If you are like most people, then you are well aware that as we age, our metabolism slows down. Usually sometime after you turn 30, you will notice that you may be packing on some pounds if you aren’t exercising and eating like you’re supposed to. Even if you are eating and exercising properly, you may notice that the weight is coming off less and less or you’re having a hard time keeping weight off.
People over 40, especially women, will have a slower metabolism and have a harder time burning fat than men do. Women over the age of 40 will pack on around 2 pounds per year more than men and women who are under 40. This is due to a slower metabolism and experts say that most people, men and women, are making diet mistakes that could be making their metabolism slower.
Most people assume that their metabolism slowing is due to their age, not their diet, but research has shown that more metabolism problems actually come from poor dieting than they do with age.
Making The Right Food Choices
As a culture, we are used to a certain way of dieting and eating properly, but some things could actually be doing us more harm than good. This is why it is important to make sure we do our research and gather as much information as we can to make sure that we are making the right choices for our bodies.
You can also meet with your medical doctor and be referred to a nutritionist who can help you to better understand what your body needs and how you can improve your metabolism.
Not only will the nutritionist be able to help you choose the right foods for you and your body, they will also be able to help you along your food journey to make sure you are staying on track. This will insure that you are getting the proper nutrition for a longer amount of time than it would if you were trying to do it completely on your own.
While changing your diet may seem like you are simply dieting at first, once you have mastered what you need to know as far as what to eat, how much of it, and when, you will simply be changing your eating habits permanently.
You want to be able to burn more fat with the foods you are eating, and by doing this you can help insure that your exercise routine will be helping you. It will also insure that you can keep those pesky pounds that accumulate after age 30 away for good.
Eating According To Your Metabolism
Even if you are not wanting to lose weight, making sure your metabolism hasn’t completely stalled after 30 is a good thing to do as well. A stalled metabolism is as harmful as a slow one. You will continuously pack on the pounds and the average woman can gain close to forty pounds between the ages of 30 and 50.
That works out to be about 2 pounds a year, and while it may not seem like a lot stretched out over that long of a period, it is, and it can still cause you to have harmful health effects.
There are some common mistakes that everyone is making when it comes to having a slow metabolism. Most people associate these things with what is causing them to pack on the pounds, when in fact it is actually causing their metabolism to slow down.
So it is not the actual foods themselves, but the manner in which you are treating the foods and how you are eating and drinking your calories that is doing you a disservice.
1. Lack Of Eating
Most people believe that if they cut back on their eating or if they skip a meal or two that they are going to lose weight. In reality, they are only doing more harm to their bodies. Most women need around 1,200 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle, but cutting out meals is not the way to make sure this happens.
It’s all about choosing smart foods that will give you the calorie count you are looking for, but will also help you to get the proper nutrition that your body needs. It is also important that you do not shift drastically in the other direction and continuously eat during the day. Even too much healthy food can be a bad thing.
At the most, you should be eating around four times a day, three healthy meals and one healthy snack. If you are having a small snack, like a handful of nuts, you could add in a morning and afternoon snack, but no more than that.
Research also indicates that you should only eat until you are not hungry. However, it is important to remember that it takes roughly 20 minutes for you to feel full while eating. You should try to take smaller bites and chew them thoroughly before moving on to your next bite. This will help to control overeating and make sure that you know when your body is full.
2. Caffeine
Most people cannot get their day started without some type of caffeine in the morning, whether it is a cup of coffee, an energy drink, or a soda.
When trying to eat healthy or speed up their metabolism, most people will cut out caffeine altogether and research has shown that it can actually be causing your metabolism to slow, not speed up. The caffeine in coffee and tea can actually cause your metabolism to rise about 5% compared to if you had no caffeine at all during the day.
So while you shouldn’t be constantly consuming caffeine all day long, having a cup or two of coffee or tea a day can actually work in your favor more than not having any at all.
3. Carbs & Fiber
In the case of carbs, there is a fine line to keep in mind. If you are someone who has been told by your medical doctor that you need to limit carbs, or that your body cannot digest carbs, then you need to stick with what your doctor tells you.
