amount of energy your body uses even when you’re inactive… and this translates to the burning of a greater number of calories than baseline rest levels. (Read more about thermogenesis, and another drink that drives it, here.)

Anyone who’s ever hit pause on their exercise routine, whether for illness or any reason, might know how amazing it feels to complete that first workout after a break. Part of that is from the endorphins—mood-boosting chemicals—that the body produces during exercise.

Mankie said that similarly, coffee increases endorphin production, which can “produce an increased feeling of wellness and excitability,” as well as “improve concentration, energy levels, and mood.”

RELATED: Are You Unhappy? Walk This Far Before Breakfast, Says Science

These days, there are a lot of cool ways people are maxing out their coffee routine to make it work for their nutrition and well-being goals—like this creative coffee/protein shake combo.

For more healthy eating and weight loss news, keep reading:

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More than two decades of Western diet wisdom have advised us of one rule of thumb: If you want to lose weight, just cut your carbs, and increase protein. However, a revolutionary new study by a team of metabolism and endocrinology researchers has led to the discovery of another aspect of diet that, as the scientists say, “had the most potent effect” on speeding up metabolism… and, as they suggest, this one change in the foods you eat might even help you live longer.

Dr. Dudley Lamming is a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. His latest study’s press release states that in 2014, Lamming was reading about an Australian study that had come upon something remarkable: The mice that had been fed the least amount of protein were the healthiest.

RELATED: 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work

This went against what our culture has preached about nutrition and wellness, but Lamming was aware there was more science behind the low-protein effect. Since then, he and graduate students in his laboratory “have discovered a little-known but robust pattern across both animal models and humans,” according to their new study’s release—that is: “Diets high in the three branched chain amino acids, BCAAs, are associated with diabetes, obesity and other metabolic illnesses.” The three BCAAs are leucine, isoleucine, and valine, all which humans cannot make on our own and therefore must obtain by consuming them in the foods we eat.

Therefore, Lamming and his team believed, reducing leucine, isoleucine, and valine “can counter these metabolic ailments and even extend the healthy lifespan of rodents.”

Read on to see what happened when the researchers adjusted the proteins the mice in their laboratory ate—and, don’t miss Secret Exercise Tricks for a Better Body After 40, Say Experts.

They went ahead to test their hypothesis, feeding mice with a high-fat, high-sugar, classic Western diet for a few months.

After the mice became obese, Lamming and his team switched up the mice’s diets. They recognized that by restricting the branch chain amino acid isoleucine, “the mice began to eat more food but nonetheless lost weight.” Why? They state: “The weight loss was primarily caused by a faster metabolism, where the body burns more calories as heat while resting.”

Further, they found that “mice fed low-isoleucine diets were leaner and demonstrated healthier blood sugar metabolism.”

RELATED: The Surprising Effect Reducing Sodium May Have on Your Blood Sugar, New Study Says

Since, according to Medical News Today, isoleucine is abundant in foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, lentils, nuts, and seeds—most of these which are encouraged in low-carb diets like keto (like Kourtney Kardashian follows) or paleo—limiting our intake of these might prove to help us lose weight. Further, that’s not only because of the higher fat content in some of these foods, but because of the presence of isoleucine.

Meanwhile, “valine-restricted diets had similar, but weaker, effects” to isoleucine restriction. Valine is found in foods like sweet potatoes, asparagus, spinach, peas, mushrooms, and peanuts.

RELATED: This Food Is Becoming a Bigger Allergy Threat Than Nuts, Data Says

Finally, the researchers stated that reducing levels of leucine “had no benefit and may even be detrimental” to metabolism. High-leucine foods include dairy, soy, beans, and legumes.

Lamming says this discovery presents an opportunity to rethink diets because “evidence from animal models suggests that low-protein diets help shed fat even with normal caloric intake by reprogramming metabolism,” according to the study’s release.

RELATED: One Major Effect of Drinking Milk, New Study Says

Interestingly, this goes deeper to reveal that these amino acids also affect males and females differently, due perhaps to our hormonal reaction to them. One of the department’s graduate students, Nicole Richardson, also “tested a diet in mice that contained just one-third the normal amount of BCAAs. It wasn’t a calorie-restricted diet; the animals could eat as much as they wanted.”

