If you've ever looked up how to boost your metabolism [1], you've probably come across information telling you to eat more spicy foods, skip breakfast in the morning, and drink more coffee. You've seen the memes [2] that say you aren't officially awake until you've had a cup of coffee, but when it comes to speeding up your metabolism, the caffeine isn't making much of a difference.
"I don't think there's any food that can consistently and sustainably increase your metabolic rate meaning the number of calories you burn," Dori Arad, PhD, RDN, CDE, the Mount Sinai Physiolab [3] director, told POPSUGAR. "Everything that people usually use, like caffeine, for example — they may increase your metabolism, but for a very short period of time, and not if you drink coffee everyday," he said.
Instead of ordering a double shot of espresso with the hopes of naturally boosting your metabolism, Dr. Arad told us four things things you can begin to implement into your daily life that actually work. First, begin to incorporate strength training into your workout routine. Not only will you burn more calories [5], you'll build more muscle, requiring more energy, which means your metabolic rate will increase. You can get started with this four-week beginner's program [6].
Dr. Arad also said to eat more healthy fats [7] and protein [8], because your body will have to work harder to process them. Finally, Dr. Arad said to decrease your sugar intake to prevent those calories from being stored as fat.