You have plenty of options for boosting your metabolism. For example, you can follow a specific way of eating for a limited period, or do a fasting cleanse to get your metabolism going. Exercise is also an effective way to get your metabolic processes moving.
For a permanently healthy metabolism, getting certain vitamins and minerals is also essential. People with a deficiency in vitamins and minerals risk that nutrients are not metabolised properly, or not at all, and that important bodily functions are affected.
A properly functioning metabolism is essential for everyone's health and wellbeing. So in this article, get to know three methods to boost your metabolism and so achieve more wellbeing, a lower body weight or other goals.
Quick background: why boost your metabolism?
People who boost their metabolism benefit first and foremost from greater efficiency in using nutrients. As a result, the body generates more energy that it can use to deliver physical and mental performance. For you, that means: when your metabolism works properly, you're generally more capable.
Boosting the metabolism doesn't just go hand in hand with higher energy production, but also with higher energy consumption. It supports the successful course of diets. Because anyone who wants to reduce their body weight breaks down fat tissue faster and better.
If you want to boost your metabolism to lose weight, this article is absolutely right for you. Even if you don't want to lose weight but do a lot of sport and need a lot of energy, this article is informative for you. Thanks to the greater availability of energy, a boosted metabolism contributes to more strength, endurance and concentration.
And now it gets exciting: which methods can you use to boost your metabolism?
Method 1: cover your nutrient needs!
The first method you can use to kick-start your metabolism is essential, because nutrients are indispensable for survival and influence your metabolism in many ways.
On the one hand there are nutrients that supply energy. These are fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Besides providing energy, they play a part in various processes in the body. For example, protein is essential for building and maintaining tissue.
On the other hand there are groups of nutrients that don't supply the body with energy. Instead, they are fundamental for the proper functioning of processes in the human body. These are the micronutrients, which are grouped into vitamins, minerals and trace elements:
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Some micronutrients contribute, among other things, to the building and maintenance of bones and teeth.
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Vitamins in particular play a central role in supporting the immune system.
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Several micronutrients control the function of various hormones and contribute significantly to mental and physical health.
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Not to forget: micronutrients influence the metabolic processes in the human body.
The last point is especially interesting in connection with the topic of this article: which nutrients influence your metabolism, and how? How do you make sure you get them in order to boost your metabolism?
To give you a few examples, we'd like to introduce the three micronutrients zinc, pantothenic acid and manganese. How they influence your metabolism is explained in the following sections. Finally, we give you some tips for meeting your daily micronutrient needs.
Example 1: how zinc influences your metabolism
An important part of a functioning metabolism is the acid-base balance. Acids and bases influence the division and renewal of body cells in the human organism. Zinc contributes to a normal acid-base metabolism on the one hand, and on the other it supports cell division and protects body cells from oxidative stress. Other health claims approved by the European Union for zinc in connection with metabolism are these:
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Zinc contributes to normal carbohydrate metabolism.
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Zinc contributes to normal macronutrient metabolism.
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Zinc contributes to normal fatty acid metabolism.
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Zinc contributes to normal vitamin A metabolism.
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Zinc contributes to normal protein synthesis.
The utilisation of vitamin A, which is important for vision and the immune system, is also influenced by zinc. Anyone who doesn't give their body enough zinc, at 15 mg per day, risks not only a stunted metabolism but also wide-ranging disadvantages for their overall health and wellbeing.
Example 2: how pantothenic acid influences your metabolism
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) plays a key role in the formation of coenzyme A. Without this coenzyme there would be virtually no metabolism at all. It influences numerous metabolic processes such as the building up and breaking down of macronutrients and the formation of steroid hormones in the adrenal glands. Coenzyme A also helps other enzymes take effect in the body.
Besides its essential role in forming coenzyme A, pantothenic acid is also important for its direct effect on metabolism. The European Union has approved the following health claims for pantothenic acid in connection with metabolism:
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Pantothenic acid contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
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Pantothenic acid contributes to the normal synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, vitamin D and some neurotransmitters.