The finding from Richardson’s experiment was that “male mice who ate the diet their entire lives lived about 30% longer on average—roughly eight more months” than female mice. Lamming and his team suggest that because much endocrinological and metabolic research in the past has been conducted on male mice, it may be time to consider how the effects of diet, protein, and amino acids vary based on gender. (One example—check out One Major Side Effect of Being Overweight for Men, New Study Says.)

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Metabolism. It’s the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of living organisms. It’s such a big concept that it’s understandable to feel as if it’s beyond your control. But that’s not true!

If you’re wondering how to increase metabolism, we’ve rounded up the 50 best quick and easy ways to rev your fat-burning furnace to help you reach your weight loss goals that much faster. And to keep you on track, be sure you’re stocked up on The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now.

If you want to weigh less, you’ve got to eat less, right? Well, if you’re not eating enough calories, it can cause your body to lose muscle mass, which will decrease the rate of your metabolism. Plus, when you skimp on calories, your body slows the rate at which it burns calories to conserve the fuel it’s got.

“Under-fueling is just as risky as over-fueling,” explains Carolyn Brown, MS, RD at Foodtrainers in Manhattan. Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, of the New York Nutrition Group agrees: “In an attempt for quick, noticeable weight loss, many people wrongfully believe that eating as few calories as possible is the best solution. Not only can this lead to numerous nutritional deficiencies as the body is getting less food overall, but it can also actually have the opposite effect on weight loss.” Instead of cutting calories like crazy, use the simple diet and exercise hacks below that can help you slim down quickly and safely without screwing up your metabolism.

Even when you’re at rest, your body is constantly burning calories. In fact, 60 to 80 percent of the calories that you burn each day are being used up just keeping you alive, according to research published in Frontiers in Physiology. Studies show “resting metabolic rate” and total calories burned is much higher in people with more muscle because every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself. If you can pack on just five pounds of muscle and sustain it, you’ll burn the caloric equivalent of three pounds of fat over the course of a year.

RELATED: Learn how to fire up your metabolism and lose weight the smart way.

When it comes to the best workouts for weight loss, neither weights nor cardio can completely move the needle on their own. Interval training is the best way to shed pounds, increase your metabolism, and improve insulin sensitivity. One International Journal of Obesity study found that 20-minute HIIT workouts helped women lose 5.5 more pounds and gain more lean muscle mass over the course of 15 weeks than women who did long, steady cardio workouts.

At the gym, sign up for a HIIT class, or turn your favorite aerobic exercise, (running, biking, even walking) into an interval workout by adding periods of intense speed (start with 30 to 60 seconds) followed by periods of rest (normal speed) for the same amount of time. Do this six to 10 times to complete a fat-slashing workout. As you get better, slowly increase the amount of time of increased intensity.

The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn—no matter what you’re doing. Hitting the gym helps you build muscle and eating protein keeps your gains from breaking down and slowing your metabolic rate as a result.

Research has found that because protein is more difficult for the body to break down and digest than other nutrients, it can increase post-meal calorie burn by 5 percent. Aim to incorporate some protein into every meal and snack throughout the day.

Metabolism-boosting foods high in protein include:

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Chicken breast
• Ground turkey
• Beans
• Flank, hanger, or skirt steak

Protein needs differ by individual, but typically consuming 0.8 to one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day should be sufficient enough to fuel weight loss, says Leah Kaufman, MS, RD, CDN, a New York City-based dietitian. For a 130-pound (59 kilograms) person, that would equal between 46 and 58 grams of protein.

It takes the body extra effort to break down whole grains than more refined and processed grains, like the flour ordinarily used to make bread and pasta. You can help keep your metabolic rate elevated by consuming foods that the body has to work harder to digest, as shown in a Food & Nutrition Research study. Pomona College researchers found that consuming whole foods increased your post-meal energy expenditure by 50 percent compared to eating processed foods.

Your go-to foods that boost metabolism are whole grains that are also rich in fiber.

