Reader question: medications and weight gain

Reader question:

I am taking medication that causes your metabolism to slow down and increases appetite (mainly through cravings for sugar) as a side effect. Is there any foods that can counter these effects? i.e. speed up metabolism and curb cravings?

Medications are a necessary part of life for some of us, and while very useful, they can have unwanted side effects.  Increased appetite and weight gain are side effects of some medications but there are things you can do to help minimise these.

In terms of appetite, a higher protein diet can help. This doesn’t mean high protein, low carbohydrate. It’s just including protein based foods at each meal.  A higher protein diet can help reduce appetite and helps to prevent the sugar highs and lows people get if their diet is high in processed carbohydrates.

Here’s an example of a high carb diet vs a higher protein diet

So it’s about including protein at each meal, and choosing Low GI, slow release carbohydrates which are wholegrain.

A high fibre diet also helps with appetite, so this means choosing wholegrain carbohydrates over refined carbohydrates and eating lots of vegetables.

In terms of metabolism, the best way to increase this is exercise.  Include both cardiovascular exercise which increases you heart rate, and strength training. Interval training, where you push yourself for a short period of time, then recover at a slower rate, is a good way to boost your metabolism.   Strength training increases muscle mass, which then in turn burns more calories/kilojoules. Green tea can also increase metabolic rate, but the effect is fairly minimal.  Your best bet is to exercise regularly with a mix of both cardio and strength training.