Welcome to Q&A with your Holistic Health Coach Sara! Please submit your questions to me here.
Question: What foods can I eat that will help increase my metabolism, helping me to lean out so you can really see the results of all my efforts at the gym?
Answer: Remember that if you are eating seasonally, summer is the perfect time to eat lighter, hydrating foods which provide us with lots of water content. Unlike the winter when your body needs heavier, cooked and warm foods, and healthy fats to insulate the body in the cold -- summer is an ideal time to do a cleanse. Animals who come out of hibernation after a literal winter constipation, cleanse and energize their systems by eating lots of berries and sprouts in the spring. Humans also need a lot of fiber from foods like these to draw out toxins from years of the "anything goes" diet. Sprouts are baby foods; they carry condensed nutritional content because everything they will develop into is contained in a small bite - so eating a handful of sprouts is nutritionally equivalent to eating a pound of broccoli!
I'm sure you know about the liver-detoxing benefits of water with lemon, but did you know an apple and a bottle of water (ideally alkaline!) is the simplest mini-cleanse you can do - from literally anywhere! Because apples are high in pectin, a type of fiber that binds to cholesterol and heavy metals in the body, they help eliminate toxic build up and to cleanse the intestines. Much of the stubborn weight we hold onto is backed up in the intestines, which also causes you to keep craving the same unhealthy foods you'll be detoxing from.
This is why any form of detox is so powerful! It will lighten you - mind, body and soul. Once you detox your system, everything you eat is digested more efficiently, giving a similar effect to increasing your metabolism (also try cayenne pepper, ginger and cinnamon for seasonings to spike your metabolism and add calorie-less flavor).
I can't possibly list all the foods that help you detox and increase your metabolism, so I will feature a different food and its how-to's each week. Look out for my lentil taco recipe next week- they're to die for, and are full of fiber AND protein to support your workout regimen!