• Brown rice
• Oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Sprouted grain bread

Jimmy Fallon’s doing great, but now it’s time to DVR him and start getting to bed earlier. A study in Finland looked at sets of identical twins and discovered that in each set of siblings, the twin who slept less had more visceral fat. If you do nothing else differently, just getting an extra half hour of shuteye will make all the difference. If you’re chronically sleep deprived, don’t be surprised if you gain a few pounds without eating a morsel of extra food. “A lack of sleep can cause several metabolic problems,” says nutritionist and Holistic Health Coach Seth Santoro. “It can cause you to burn fewer calories, lack appetite control and experience an increase in cortisol levels, which stores fat.”

Lack of sufficient sleep—under the recommended seven to nine hours a night for most adults—also leads to impaired glucose tolerance, a.k.a. your body’s ability to utilize sugar for fuel. “We all have those less-than-adequate nights of sleep,” says nutritionist Lisa Jubilee, MS, CDN. “But if it’s a regular thing, you’re better off lengthening your night’s sleep than working out, if fat loss or weight maintenance is your goal.”

Research has found that people burn fewer calories when they sleep during the day and log their waking hours after the sun’s gone down. To come to this finding, researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder studied 14 healthy adults for six days. For two days, study participants slept at night and stayed awake during the day, then they reversed their routines to mimic the schedules of night owls. When participants slept during the day, researchers found that they burned 52 to 59 fewer calories than they did while catching their Zzzs in the evening—likely because the schedule messed with their circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that plays a major role in metabolism function. If you have no choice but to sleep during the day, aim to cut 50-60 calories from your daily diet.

Not only are beans a great source of plant-based protein, they’re also packed with both soluble and insoluble fiber. The process of digesting the fiber and protein in beans burns extra calories, and both types of fiber help lower insulin levels after digestion and cause your body to store less fat. Think of every bean as a little metabolism-boosting pill. One study found that people who ate a ¾ cup of beans daily weighed 6.6 pounds less than those who didn’t—despite bean eaters consuming, on average, 199 calories more per day.

Stress can actually cause the body to metabolize food more slowly, according to research published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. To make matters worse, the food we crave when we’re stressed out tends to be fatty and full of sugar. Researchers say that the combination of high-cal cravings and a stress-induced, snail-paced metabolic rate can result in significant weight gain. To increase your metabolism, fight stress with laughter. Research shows that smiling and laughing causes levels of stress hormones to diminish.

If there’s one supplement most Americans should be taking, it’s vitamin D. It’s essential for preserving metabolism-revving muscle tissue, but researchers estimate that a measly 20 percent of Americans take in enough via their diet. While you can nail 90 percent of your recommended daily value (400 IU) in a 3.5-ounce serving of salmon, popping a daily supplement is pretty convenient.

Good dietary sources of vitamin D for metabolism:

• Tuna: 68 IUs per 3 ounces White Albacore tuna (11% DV)
• Fortified low-fat milk: 120 IUs per cup (20% DV)
• Eggs: 40 IUs per fried egg (7% DV)

For nutritionist Lisa Jubilee, one of the best and cheapest ways to give your metabolism a jolt is to drink water (she suggests 20 to 32 ounces) shortly after waking. Why? During sleep, your body’s metabolic function slows down, and unless you wake up in the middle of the night to swig some water, you’re not taking in any fluids. Jubilee suggests completely rehydrating before stressing your body with any other food or drink. “My clients who have implemented this report less bloating, more energy and a smaller appetite,” she says. Her motto for getting your inner furnace stoked and ready for the day: “Rehydrate, then caffeinate!”

Weight loss doesn’t get easier than this: Simply drinking more water may increase the rate at which healthy people burn calories, according to a study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. After drinking approximately 17 ounces of water (about 2 tall glasses), participants’ metabolic rates increased by 30 percent. The researchers estimate that increasing water intake by 1.5 liters a day (about 6 cups) would burn an extra 17,400 calories over the course of the year—a weight loss of approximately five pounds!

“Always be prepared for a busy or unpredictable day by keeping healthy snacks on you, at your desk, in your car,” says Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, CDN, and member of our medical board. Shapiro says that if you have to skip breakfast, lunch, or even dinner during your quest to look your best, you can keep your energy levels up while making healthy choices. “You’ll have no reason to run to the vending machine for chips or stick your hand in the candy bowl,” she says.