Vitamin D, whose utilisation is influenced by pantothenic acid, is of great importance for the nervous system. Thanks to this vitamin, nerve cells regenerate and new neural connections form. In our article on boosting mental performance [internal link to the new blog post] we look at how important a proper diet is for maintaining and promoting mental fitness. As a factor in the metabolism of vitamin D, pantothenic acid plays an important role here too.
Example 3: how manganese influences your metabolism
Manganese belongs to the group of essential trace elements. It is involved in maintaining bones and forming connective tissue. It also contributes to a normal energy-yielding metabolism. It is indispensable for fat metabolism and for the synthesis of proteins.
Manganese also protects cells from oxidative stress. A deficiency of the trace element shows up, for example, through greying hair, damage to nails and a lack of appetite. Reduced fertility is also among the symptoms of manganese deficiency.
Tips for meeting your micronutrient needs
The most important factor in meeting your micronutrient needs is your diet. A balanced and varied diet encourages the intake of different vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
If you eat different fruit and vegetables every day, have nuts and pulses now and then, eat meat and fish in moderate amounts and make sure you drink enough, you bring plenty of variety into your diet. That way you increase the likelihood that all vitamins, minerals and trace elements are covered in sufficient amounts.
For helpful, concrete guidance on a balanced, healthy and varied diet, feel free to take a look at the scientifically based and recognised recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) . You can find them at this link.
Despite the DGE's recommendations and other guidelines and tips from nutrition associations and scientists, it isn't easy to ensure an ideal diet in a possibly stressful everyday life. It can happen again and again that individual vitamins, minerals or trace elements fall short in the long term. Too low an intake of one or more micronutrients can potentially have negative effects on the metabolism or even on your overall health.
To help prevent deficiencies, taking supplements is an option. Either you specifically top up your food with individual vitamins, minerals or trace elements that you supplement separately. Or you take a supplement that contains several micronutrients and complements your food as a whole.
One such supplement is, for example, our Daily Complete, which makes several positive contributions to your general state of health and your wellbeing. With its content of zinc, pantothenic acid and manganese, it is also suited to boosting your metabolism. So with our Daily Complete you get a true all-rounder.
Method 2: try special ways of eating to boost your metabolism!
There is now a wealth of ways of eating that have been developed in all corners of the world, for example the five elements diet from Asia, the ketogenic diet from the strength training scene and fasting, which has become a way of eating known worldwide.
In connection with metabolism, fasting and the ketogenic diet in particular seem to be effective.
Fasting boosts the metabolism
As an example of one form of fasting: in our article on intermittent fasting we explained how this way of eating can kick-start the metabolism. Because with intermittent fasting the body has to manage for a longer time without food and therefore without a new supply of energy, it taps into its reserves, meaning fat tissue. Fat metabolism then runs at full speed, which leads to efficient fat burning .
If you want to make the pounds tumble, intermittent fasting is a good option. You can fast for several weeks this way, eating normally on five days a week and only the bare minimum on the other two days. Besides intermittent fasting, you can do regular fasting cleanses, for example fasting for a week once every two months and following a matching meal plan. Fasting cleanses are often done for refreshing the digestion and detoxing the body .
The ketogenic diet boosts fat burning immensely
The ketogenic diet also boosts the metabolism. On the ketogenic diet you eat throughout the whole period in such a way that you take in a maximum of 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. Only on one fixed day per week do you raise your carbohydrate intake to a normal level.
Because of the low intake of carbohydrates, a fascinating process kicks in in your body after a few days of the ketogenic diet: your body switches its preferred energy source from carbohydrates to fats. The fatty acids are broken down into ketone bodies, from which your body gets energy as an alternative. The switch to fat metabolism as the preferred energy source results in stronger fat burning. Many people report being mentally and physically fitter than ever thanks to the ketogenic diet.
