COULD CERTAIN FOOD HELP BURN MORE CALORIES?

RESEARCH suggests that certain foods, or drinks, can increase the body’s metabolic rate and help to fight the flab.

CHICKEN, FISH, EGGS, NUTS AND SEEDS:

PROTEIN-RICH foods, such as lean meat, fish, eggs or nuts and seeds, can all boost metabolism because the body uses up more energy to break them down and digest them than it does with fatty foods. Scientists called this the ‘thermic effect’.

Studies show protein-heavy foods increase metabolism by up to 30 per cent, while most fats only raise it by about 3 per cent. Protein, also found in beans and peas, also works by maintaining the body’s lean muscle mass — another heavy consumer of calories.

CHILLIES:

A 2003 study found eating 5g (a heaped teaspoonful) of fresh chilli increased volunteers’ basal metabolic rate by up to 20 per cent.

But the effects only lasted just over ten minutes, according to findings in the Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. Spicy foods are thought to work by triggering a rise in body temperature, which burns more ‘fuel’.

COFFEE:

DRINKING four cups of coffee a day can reduce body fat by 4 per cent by boosting metabolism, according to a 2019 study by scientists at Harvard University in the U.S. The caffeine in coffee, black tea and energy drinks raises the heart rate — which uses up more energy.

GREEN TEA:

SOME studies suggest a green tea extract called catechin increases energy expenditure by more than 200 calories a day. But most research has involved supplements that contain four times (around 300mg per dose) the amount of catechin found in the popular drink.

GINGER:

A 2012 U.S. study involving ten volunteers found those drinking 2g of ginger powder dissolved in hot water with a meal burned 43 calories more than diners drinking plain hot water. Scientists think ginger increases the amount of calories the body needs to burn to digest it.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:

THE popular salad dressing is often touted as a great metabolism booster and animal studies suggest it may be able to increase the amount of fat that gets burned for energy.

A GLASS OF COLD WATER:

SOME studies show this can boost your metabolic rate by up to 30 per cent, simply because calories need to be burned to bring it up to body temperature — a process called waterinduced thermogenesis. But within an hour or so, your metabolism has returned to normal.

THE EXPERT VIEW

SCIENTISTS say that while protein-rich foods can definitely benefit your metabolism, others have limited effects.

‘There’s no good evidence that specific foods, such as spices or coffee, have a strong or lasting effect on your metabolism,’ says Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism at Imperial College London.