Berto's 15 foods that help increase metabolism and POV on health/fitness/eating

15 foods that increase your metabolism

1. grapefruit
a. This fruit is rich in fiber which will push your food down more and keep your stomach feeling full. This also lowers your insulin levels (which triggers your body not to store fat). Fiber is indigestible so your body burns more calories to try and break it down.

2. green tea
a. Contains EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) which speeds up your brain activity and nervous system which causes your body to be more active and burn more calories.

3. yogurt
a. The calories from the protein in this cause your body to use a lot of energy to break down this food. The good bacteria (pro-biotic cultures) in yogurt help control your digestive tract (so it aids in breaking down food properly).

4. almonds
a. Contains essential fatty acids to aid in your body’s metabolism rate (the rate at which you break down food/burn calories). But these along with other nuts,

5. coffee
a. The caffeine in coffee obviously gives you a boost and triggers your brain (nervous system) to be more active and be more aware of your surroundings (hopefully..haha). Coffee is also an antioxidant which fight off free radicals that try to damage your body’s cells (skin, muscle, bone etc.) Coffee has also been known to help aid in age-related brain problems: http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/a/coffee_health.htm

6. turkey
a. Turkey has a lot of protein which helps build lean muscle mass when performing regular exercise and activity. The high calories from the protein in turkey cause your body to burn more calories to break the protein down, which causes your body’s metabolism to go up!

7. apples
a. Apples are low in calories (low glycemic index food) and the fructose (fruit sugar) is absorbed into your bloodstream fairly quickly to give you energy for your workouts/daily living. The fiber in apples, like grapefruits, also cause your body to burn more calories to try and break down the fiber, but your body can’t break down fiber, so your metabolism goes up because your body is working so hard to break down the fiber.

8. spinach
a. This vegetable speeds up your metabolism (has a big of fiber in it too) and is also a good source of antioxidants, magnesium, potassium (prevents cramps for when you forgot to stretch well for an exercise/before, during, after and activity), iron, and vitamin C (helps keep your immune system strong and prevents you from becoming sick).

9. beans
a. They’re good for your heart, the more you eat the more you fart..haha AND..they’re low in fat, have a lot of protein, and the fiber in them like other fiber foods cause your body speed up its metabolism.

10. jalapenos
a. Contains capsaicin that helps relieve pain but mainly causes your body to burn more calories after eating them. This spice helps speed up your heart rate and metabolism (not by a lot, but a little bit- don’t think that eating hella spicy foods is going to make you all ripped..it’s just going to burn coming out! HAHA)

11. broccoli
a. The fiber in broccoli is always beneficial for metabolism. But broccoli also has a good source of calcium and vitamin C which is good for your bones and immune system. Vitamin D also triggers your body to absorb calcium more readily into your bones as well as Vitamin C.

12. oatmeal
a. Your body takes a long time to break down the fat-soluble fiber in oatmeal. This causes your body’s insulin levels to go down which SPEEDS up your metabolism as a result.

13. soy milk
a. Soy milk is good for people who are lactose intolerant (people who don’t have the enzyme to break down regular milk). The soy beans in the soymilk have a good source of fiber, and antioxidants which are good for your metabolism and overall health. Soymilk also has a good source of protein which is essential for building lean muscle mass during recovery.

14. curry
a. Since there are many different types of curry, there’s a number of benefits across the board. But in short, the spices in curry cause your body’s metabolism to go up. More benefits are found here: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Health-Benefits-of-Curry&id=423844

15. cinnamon
a. You can add this in your daily cup of coffee or even smoothies, shakes and other drinks. Cinnamon has fiber, iron, calcium, and manganese which are all beneficial to your body. There’s also studies being down on the effects of cinnamon for other health benefits. Here’s one: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

*foods high in fiber: http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/fiberlist.html

Hope this helped you guys! The past month I've been approached from over 10 people about what to eat, how to work out, how to train, what to train, what to do to be overall healthier. I always say it starts with the mind first. It's tremendously hard for a regular person who has never worked out, doesn't like to work out, or just doesn't have the mindset to train 3-4x a week and stay disciplined to eat well, and stay healthy. So one must always start from the bottom and go at their own pace.

For all of you trying to lose weight, get more toned, increase your performance in weight training and other acitivites, it starts with the brain. You have to discipline yourself first and start with the small things like drinking soda only a couple times a week along with other junk food. Try to have your last meal of the day around 3 hours before you actually go to sleep. Eat in small portions throughout the day so your metabolism keeps on running and your insulin levels aren't sky rocketing, which will cuase your body to store more fat.(side note: you may notice most diabetics are kind of overweight because their body stores sugar as fat more than us people who don't have diabetes..but anyways).

I never tell people they need to lose weight. For some of you out there, your weight is fine, you just may need to be more HEALTHY. healthy and losing weight are two different things. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT. If your weight is fine, eat healthier for your own benefit: to have more energy, eat foods that are good for your muscles, skin, and other organs etc. If you're overweight, start at a pace that is comfortable for you in both eating and exercise. If you exercise too hard and don't realize it, you're going to want to quit and just go back to your old habits and be lazy and eat like a couch potato.

Always progress with your exercise and eating. As a regular person, it's very hard to be disciplined like a pro athlete or fighter who have been mentally trained to eat and exercise a certain way. But for us busy people who may be working full time, going to college, have kids, volunteer, internship etc, it's hard to keep all these health, exercise and good eating habits under control. So don't always think you have to be perfect about these things.

I myself leave my weekends for my cheat days. But throughout the week I eat pretty healthy. I drink 2-3 protein shakes a day along with eating lean greens, lean steak/chicken, and other asian foods my mom/sister cooks. For me, I've cut down my rice intake to 2-4 times a week and when I do eat rice, I try to eat brown rice since it's not as heavy/starchy as white rice.

I also drink about 120oz of fluids a day. I don't keep a count, but I know my protein shakes are 20oz and I have 2-3 of those a day. so that leaves me 60-80oz of more fluids for the rest of the day. that's 4-5 16oz water bottles for the rest of the day. Staying hydrated overall is ALWAYS good for you. One method I learned for staying hydrated is never feeling thirsty- once you feel thirsty you're dehydrated. What I tell everyone is try to drink an 8oz cup of water every hour. That's not a lot when you think about it. If you work full time or go to school all day, bring a water jug with you and take like 2-3 big gulps every hour..that's not hard, even if you're not thirsty, do it! it'll help your body stay replenished and helps flush out your stomach of excess waste in your intestines.

That is all I have for now, I feel like I could talk about all kinds of other stuff. If anyone has questions..let me know.. I'll do my best to answer them =)