Unfortunately there is a lack of robust studies on the ketogenic diet. But for people without pre-existing conditions, this way of eating is an interesting option for kick-starting the metabolism. What stands out about the ketogenic diet is that the food is mostly healthy. Because foods with a high carbohydrate and sugar content would quickly push you over the limit of a maximum of 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day, mostly only healthy foods are on the menu:
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Oils with valuable omega-3 fatty acids
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Vegetables
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Nuts
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Pulses
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Seeds
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Fish
The only critical aspect of the ketogenic diet is the risk of eating more meat. Try to choose leaner meat, and try to eat fish more often as an alternative to meat. That way you get the best out of the ketogenic diet and can definitely boost your metabolism.
Method 3: exercise regularly!
Physical activity is primarily intended to build performance or, as we get older, to maintain it. Sport is also fun and so works against stress. It's also a great way to make social contacts and, of course, to lose weight.
Boosting the metabolism permanently is also possible through sport. When you build muscle, it uses additional energy. With plenty of muscle mass, you also burn fat efficiently outside the periods when you're on the move. The higher energy consumption in people with above-average muscle mass means they have to eat more to maintain their weight. If you don't want to lose weight, you have to increase your calorie intake as your muscle mass grows, because your basal metabolic rate is higher than that of the average person.
A good approach to reducing your weight while at the same time putting your metabolism into permanent high gear is to choose a sport in which you build muscle. The muscles you build provide lasting stimulation for your metabolism.
But what if you move a lot in your everyday life, but at the same time have an ordinary physical build without a lot of muscle?
People who move a lot boost their metabolism primarily in the short term. Say you've done a hard running workout or spent a few hours swimming. Up to about an hour after the activity your metabolism is boosted and has an increased energy consumption, with fat tissue being broken down more efficiently. But after that hour, your body switches back to its usual metabolism.
Regular exercise is ultimately a very good tool for losing weight. It boosts the metabolism temporarily. If, as a result of the training intensity, you gain a significant amount of muscle, which is especially the case with strength training, your metabolism is boosted permanently. Because the muscles use additional energy and so contribute to better fat burning.
Final tips and home remedies you can use to kick-start your metabolism
Have you ever had problems with your digestion because you were under a lot of stress or had negative thoughts? That can happen, because your mental state has an influence on physiological processes in the body. Stress can negatively affect digestion and the utilisation of nutrients. The stress hormone cortisol can also cause cravings and make your blood sugar level rise. Both are factors that can lead to weight gain.
If you want to lose weight, then to boost your metabolism you should adapt your lifestyle as well as your diet. Make room for relaxation, for example by doing various relaxation techniques, practising yoga, meditating, pursuing a hobby or letting your social circle distract you from any negative factors in your life.
Most websites on the internet that write about boosting the metabolism recommend some home remedies. This is a list of home remedies that are supposed to boost the metabolism:
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Green tea
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Coffee
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Dark chocolate
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Tofu
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Ginger
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Chilli
That these foods boost the metabolism has not been scientifically proven. Also, everyone's reaction to these foods is individual.
Green tea and coffee are supposed to get the metabolism going thanks to the caffeine they contain. With ginger and chilli, it's supposed to be the heat that raises body temperature and, as a result of temperature regulation, makes the body burn more fat. Is that really the case? No idea!
Two things definitely boost the metabolism. One is water, which is part of every tissue and other components of the body. The other is cold drinks, which boost the metabolism because the body uses additional energy to keep itself warm on the inside.
This is our final tip: feel free to try the home remedies mentioned to kick-start your metabolism. But the most important influences on your metabolism are the three methods presented in this article, plus meeting your drinking water needs.
By the way, we've put together an informative article on water intake called "How many litres of water a day should you drink?" [internal link to the new blog post]. Don't miss it!
Conclusion: food and sport are the drivers of your metabolism
A balanced diet and regular physical activity form a unit with which you can boost your metabolism and, as a result, make optimal use of nutrients and burn fat.
You generate the most positive effects when you build muscle through sport. Because muscles considerably increase energy consumption even at rest, which helps you lose weight and also keep your body weight stable in the long term.
The positive effect of sport on your metabolism only occurs if you give your body all the important micronutrients, meaning vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Only by meeting your daily needs for these nutrients can all the processes in your body run properly.