Shapiro recommends eating snacks to keep your metabolism humming such as:

• Almonds or other unsalted nuts
• Apples
• Bananas
• Chia bars
• Protein bars
• Fruit and nut bars

Yeah, yeah, it has zero calories, but drinking diet soda may yet play havoc with your goal of having a flat belly. Research published in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism shows that artificially sweetened beverages may screw up the body’s normal metabolic response to sugar, actually increasing appetite! Increasingly, diet drinks are being linked to weight gain, metabolic syndrome and a host of other ills. (Find out what happens to your body when you give up soda.)

A 2003 study in the International Journal of Obesity demonstrated that a low-calorie diet that’s rich in almonds could help people shed weight. Not only do the good monounsaturated fats in almonds have an effect on insulin levels, say scientists, but also give dieters a feeling of fullness, meaning that they are less likely to overeat. So stock your pantry with almonds, walnuts, and nut butter.

The smoothie revolution is here, and lots of people are swilling down bushels of leafy greens. Believe it or not, there’s a downside to this ingenious delivery method. A big part of the body’s job—breaking down food so that the body can absorb nutrients—has been outsourced to our Nutribullets and Vitamixes. That means that the body is expending much less energy than it would if we were eating kale, spinach, and bananas in their solid form. Smoothies are great for weight loss, but by prioritizing lean meats, fish, fibrous vegetables and fruit, you are driving up TEF (the “Thermic Effect of Food,” or your metabolic rate after eating) and expending more calories on digestion.

There are plenty of fish in the sea, but salmon may be the best one when you’re trying to find out how to increase metabolism. That’s because most cases of underactive thyroid are due to inflammation of the gland, and salmon boasts significant anti-inflammatory properties thanks to its rich omega-3 fatty acid content. In fact, a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the effects of weight loss and seafood consumption and showed salmon to be the most effective at reducing inflammation—better than cod, fish oil, and a fish-free diet.

Iron deficiency affects more than 1 in 5 women in the U.S. Being deficient in essential minerals can show up in all kinds of ways, such as fatigue and anemia, but an iron deficiency can also be a blow for your metabolic health. See, your body can’t work as efficiently to burn calories when it doesn’t have what it needs to work properly. On the other hand, when you treat iron deficiency with sufficient iron intake, you can lose weight and improve metabolic parameters such as lowering blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels, according to a Clinical Therapeutics study.

Iron-rich foods you can add to your diet to boost metabolism include:

• 1 cup iron-fortified breakfast cereal, 100% DV iron
• 1 cup of lentils, 36% DV iron
• 3.5 ounces ground beef, 15% DV iron
• 1 cup spinach, 24% DV iron

Bodybuilders have long sworn by eating every few hours to keep their muscles fueled, but don’t discount the weight loss potential of three squares a day. A study in the journal Hepatology put two groups of men on weight-gain diets. One group divided the calories among three small meals with snacks in between while the second group ate the same number of calories in three square meals. While both groups gained weight, researchers found that belly fat—the dangerous kind that increases heart-disease risk—only increased in the high-meal frequency group.

While drinking in moderation every so often won’t do too much harm to your waistline, making it a habit can slow down your metabolic rate. Why? When your body has a cocktail to break down, it takes precedence over any food that you’ve already eaten that’s waiting to be digested. This slows down the entire metabolic process. On the occasions that you decided to indulge, stick to low-calorie drinks. Alternate your alcohol with water to slow your pace, and cut yourself off after two drinks. Avoid ordering high-cal bar food like fries and burgers. An important note: Wine in moderation can have numerous benefits, including weight loss!

Shuck one for your metabolism. Heck, make it a half dozen. After all, oysters are one of the best dietary sources zinc—a mineral that’s critical for thyroid health. In fact, the body needs enough zinc to activate production of thyroid hormone. And, in turn, we need enough thyroid hormone to absorb zinc. Any way you look at it, deficiencies are likely to result in a sluggish metabolism, and supplementing with the mineral has shown to get weight loss back on track. One study in Nutrition Research and Practice found that obese people who consumed 30 milligrams of zinc per day—the equivalent of just six raw oysters—had improved BMIs, lost weight, and showed improvements in blood cholesterol levels. Get shucking!

