Sources by Amanda Bach

Clients -- and just about everyone I meet who learns I'm a nutritionist -- ask me this question all the time: How can I boost my metabolism?

Metabolism is simply the total of all body processes that burn calories -- your basal metabolic rate plus your activity factor. When it comes to improving your metabolism, there's good news and bad news.

First the bad news: Most of what controls your metabolism isn't under your control. Some people are genetically blessed with a high-burning metabolism. They didn't ask for it, they were born with it. (So don't hate them for it, unless, of course, they rub it in!) On average, men have a metabolism that is 10 to 15 percent higher than women's, mainly because of their larger size and greater muscle mass. Whether you're a man or a woman, your metabolism naturally decreases with age. Scientists have estimated that metabolism slows about 5 percent per decade, beginning at age 40, as we lose muscle mass and increase body fat. Hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) lowers metabolism and causes weight gain. Fortunately in this case, if a blood test confirms there's a problem, your doctor will prescribe medication that can boost it back up to baseline.

Now the good news: Your metabolism doesn't have to remain stagnant or take a nosedive. You can burn more calories, lose more weight, just by changing the way you think about eating and moving.

Food Fixes for Metabolism

Remember -- our basal metabolic rate includes the energy we need for body processes, including digestion. About 10 percent of our calories are used to process the food we eat. As the calories are burned, our bodies generate heat. This phenomenon, known as the thermic effect of food, is influenced by how much, how often, and what we eat. In addition, food can directly affect metabolism by altering the way the body functions (which changes the amount of energy it needs). Here are my best recommendations for maximizing metabolism:

• Eat at least 1,000 calories per day. Although it is generally true that eating a low-calorie diet will help you take off weight, if you eat too few calories, your metabolism will get slower and slower as it tries to conserve energy. As your metabolism crashes, the weight you take off will most likely creep back on over time. Plus, you'll be more likely to binge on junk food if you reduce your calories by too much.

• Eat every four to five hours. A regular meal schedule helps keep your body working to digest and absorb foods. Between breakfast and bed, aim to eat a meal or snack every four to five hours. And try to eat breakfast within 90 minutes of rising. People who regularly eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to control their weight. If you wait to eat until you're really ravenous, you're more likely to overeat later in the day. Also breakfast helps fire up your metabolism after a full night on a slow simmer.

• Eat protein with every meal. All foods contribute to the thermic effect, which means that all foods -- carbohydrates, fats, and proteins -- help to give metabolism a gentle nudge higher when we eat them. But protein has the greatest thermic effect of all. In addition, protein can increase metabolism by helping to maintain and build muscle mass.

Exercise Fixes for Metabolism

A big percentage of your maintenance calories -- the amount you burn in the course of a clay -- comes from your activity level. If you go from having average activity levels to being extremely active, you can double the amount of calories burned (that's activity factor calories, not BMR calories). This is why any activity -- every extra step you take -- can help boost your metabolism. Part of my recommendation is to move as much as possible: climb the stairs instead of taking the escalator, park at the opposite end of the mall and walk to your favorite store, garden instead of watching TV... anything, as long as it is movement.

In addition, I strongly encourage everyone to exercise regularly. The optimal weight-loss exercise program consists of both aerobic exercise and strength training. Regular exercise can increase your activity factor and your metabolism. As you get older and your metabolism slows, you can rebalance your energy needs by increasing the duration or intensity of your workouts.

• Aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercises use energy and increase many different metabolic processes (such as your heart rate), all of which burn calories. All aerobic activities -- including running, brisk walking, swimming, skating, skiing, and cycling -- increase metabolism while you're exercising, and also keep your metabolism burning higher for hours afterward. I recommend doing some form of aerobic activity four or five days per week, for at least 30 minutes per day.

• Strength training. Exercises that work your muscles without necessarily raising heart rate are considered strength training. These include lifting weights, working with resistance bands, yoga, Pilates, circuit training, and calisthenics (including push-ups, chin-ups, and abdominal crunches). These activities directly increase your BMR by building muscle, so you will burn more calories every minute of every day. I recommend doing some form of strength training two or three days per week. Plan a strength training regimen that's realistic for both your schedule and personality. For some people that may mean 15 minutes of calisthenics in the privacy of your bedroom, and for others it may involve a more elaborate weight-training regimen at the gym.

Book Description

The ultimate guide to using food as medicine from Today show regular Joy Bauer–whom New York magazine calls "the best nutritionist in New York City."

Nutritional healing has gone mainstream and researchers at top universities are publishing studies that show how the right foods can help prevent, manage, and sometimes entirely reverse the defining symptoms of a wide range of health issues. Whether it´s unwanted pounds or high blood sugar, mood swings or digestive trouble, the cure can be what you eat every day.

Now Joy Bauer, a nutrition consultant to celebrities from actors to gold-medal winning athletes, explains exactly what to eat to lower high cholesterol and blood pressure, improve skin tone, sharpen memory, sleep better, and take charge of PMS, arthritis, and more. Each chapter focuses on one of the many conditions that drive people to seek Joy´s professional help and simulates a personal consultation. Readers walk away with up-to-the-minute, scientifically researched recommendations on particular foods to seek out and which ones to avoid, plus grocery lists, meal plans, recipes, and supplement recommendations presented in easy-to-follow 4-step prescriptive plans.

Reprinted from: Joy Bauer's Food Cures: Treat Common Health Concerns, Look Younger & Live Longer by Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN with Carol Svec.

Copyright © 2007 Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN.

(Published by Rodale; April 2007; $18.95 US / $22.9 5CAN; 978-1-59486-466-7) Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling at (800) 848-4735.

