A healthy diet is a key part of losing weight.  While some are blessed with high metabolism, most of us can use all the help we can get.

Registered Dietitian, Wendy Crump, dishes the top 7 ways to help boost that metabolism to jolt your weight loss!

Metabolism Boosting Tips

1. Fuel Up With Water-
• The body needs water to process calories. If you are even
mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down, sending a
signal to your brain “I’m hungry”, when the only thing you are
really experiencing is thirst. To stay hydrated, carry a bottle of
water with you at all times.

2. A Snacking Reality Check-
• Eating more often can speed up your metabolism. Having six
small meals a day, or snacking every 2-3 hours keeps your
metabolism cranking. Waiting several hours in between meals
and/or eating large meals slows your metabolism down. Our
body is designed to conserve energy and that’s exactly what it
does when you go hungry.

3. Spice It Up –
• Spicy foods such as red or green chili peppers can boost your
metabolic rate, they contain chemical compounds that kick your metabolism into high gear.

4. Power It Up With Protein –
• The body burns more calories digesting protein then it uses for
fat or carbohydrates. Eating a balanced diet is always best, but
replacing some carbs with lean protein-rich foods can boost the
metabolism at mealtime. Try fish, turkey, white meat chicken,
lean beef, eggs, tofu, nuts, beans and low-fat dairy products.

5. Recharge With Green Tea –
• Drinking green tea or oolong tea has been shown to rev up the
metabolism for a few hours. Research suggests that drinking 2-
4 cups a day can force the body to burn 17 % more calories than
normal.

6. Avoid Crash Diets –
• Crash diets involving fewer than 1,000 calories a day are a sure
way to send your metabolism into a snail moving pace – our
body wants to save energy so you can bet that’s exactly what it
does when you dip below a 1,200 calorie diet.

7. Charge Your Body By Exercising –
• Your best bet for creating a fat burning engine is to build
muscle and stay active. The more you move, the more calories
you burn; and morning workouts are the best because they rev
up your metabolism for hours.