Monthly Archives: November 2023

Interestingly, not just one but all foods are capable of boosting your metabolism. Here, boosting metabolism means that if, under normal conditions, you burn 10 calories, then after eating a certain food, you’ll burn 10 + x calories.

Let’s clarify this, but before that, just a small definition of what metabolism is.

Metabolism refers to all the energy used for various processes inside our body, more specifically inside the cells such as energy used for basic cell function, repair and renewal of proteins, organ functioning, maintaining body temperature, digestion of food, physical activity etc. Basis this we can segregate the overall metabolism into 4 parts – 

1. Basal metabolism (BMR) – energy required at complete rest. Even if you don’t move an inch, you will still need this energy to survive. It is roughly 60-70% of your total energy usage.
2. Thermic effect of food (TEF) – The energy used to eat, digest & absorb nutrients from any food. This is roughly 10% of total energy spent.   
3. EAT (exercise activity thermogenesis) – Energy used for planned activity such as running, strength training etc. 
4. NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) – Energy used for any movement of the body other than EAT such as walking, household work, moving around.. Basically staying active. 

Now, the first thing in the picture of metabolism is BMR, which means how many calories will you burn at complete rest as mentioned above.

Click below to calculate your BMR

For example, my BMR is 1670, meaning I will burn at least this many calories in a day even if I don’t move. So, if this 1670 is for full day, it’ll be 70 calories/hour on an average. Now, let’s say in a random hour, I eat an apple or any meal, so this expenditure of 70 kcal might increase to, let’s say, 100. 

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And how much it will increase will actually depend on what food has been eaten, but these extra calories will be spent in chewing, digesting and absorbing nutrients from the food. It is also known as thermic effect of food or diet-induced thermogenesis mentioned above. Protein-rich meals are known to have the highest thermic effect. 

So the takeaway for you here is that, every food has the ability to increase your metabolism, but all this eating thing (TEF) will be just a small part of the total daily energy expenditure.

So, stop believing in those ads that you see on social media about metabolism booster foods. Every food increases it, but that calorie burn can easily be offset by eating more calories.

So, if you are actually interested in real results for fat loss, create an overall calorie deficit by eating a bit less (consume less energy than maintenance calories) and increasing your activity level (walk more and strength train). 

Before we dive into the best diet for muscle gain, let’s see what the key ingredients for muscle gain are… First is calorie surplus, meaning eating more than maintenance calories, roughly 200-250 kcal surplus should be sufficient.

Second, eat protein, around 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, as muscle is primarily made of protein and so, you’ll need protein to build new muscle tissue. Third, a regular weight training routine, and finally, the most crucial aspect is to consistently follow the first three steps.

Example – Let’s say maintenance is 2000. So you would need to eat about 2000+250 = 2250 kcal per day for muscle gain. If weight is 65 kg, protein requirement @ 1.5g/kg of body weight would translate to 100 g protein per day. This also means 400 calories should come from protein. Remaining 1850 kcal can be filled with carbs & unsaturated fats majorly. 

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Now, to create a calorie surplus, foods like:

• Oil
• Ghee
• Nuts
• Peanut butter
• Seeds
• Paneer
• Dark chocolate
• Full fat milk
• Potato
• Banana
• Cheeku
• Corn
• White rice will help.

For completing your protein intake, incorporate foods like:

• Whole eggs
• Paneer
• Whey
• Milk
• Curd
• Chicken
• Fish
• Soy chunks
• Tofu etc.

according to your preference and to maintain consistency, plan your day a bit so that following the plan becomes more manageable. 

And the bottomline is, the best muscle gain diet is the one, where you can sustain a small surplus and adequate protein intake without interruptions consistently for months.