Imaginary chocolate bars chasing you around all day? Yup, us too. It's so Goddang hard to get into this clean-eating January buzz. Going cold turkey on consuming junk lasted approximately three hours on January 4th, and your first weekend in January resulted in more alcohol than the entire festive period. Now, what?
It's really (like, really) hard to get back on the healthy track when your stomach has been gradually widened and stretched to allow for Christmas Day-style eating EVERY. BLOODY. DAY. And don't even mention the Selection boxes – sugar is now coursing through your veins alongside blood, in equal measures.
What we need are short-cuts and hacks to help our systems through the January blues without us falling apart in hunger AND sadness. We need foods that actually taste good, that we can look forward to eating, despite them not coming in Selection box-shapes. They also need to spike the metabolism, eliminate stubborn toxins that make it really hard to lose weight, and trigger the right hormones that help release the fat. That's not too much to ask now, is it?
Well, now, actually, we've found them, 10 foods you can easily add to your daily and weekly diets, people. Get theses super-powered metabolism boosters on your shopping list, pronto.
1. Lemon water – while some say it doesn't actually speed up your metabolism, as such, it does help with digestion of proteins and fats, plus it alkalises your body and is a good source of calcium and potassium. It also contains Vitamin C, and like other citrus fruits, it helps boost the fat-burning potential
2. Avocados – these beauties not only release hormones that switch off fat-storing hormones, they also saturate our cells with monounsaturated fat which helps the fat-burning hormones too. We know, sounds too good to be true *fills trolley with avocados.
3. Brazil nuts – brilliant little fat burners, these guys really boost metabolism by activating the thyroid hormone. They also prevent the toxins that cause cellulite. Pop a few in a bowl and leave them on your counter to curb hunger and help burn fat. You're welcome.
4. Kale – one of the most nutrient-dense foods you could eat, it also detoxes the liver for 48 hours after you eat it. Seriously. An we all know, a cleaner body means you crave less crap. Fact.
5. Sesame seeds – not only are these teeny nutty-tasting seeds delicious sprinkled on salads, chicken or anything with an oriental edge, they contain a little chemical that helps the body to burn fat by producing fat-burning enzymes in the liver.
6. Berries – because the body can't digest fibre, it actually tries to anyway. Which is good news as the calories are burnt anyway. Enough fibre in a meal can make the fat and calories in the same meal disappear; it removes them through the digestive tract before the body can absorb them.
7. Quinoa – packed with supercharged nutrients – zinc, Iron, selenium and vitamin E, an average single serving of this wholegrain has five grams of fibre and eight grams of protein, which means it's a fat-burning powerhouse.
8. Green tea – it contains caffeine for us, sleep-deprived parents, as well as freeing up fatty acids stored in the body, and it has a compound that boosts the metabolism by speeding up brain signals and the nervous system. Can we inspire you to swap your morning coffee for a green tea?
9. Wild salmon – it has to be wild and not farmed – by eating this nutrient-rich fish it activates the thyroid hormone which in turn, speeds up the metabolism.
10. Chia seeds – these teeny-tiny seeds help suppress your appetite – yes, they really do! A sprinkle of these on your porridge can fire up the metabolism, but the most effective way to eat them is to soak them for a minimum of 15 minutes – just like oats, they swell up to ten times their size – the larger the seeds, the quicker your tummy will say it's full, and release those gorgeous hormones that tell you you're full.
The moral of the story is, drink some lemon water in the morning and throughout the day, eat soaked chia seeds for breakfast with berries. Have a quinoa salad for lunch with kale and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. A cup of green tea and some Brazil nuts for a snack, followed by wild salmon with avocado for dinner. Sounds easy, huh? We'll let you know how we get on...