Probiotics in products like yogurt and fermented foods like pickles and sauerkraut help good bacteria in the gut process food more efficiently. Not only is yogurt a great source of protein and calcium, a Nature study found that eating it as part of a reduced-calorie diet can help shrink your waistline. And you can incorporate it into dishes throughout the day.

Coffee is one of the best drinks for weight loss because it boosts your metabolism. A study published in the journal Food Science and Biotechnology found that caffeine revs the sympathetic nervous system and increases lipolysis (aka fat burn). A cup of black coffee is a good pre-workout beverage, too: Researchers found that cyclists who took a caffeine supplement were able to ride about a mile farther than those who took a placebo. Make yours a venti and skip the sweeteners.

Have a few cups of java for a metabolism boost, but if you’re never seen without a mug at your lips, that could work against you, says Shapiro. Caffeine is a natural appetite suppressant. If you’re constantly consuming it, you may not eat much—or realize how hungry you really are—until you get home for dinner. “Not eating enough throughout the day can make your metabolism sluggish,” she says. “By the time you eat dinner, instead of immediately using that food for energy, your body is aggressively storing it as fat, just in case it will be deprived again.” Stick to three to four cups of coffee a day to keep your caffeine intake under control.

It’s like butter that grows on trees. But instead of the cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fats in real butter, avocado contains metabolism-enhancing monounsaturated fat. And that’s not all. Each creamy fruit is also packed with fiber and free-radical-killing antioxidants. Free radicals are destructive rogue oxygen molecules—natural byproducts of metabolism—that trigger various chain reactions in the body that destroy cells and DNA, causing all kinds of health problems. Antioxidants in fresh fruits and vegetables can help neutralize some free radicals, but they can’t reach the mitochondria—the base camp for the free radical army—and that’s a problem.

When your mitochondria aren’t working properly, your metabolism runs less efficiently. Enter: Avocado. A 2015 study found that monounsaturated-rich oil pressed from the fruit can help mitochondria become more resilient. Researchers say the results jive with low-disease rates in Mediterranean countries where olive oil—nutritionally similar to the avocado—is a diet staple.

“Hormones dictate how our body utilizes the energy we give it,” says nutritionist Lisa Jubilee. “Between our reproductive, thyroid and growth hormones, appetite, insulin, and hunger hormone leptin and ghrelin, our bodies have to perform a tricky balancing act to keep us lean, energized and viable reproductive beings.” Those tasks have become much more difficult because of the hormone residues we consume via cage-raised foods. If you want to give your metabolism a leg up, Jubilee says, switch to organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised beef, eggs, and dairy products, thereby avoiding those nasty hormones at mealtime.

Calcium and vitamin C team up well to boost metabolism. Broccoli contains both nutrients, not to mention the kind of fiber that’s been shown to increase TEF. What’s more: Broccoli contains a compound that works on a genetic level to effectively “switch off” cancer genes, leading to the targeted death of cancer cells and slowing of disease progression.

It’s no joke: Genuine laughter may cause a 10–20 percent increase in basal energy expenditure and resting heart-rate, according to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity. That means a 10-15 minute giggle fest could burn up 40 to 170 calories. Let us hear you lol!

Add mustard to your meal, and feel the burn—literally! Scientists at England’s Oxford Polytechnic Institute found that by eating just one teaspoon of mustard (about 5 calories) can boost the metabolism by up to 25 percent for several hours after eating. The benefits, researchers say, may be attributed to capsaicin and allyl isothiocyanates, phytochemicals that give the mustard its characteristic flavor.

Forget slogging on the treadmill for hours, research printed in the journal Physiological Reports showed that people who did five 30-second bursts of max-effort cycling, followed by 4 minutes of rest, burned 200 extra calories that day. That’s just 2.5 minutes of work for a resting metabolism boost that will last 24 to 48 hours!

It’s well reported that fiery capsaicin (think: hot sauce, cayenne, chili) can rev up the metabolism, but study findings presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim, California, showed similar weight loss potential in dihydrocapsiate (DCT), the non-spicy cousin of hot peppers. Participants who ate the most DCT experienced a metabolic boost that was nearly double the placebo group! Bottom line: Pile on the poblanos!

