1. Eat more dairy. A study published in the journal Diabetes found that a dip in calcium levels can trigger the release of calcitriol, a hormone that causes people to store fat. Many experts support the results and say that a calcium deficiency can slow metabolism. Aim for two or three daily servings of low-fat milk, cheese, or yogurt.
2. Eat organic foods. Canadian researchers found that dieters with the highest levels of organochlorines (found in pesticides) had slower metabolisms than those with lower levels of the pollutant. Other research, like a study recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives, reports that pesticides can contribute to weight gain.
3. Build muscle. Your basic metabolic rate accounts for about 70 percent of the calories you burn every day. People who have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest, according to the Mayo Clinic. The available numbers are conflicting (some experts say that every pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories a day, while other sources say it’s just six calories), but either way, any muscle boost could help.
4. Drink water. Researchers have found that, after drinking about 17 ounces of water, study subjects’ metabolic rates increased by about 30 percent. The effects were quick and relatively long-lasting: The rise occurred within 10 minutes of drinking the water and lasted for up to 40 minutes. Based on their findings, the researchers estimate that increasing your water consumption by 1.5 liters a day could burn an extra 17,400 calories in a year.
5. Drink grapefruit juice. Researchers at UC Berkeley found that mice on a high-fat diet that drank sweetened grapefruit juice gained less weight than other mice that drank sweetened water. After 100 days, the juice-drinking mice weighed 18.4 percent less than the other mice, and they had better metabolic health (better blood-sugar levels and insulin sensitivity).