1. Get Plenty of B Vitamins
B vitamins have the power to boost
your energy, and thus your metabolism. They are particularly important
for helping your body process fats, carbohydrates, and protein into
energy. Consider them combustion fuel and make sure to eat a diet rich
in B vitamins and to supplement your diet with extra B, especially when
you are under a great deal of stress. Wherever possible, choose foods
high in B vitamins, and add supplements if you aren’t getting enough B
vitamins or if you need a boost to jump-start metabolism. B12 in
particular can help improve flagging energy.
2. Eat Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
Thiamine is needed to
help produce energy from the carbohydrates that you eat. It also is
required for normal functioning of all body cells, especially nerves. A
thiamine deficiency can lead to beriberi (an ailment of the nervous
system), fatigue, mental confusion, loss of energy, nerve damage, muscle
weakness, and impaired growth. This condition is very rare in the
United States because most people consume plenty of grain products.
Since thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin, the body excretes excess
amounts that you consume, so nothing is left behind to slow down your
metabolism or increase your weight.
3. Choose Foods Rich in Vitamin B1
Foods rich in thiamine include whole-grain foods, enriched-grain foods, fortified cereals, beef liver, pork, and wheat germ.
4. Ingest Inositol
Not only does a
high-fiber diet cause your body to burn more energy during the digestive
process, it also is the best way to make sure you get enough inositol.
The nutrient, once known as B8, is crucial for the muscular and nervous
systems to work effectively, and may improve the mood of those suffering
from depression. Along with folacin, vitamins B6 and B12, choline,
betaine, and methionine, inositol stops fat from building up in the
liver, and it helps in the digestion of fat and reducing blood
cholesterol levels.
5. Consume Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Just like thiamine,
riboflavin plays a key role in releasing energy from the macronutrients
to all cells of the body. Riboflavin also helps change the amino acid
(building blocks of protein) tryptophan into niacin, another B vitamin.
Riboflavin is important in normal growth, production of certain
hormones, formation of red blood cells, and in vision and skin health. A
deficiency of riboflavin is unlikely but can cause eye disorders, dry
and flaky skin, and burning and dryness of the mouth and tongue. There
are no reported problems from overconsumption, but moderation is the
best policy.
6. Choose Foods Rich in Vitamin B2
Foods rich in riboflavin
(vitamin B2) include beef liver, milk, low-fat yogurt, cheese,
enriched-grain foods, whole-grain foods, eggs, and green leafy
vegetables.
7. Try Niacin (Vitamin B3)
More commonly known as
niacin, vitamin B3 is instrumental in maintaining the health of the
skin, nerves, and digestive system. It also helps release energy from
food, aids in the synthesis of DNA, and helps lower blood levels of
cholesterol and triglycerides.
8. Don’t Overdo Niacin
In large doses, niacin
has been used as a cholesterol-lowering supplement. Because large doses
can cause symptoms such as flushed skin, rashes, and even liver damage,
this should only be done under a doctor’s supervision. Protect your body
by gaining most of niacin from food sources, such as whole-grain foods,
fortified cereal, lean meats, fish, poultry, peanuts, brewer’s yeast,
yogurt, and sunflower seeds.
9. Load Up on Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
This helpful vitamin is
found in three forms (pyridoxine in plant foods, pyridoxal and
pyridoxamine in animal foods), but the one we ingest most often is
pyridoxine. It is a key element used in the metabolic breakdown of
certain fats found in plants and animals. When it comes to turning your
body into a fat-burning machine, pyridoxine assists by improving the
body’s reaction to stress and supplying muscles with much-needed energy.
10. Don’t Overdo B6
Don’t exceed 100 milligrams a day
without checking with your doctor; excess can be toxic. Instead of
relying on vitamin supplements, load your diet with foods rich in the
vitamin: liver, beef, chicken, fish, bananas, carrots, lentils, rice,
soybeans, whole grains, and avocados.
11. Fill Up with Folate
Folate (another B
vitamin), taken in conjunction with vitamin B6, fosters the health of
red blood cells, and healthy red blood cells are needed to transport
oxygen to muscles, fueling the metabolic fires. Great sources for folate
are dark leafy greens, romaine lettuce, asparagus, broccoli,
cauliflower, beets, and lentils.
12. Eat Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
Supplement your diet with
B12 and you may find that your mood improves, you sleep better, and you
have a newfound knack for remembering where you put your car keys. If
you take it with B6 and folate, cyanocobalamin can help lower levels of
homocysteine, an amino acid that can cause arterial breakdown. It helps
boost metabolism by aiding digestion and nutrient absorption, so
remember to add it to your diet by dining on enriched dairy products,
beef, poultry, tuna and certain shellfish, beef, oysters, crab, and
tuna. Vegetarians may need supplemental vitamins.
13. Consume Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
Pantothenic acid is
utilized in the formation of coenzymes, which are equally important in
about a hundred metabolic reactions. These processes include energy
production, fatty acid catabolism, fatty acid synthesis, and
cholesterol, phospholipid, and steroid hormone production, among many
others. This vitamin helps the body absorb and properly use other
vitamins in the body, such as 6, B12, and C. It also helps produce
vitamin D. In addition, vitamin B5 is important to maintain a healthy
digestive tract and to break down carbohydrates, fats, lipids, and
various amino acids. Pantothenic acid can be found in corn, eggs,
cheese, meat, peanuts, liver, soy products, peas, broccoli, tomatoes,
and whole grains.
14. Get Plenty of Coenzyme Q10
Aging leads to a decline in energy
metabolism in many tissues, especially liver, heart, and skeletal
muscle. Decreasing levels of coenzyme Q10, a vitamin-like substance, as
we age may play a role in this decline. Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 is used to
treat several disorders related to suboptimal cellular energy
metabolism and oxidative injury and has also been shown to be useful in
alleviating the effects of abnormalities involving the heart’s ability
to contract and pump blood effectively, such as congestive heart failure
and a number of heart muscle diseases. CoQ10 also appears to work with
vitamin E to help prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL,
or “bad” cholesterol). It’s believed that oxidized LDL can lead to
plaque buildup, clogged arteries, and an increased risk of heart attack
or stroke. CoQ10 may reduce the ability of blood to clot, thereby
decreasing the chance of a blood clot getting stuck in a clogged artery
and causing a heart attack or stroke. Other heart-related conditions for
which CoQ10 supplementation shows promise include hypertension and
heart valve replacement. To bulk up on CoQ10 eat sardines, mackerel,
nuts, organ meats, beef, broccoli, chicken, oranges, salmon, or trout.
If you have heart disease
you should talk to your doctor before taking CoQ10. Organ damage due to
the lack of oxygen / blood flow during intense exercise has been
reported in a study of patients with this disease, although the specific
role of CoQ10 is not clear. Vigorous exercise is often discouraged in
people using CoQ10 supplements.