However, if you have no issues with digesting carbs, then this is for you. Most people tend to gravitate towards breads that are white, as this is what most people remember when they were growing up and tend to stick with what they know.
But it can actually be very beneficial to your metabolism to switch it up and try whole grain options. By eating carbs like whole wheat pasta, breads, and other high in fiber fruits and vegetables, you can actually increase your body’s fat burning ability by up to 30%.
Research indicates that the average woman needs around 25-30mg a day of fiber, but checking with your medical doctor is also important, as they may want you to increase or decrease that amount.
4. Water Temperature
Some people find cold water to be hard on their teeth or even take their breath away, so they drink it at room temperature, but that is actually not good for your metabolism. While you don’t need water that is ice cold, drinking water that comes cold from your fridge is actually better for your metabolism that drinking room temperature water.
Drinking 6-8 cups of cold water a day can help you lose 5-10 pounds in a year depending on other things that you drink during the year as well. In addition to help you lose some weight and speeding up your metabolism, water can help flush out your system of nasty toxins that may be missed.
5. Pesticides
This is something that we all worry about when it comes to our food. Are we eating something that was meant to kill bugs? Is it going to kill us or make us sick? While there is no way to know for sure if we are eating foods that have been treated with a pesticide, it is best to clean our foods completely before we eat them.
It is also important to try to get away from foods that are not organic in nature. Research has indicated that when people eat food that has been treated with pesticides, it can interfere with their metabolism and will actually slow or stop their metabolism if they consume enough food that was treated with chemicals.
When you are at the grocery store, the market, or wherever you buy your produce from, make sure that anything grown in or on the ground is completely organic, and then wash it thoroughly when you get home. Not only are organic foods better for you in the long run, they are also less likely to be treated with chemicals.
6. Protein
There are plenty of diets on the market today that are low protein diets, but you actually need to consume protein on a daily basis. Adding healthy protein to your diet, such as a lean meat, healthy nuts, or even a little more milk a day can actually sky rocket your metabolism once you have finished eating.
So go ahead and have another glass of milk or eat that second handful of almonds. Research shows that those types of proteins can actually boost your metabolism by as much as 40% after each meal. So if you add protein to every meal, you are going to be burning a lot more calories and maintaining your higher metabolism.
7. Iron
Iron can be found in many of the foods that we consume on a regular basis, but did you know that we lose more iron the older we get? We have to be in a constant state of adding iron back into our bodies to make sure we have enough to carry oxygen to our muscles to be able to burn the fat.
If you find that you are not getting enough iron in the foods you eat, add more iron rich foods like shellfish. You can also try adding an iron supplement to your diet to give your body a real boost.
8. Vitamin D
This is one of the most important vitamins that your body needs. The majority of people are getting Vitamin D from milk or sunlight, but those alone may not be enough.
You need a good amount of Vitamin D in your body at all times to make sure you have enough strength in your muscle tissue to help your metabolism burn more fat. If you are allergic to milk, or maybe you don’t like the taste, try adding other Vitamin D rich foods like tuna, tofu, and eggs.
9. Alcohol
Everyone has been told many times by their doctors, family, and friends that too much alcohol is bad for you. It can be extremely harmful if you drink and drive or if you consume too much and get alcohol poisoning, and it can also slow your metabolism.
If you are going to have a glass of wine, a beer, or a mixed drink, limit yourself to one. The more alcohol you put into your system, to slower your metabolism becomes, and the more time it takes to reverse those effects. So instead of girl’s night out, have a girl’s night in with only one glass to drink.
10. Dairy
A lack of dairy can cause your metabolism to slow down due to a calcium deficiency. You need some form of dairy in your regular, everyday diet to help keep your calcium levels where they need to be in order to keep your metabolism up.
If you have a diary allergy, you will need to talk with your doctor about taking a calcium supplement to help get you the calcium that your body needs in order to keep going.
Top 10 Diet Mistakes Final Words
While some things on this list may seem a little strange, they all play a key part in keeping your metabolism from slowing down. So if you are worried about packing on the pounds after 40 and need some guidance, talk with your medical doctor and see what type of dietary changes you need in order to make sure your metabolism stays in proper working order.
