Whether you are sleeping, working, relaxing or exercising, your body is constantly burning calories.

 

That's great news, right? Well, mostly. Let me explain…

 

In order to burn more calories and prevent storing too many calories as fat and extra weight, you need to INCREASE your metabolism. There are some key things you can do to increase your metabolic rate such as aerobic exercise, weight training, eating small and frequent meals, and eating specific foods.

I keep these 7 metabolism-boosting foods and spices in my kitchen at all times.

Lemons

 

• Great source of vitamin C and B6 as well as potassium, folic acid, and more!
• Helps aid in weight loss because of its benefits as a digestive aid, and it helps cleanse the liver. They work to slow down the rate of starch digestion, helping to keep blood sugar balanced. This prevents spikes in insulin and reduces fat storage!
• Help your body fight infections and promote immunity.
• Help to increase your metabolic rate, thus allowing you to burn more calories and store less fat.

* Add lemon to your tea, water, salad dressing or squeeze some on top of your favorite meal!

 

Cayenne Pepper

 

• Cayenne gets its heat from the high concentration of capsaicin. Capsaicin is recognized as an effective pain reliever, as a digestive and anti-ulcer aid and also produces cardiovascular benefits.
• Adding cayenne pepper, even in small amounts can help reduce symptoms of indigestion. – This spice can help reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as decrease the formation of blood clots. Cayenne pepper is known for increasing the body's ability to burn fat, and who doesn't want to burn more fat!
• Cayenne pepper can stimulate your metabolism up to 20%

*Add cayenne pepper to your eggs, salad, or any meats for an extra flavor kick

 

Cinnamon

 

• Lowers cholesterol (1/2 teaspoon today can lower LDL cholesterol)
• Great source of fiber, iron, and calcium
• Smelling it boosts cognitive memory
• Improves digestion

*Add this wonderful spice to oatmeal, smoothies or even in your tea!

 

Hemp Seeds

 

• Complete protein
• Rich in Vitamin E
• Increases energy levels & metabolic rate
• Lowers blood pressure, improves organ function and immunity levels, helps reduce inflammation & symptoms of arthritis

*You can add this to your oatmeal, yogurt or salads

 

Flaxseed

 

• Flax is a seed from a plant that's been used for thousands of years. The common form of flax is in seeds, oil, flax meal.
•  High in levels of Omega-3 fatty acids and high in fiber [known for healthy bowel movement and aids digestion, flaxseed contains both soluble and insoluble fiber.]
• Like all other nuts and seeds, flaxseed is also rich in healthy and dietary fats, with 3g in 1tsp. So it helps curb your appetite by keeping you full throughout the day. It helps to build the muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat. The high fiber content aids healthy digestion and thus supplements weight loss.

*Ground flaxseed can be eaten with yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, smoothies, and salads

 

Turmeric

 

•  Studies have shown it helps protect your body from free radicals that attack your body and can lead to cancer or DNA damage.
• The more turmeric in your diet the less destruction to your body on a cellular level. (I recommend TURMERIC + GINGER CAPSULE)
• It is a strong anti-inflammatory spice. Turmeric has been used in Chinese and Indian systems of medicine for centuries.
• Has curcumin, which is what gives the turmeric its yellow pigment. Curcumin has been shown to be as potent as other anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and hydrocortisone, without all the nasty side effects.

*You can add turmeric to Indian dishes and I especially like to sprinkle some on my eggs

 

Almonds

 

• Almonds are the most beneficial and healthy nuts known today.
• Almonds are rich in vitamin E, vitamin D, calcium and magnesium and not just in their solid form; almond oil has many uses in our daily life.
• Eating almonds actually tends to lower body mass index. Even more significantly, dieters reliably lose more weight at a faster rate when they get 500 calories of their recommended daily intake solely from almonds.
• Lower your cholesterol levels: The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in almonds have been proven to help reduce levels of LDL (i.e. “bad” cholesterol). Research shows that just one serving of almonds each day can lower cholesterol levels by around 10%.
• Almonds are an excellent source of protein, and they also contain vitamin B2. Both of these nutrients promote energy, so when you are tired you may find that eating almonds will help you to feel more focused and energetic.

*You can add almonds to your oatmeal, yogurt, and salads for a nice crunch

 

Much love,

Danette May

 

For more fat-burning foods and delicious recipes you can whip up in minutes, click the next page:

 

If you are in your mid 30’s or older, aging may be an issue on your mind. Or, perhaps you’re still in your 20’s but are worried about what the future holds for you and would like to take as many preventative steps as possible right now to ensure that you stay looking young for a long time to come.

The truth is that while it’s impossible to actually stop the hands on the clock, there are a number of things that you can do that will slow down the signs of aging and help keep you looking young, radiant, and full of energy.

Aging is primarily caused by generation of the body cells without sufficient regeneration and this process can be sped up significantly from lifestyle factors, environmental factors, as well as through your diet and exercise habits.

Let’s take a look at a few of the key things that you should do if you want to fight aging at all costs.

Eat Antioxidant Rich Foods

First, on the diet side of things, one of your main missions should be to consume as many antioxidant and non inflammatory rich foods as possible. These are foods that are going to help you fend off free radical damage in the body, which will increase the speed that aging takes place, while also putting you at an increased risk for a number of different diseases as well.

Focus on eating plenty of fresh berries and fruit, vegetables, lean sources of protein, and foods rich in omega fats.

If you can structure your diet this way, you’ll be taking a large step towards fighting aging.

Prioritize Shut-Eye

Second, start making getting more sleep at night a priority. When you aren’t sleeping enough at night, you aren’t going to be giving the body time to regenerate cells that have been damaged.

Over time, this takes its toll on your body. You should be getting at least seven, if not eight hours of quality sleep each and every night.

Not only will this help you stay looking younger, but it’s also going to help you feel better as well.

Don’t Over-Exercise

Moving along, make sure that you don’t over-exercise. As strange as this may sound, too much exercise may actually accelerate aging.

You do want to stay active – that’s absolutely required, but if you do too much exercise, this actually becomes a very huge stressor for the body and can cause high amounts of cellular damage to take place. Those of you who are slogging it out at the gym for longer than an hour should shout hooray!

Make sure that you balance intense exercise with days of rest and recovery.

Consider Smart Supplementation

Finally, the last thing that you can do to help fight aging is consider smart supplementation. If you supplement with the right ingredients designed to slow down the damage taking place in the body that causes aging to occur, you can go a long way towards promoting better health and keeping yourself looking young.

Following these steps will help slow the aging process.

Yours in health,

Danette May