A striking new study published in the journal Diabetes suggests that simply turning on the AC may subtly transform a person’s stores of brown fat, the “good” fat stimulated by cold temperatures, that serves to keep us warm by burning through “bad” fat stores. Participants spent a few weeks sleeping in bedrooms with varying temperatures: a neutral 75 degrees, a cool 66 degrees, and a balmy 81 degrees. After four weeks of sleeping at 66 degrees, the men had almost doubled their volumes of brown fat. Cool!

One study in the European Journal of Nutrition put two groups of men on identical weight loss diets. The only difference? Half of the group ate their carbs throughout the day while the second group reserved carbohydrates for nighttime. The result? The nighttime carb group showed a significantly higher diet-induced thermogenesis (meaning they burned more calories digesting their food the next day). On the other hand, the daytime-carb group showed increased blood sugar levels. Experts believe that when you give yourself large gaps between your carb intake (like fasting overnight), your body is more equipped to deal with your intake of blood-sugar-raising carbs when you have them next.

Not only is vinegar great on salad, it’s also shown to “switch on” genes that release proteins that break down fat. In a study of 175 overweight Japanese men and women published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, researchers found that participants who drank one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks significantly lowered their body weight, BMI, visceral fat, and waist circumference.

Although it’s true that egg whites are low in calories, fat-free, and contain most of the protein found in an egg, eating the entire egg is beneficial to your metabolism. The yolk contains many metabolism-stoking nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids and—most significantly—choline, a powerful compound that animal research shows can prevent the storage of fat around your liver. Worried about cholesterol? New studies have found that moderate consumption of one to three whole eggs per day has no negative effect on 70 percent of the population’s lipid (fat) profile and may actually improve it.

Our bodies need dietary fat—particularly healthy oils—in order to lose weight and function properly. The right kinds of fats and oils help quash hunger, maximize your metabolism, and speed nutrients through your body by helping to absorb fat-soluble nutrients. Diets high in healthy monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, can actually help the body to burn calories and lose weight compared to low-fat diets.
Additionally, studies show extra virgin olive oil may also increase blood levels of serotonin, a hormone associated with satiety.

If you always opt for coffee over tea, you could be missing out on a major metabolism boost. A Penn State animal study found supplementing exercise with green tea can actually boost weight loss. In fact, after 16 weeks, rats experienced a body mass reduction of 27.1 percent and an average abdominal fat mass reduction of 36.6 percent. What’s green tea’s magic? The brew contains catechins, a type of antioxidant that triggers the release of fat from fat cells and helps speed the liver’s capacity for turning fat into energy.

Studies conducted at The Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee suggest that consuming dairy may help your body metabolize fat more efficiently. Other studies have shown that increased calcium intake from dairy products (though not from supplemental calcium carbonate) caused study participants to poop out more fat as opposed to it sticking around on the body.

Ideally, we sleep about eight hours for every 24. Most people spend another seven to ten hours sitting at their desk. That means most of us spend the overwhelming majority of our time sedentary. Our bodies weren’t designed for this level of inactivity—most of humans’ evolutionary history involved being active, searching for food and fuel. Nutritionist Lisa Jubilee says that one way to burn more calories daily is to stand more and sit less. She cites a British study which found that standing at work burned 50 more calories per hour than sitting. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, consider this: If you stand for just three hours of your day, in one year you’d expend more than 30,000 extra calories—which amounts to about 8 pounds of fat!

Recent studies have shown that garlic supports blood-sugar metabolism and helps control lipid levels in the blood. Adding garlic to foods that are rich in fats and carbohydrates may keep those substances from doing the damage they’re known to do. What’s more, eating garlic can help boost your immune system, help ward off heart disease, fight inflammation and lower blood pressure, to name a few.

In a study conducted by Swiss and German researchers, lucky participants ate about 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily for two weeks. Ultimately, these chocolate nibblers had lower stress-hormone levels and a more regulated metabolism than a control group. Scientists speculate that chemicals in cocoa, such as flavonoids, play a role in regulating metabolism by alleviating stress that can cause your fat-burning engines to go on the fritz. Should you think this is a license to go wild, take heed: We’re talking small amounts of high-quality dark chocolate. Researchers say 1.5 ounces is enough.

