Who doesn’t want a little help from their body’s natural fat-burning engine? These foods will get the pistons pumping

Chilli
Back in 1986, researchers at Oxford Polytechnic in the UK found that eating one spicy meal can boost your metabolism by as much as 25 per cent for up to three hours after you finish eating. More recently, a study from Laval University in Canada found that men who consumed coffee, plus chilli were able to burn nearly 400 more kilojoules a day than a control group.

Green tea
Catechins, the powerful antioxidants found in green tea, are known to increase metabolism. A Japanese study by researchers at the University of Tokushima School of Medicine found participants who consumed 690 milligrams of catechins from green tea daily had significantly lower body mass indexes and smaller waist measurements than those in a control group.

Steak and eggs
Researchers at Arizona State University compared the kilojoule-burning powers of high-protein and high-carbohydrate diets and found that those eating a protein-rich diet torched twice as much. Jump start your metabolism as soon as you wake up with a protein-rich breakfast of scrambled eggs and end your day with 200-300g of high-quality protein like lean beef, chicken or fish.

Nothing
Skipping meals lets your body’s kilojoule burning furnace go cold. Spread out snacks throughout the day. Try a cup of yoghurt with fresh fruit or almonds at 10.30am, and a hard-boiled egg or a protein shake around 3pm.