Review

• "If you think of food as the enemy, then you need to devour this book. Joy has compiled the total guide to “eating yourself healthy” It´s no surprise I call her the patron saint of no-nonsense nutrition." – Meredith Vieira, cohost of the Today show

• "Joy wants to help you live longer. What better gift could you give the people who love you?" – Ann Curry, news anchor/correspondent, Today and Dateline NBC

• "Joy Bauer is the best nutritionist in the world!" – Shaquille O´Neal

• "Joy Bauer, a fabulous nutritionist, has produced a great resource for understanding the relation of specific components of a healthy diet to fighting common diseases of our Western civilization–diseases largely caused by our toxic lifestyle." – Arthur Agatston, MD, best-selling author of The South Beach Diet and The South Beach Heart Program

• "This is one book that will change your life! Good nutrition is about more than diet and counting calories; it´s a lifestyle of healthy choices that could improve your body and help prevent or cure certain ailments. Joy´s step-by-step guidelines make for a hard-to-fail program that gives you the most out of what you eat–and yes, may even change your life." – Natalie Morales, cohost of the Today show

• "I have nothing but the utmost respect for Joy and her work. For many years she has helped me and my family with dieting and nutrition. She is forever searching for new ways to improve health and wellness. She is a star in my eyes." – Tommy Mottola, music mogul, former chairman Sony Music Entertainment

• "When it comes to questions about nutrition, Joy Bauer is your go-to source. She´s got all the facts, with great tips for healthy eating and living with a totally sensible, and more importantly, realistic outlook on all of it. In my experience, this is the woman–and now the book–with the answers." – Bobby Flay, chef/owner Mesa Grill, Bolo, Bar Americain, and Bobby Flay Steak, and author of Grilling For Life

• "While reading Joy Bauer´s Food Cures, I felt like I was visiting with Joy at her office. The book captures her real life persona . . . one of encouragement, humor, resiliency, support, genuine concern... and, above all, her ability to present realistic and practical options in achieving your personal goals and objectives!" – Paul Carlucci, publisher, New York Post

• "This is an easy-to-read, absolutely comprehensive, medically accurate guide to food as a body fuel. This book is a real contribution to the field–it explains the principles of nutrition, and lays out the practices of eating for health and well being. It is a gem." – Orli R. Etingin, MD, professor of clinical medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital

• "Joy has written a superb, readable, and tremendously useful book that distills all her expertise into a volume I will use personally and give to all my patients. It´s uniquely valuable." – Marianne J. Legato, MD, founder and director of the Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine, Inc.; professor of clinical medicine, Columbia University; and adjunct professor of medicine, Johns Hopkins

• "Wow! Joy has finally given us what we need. She has written a comprehensive, well-researched, easy-to-use nutritional guide for people who want to protect their vision from cataracts and macular degeneration." – Paul T. Finger, MD, FACS, clinical professor of ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, and author of The Macular Degeneration Network

• "Joy Bauer has been the “go-to” nutritionist in New York for many years. This easy-to-read book captures her warmth, her humor, her clinical wisdom, and her vast experience, and gives sensible advice about managing your diet and staying healthy. It is a most-welcome resource!" – B. Timothy Walsh, MD, Ruane Professor of Psychiatry, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University; director, Eating Disorders Research Unit, New York Psychiatric Institute

• "Reading Food Cures is like having an extended session with Joy herself. She offers intelligent, doable, and new solutions to the age-old question: What should I eat? Anyone who has ever held a menu, read a cookbook, or tried a diet will benefit from her wisdom." – Lucy Danziger, editor-in-chief, SELF magazine

• "Joy is exactly what you want in a nutritionist: compassionate, insightful, and incredibly knowledgeable about the latest diet research. Her new book, Joy Bauer´s Food Cures, is just like having a much-coveted one-on-one session with Joy; and she offers smart, effective and, best of all, easy-to-implement advice for every goal–from weight loss to beautiful skin to improved digestion. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants a step-by-step action plan to better their diet and get results without starving or sacrificing taste, thanks to several delicious recipes." – Caroline Schaefer, deputy editor, Us Weekly

• "Joy´s book serves up heaping portions of useful nutritional and general health information, coupled with lots of common sense advice and guidance. She spices it up with great anecdotes and recipes, written in a conversation style that makes this book a joy to read. I thought I´d just glance at the Weight Loss and Radiant Skin chapters, but each chapter was filled with so many goodies I could not put it down." – Marsha Gordon, MD, clinical professor, dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

• "Joy Bauer´s Food Cures offers a welcome addition to my shelf of trusted books. It is a well researched guidebook for helping select the foods that will make and keep you healthy." – Evelyn Attia, MD, associate director, The Eating Disorders Clinic, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and associate clinical professor of psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

• "Whether you are trying to lose weight, manage a chronic medical condition, or just feel better, nutrition expert Joy Bauer has detailed and targeted advice that will help. Grounded in the latest medical science, clearly explained and illustrated, and rounded out with dozens of user-friendly recipes, Joy Bauer´s Food Cures is highly recommended not only for clinicians, but also for anyone pursuing a more healthful lifestyle." – Michael J. Devlin, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons; and associate director, Eating Disorders Research Unit, New York State Psychiatric Institute

• "The most comprehensive, easy-to-read book on life-changing nutrition, with the most up-to-date science. An extraordinary book, which will be a must-have for every one of my patients. Joy has changed how I eat, as well as how I treat." – Dr. Lorenzo Gonzalez, MD, faculty at the University of Miami School of Medicine, department of physical therapy

• "Fantastic! A comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to live better and feel better. With topics ranging from having beautiful skin and a great smile to handling migraines or celiac disease, it gives realistic advice for everyone. Plus, the recipes and shopping lists remove all guesswork and are simple enough for anyone to follow." – Jeff Wellington, vice president, group publisher, Parenting Magazine.