Want to have a faster metabolism? Install apps like f.lux or Twilight on your devices. They reduce certain parts of the light spectrum as your bedtime approaches. Studies have shown that LED lights in phones disturb the production of the sleep hormone melanin. A purring metabolism is greatly helped by a good night’s sleep. So take your late-night texting down a notch or two… At least in terms of screen brightness.

You might want to think twice before ditching dairy if you’re trying to lose weight—despite what your Paleo-preaching CrossFit friends tell you. Cheese is a satisfying, portable, and inexpensive food that’s packed with calcium, vitamin D, and protein. “Calcium can also promote weight loss because it helps maintain muscle mass, which boosts and helps maintain metabolism, helping you burn calories more efficiently throughout the day,” says Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories & Fat Disappear—With Fiber! That doesn’t mean you can help yourself to a cheese-drenched casserole, though. Work cheese into fiber-rich snacks to make them more satiating.

Caffeine may provide a bit of a boost to the metabolism, especially when ingested before exercise, but no amount of metabolic boost can burn off the empty calories that energy drinks supply. According to one study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a typical energy drink serves up a quarter cup of sugar—calories that hit your body all at once and trigger fat storage. If you want to burn calories, try the miracle beverage known as tap water.

A new report from the Credit Suisse Research Institute found that more and more of us are choosing whole-fat foods over skim, lite, fat-free or other modern monikers of leanness. And while many health organizations like the American Heart Association still want us to cut down on fat—particularly saturated fat—this full-fat trend may be a healthy rebellion against those decades-old credos, according to recent studies. In fact, people who eat a lot of high-fat dairy products actually have the lowest incidence of diabetes, according to a 2015 study of 26,930 people in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Those who ate a lot of low-fat dairy products, on the other hand, had the highest incidence. The researchers speculated that while calcium, protein, vitamin D, and other nutrients in yogurt are indeed good for us, we need the fat that goes along with them in order to reap their protective effects.

Eating an apple each day can help prevent metabolic syndrome, a disorder associated with abdominal fat, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. They’ll keep the doctor away and your muffin tops at bay because apples are a low-calorie, nutrient dense source of fiber, which studies have proven to be integral to reducing visceral fat. A recent study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years!

Studies show that those who eat the most fiber gain the least weight over time and that eating fiber can decrease your risk of belly fat by 3.7 percent. Aim for about 28 grams of fiber a day—the amount present in about three servings each of fruits and vegetables.

Experts agree that including a weekly cheat meal into your healthy-eating plan can actually help you reach your weight loss goals. Plus, a recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity, discovered that dieters who took a two-week break from their low-calorie meal plan lost more weight than those who dieted consistently.

Having a strategy is key: “By planning your cheat meal, you know what you’ll be eating and can cut a few extra calories earlier in the day,” says Jim White, RD, ACSM Health Fitness Specialist and owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios. “This also allows you to really pick a favorite food instead of wasting calories on something you didn’t enjoy.”

Contrary to popular belief, researchers now say breakfast doesn’t kickstart the metabolism and may not be the most important meal of the day. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition had more than 300 overweight participants consume diets that included either eating or skipping breakfast. At the end of 16 weeks, dieters who ate breakfast lost no more weight than the breakfast skippers. And a second study in the same journal found eating breakfast had zero impact on resting metabolism. Breakfast is an ideal place to squeeze protein, fiber, and other nutrients into your day, but if the choice is a doughnut or nothing, opt for the nothing. Start your day with lean protein, which burns twice as many calories during digestion as fat or carbs. But don’t stress about squeezing it in before 9 a.m.

This antioxidant-rich, traditional Chinese tea not only helps keep cholesterol levels in check and aids digestion, it can also help rev up your metabolism. Like green tea, oolong is packed with catechins, which boost weight loss efforts by improving the body’s ability to metabolize fat. A study in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine found that participants who regularly sipped oolong tea lost six pounds over the course of six weeks.

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