You've heard it before: You are what you eat, and your dietary choices influence calorie intake as well as the speed at which your body produces energy and burns fat.

The trick is selecting those particular foods that boost your metabolic rate - the so-called thermogenic foods - that make your body spend more energy on burning calories and help you stay fit.

With metabolic rates differing from person to person, sometimes maintaining a balance can be a sensitive issue. Each body needs a different amount of energy to process food and drink, resulting in a fast or a slow metabolism.

Luckily, there are ways to stimulate the fat-burning process with food, and often enough you won't need to look farther than your own kitchen.

Studies have shown that certain food items have a much stronger thermogenic effect than others. These kinds of food take longer to digest, thus forcing the body to use up more energy and produce more heat to process them. As a result, the body speeds up its metabolism and burns more calories than with other meals.

Thermogenesis is directly determined not only by the type of food you eat, but also by the quantity. Therefore, don't start gorging on superfoods just because they're labeled as "thermogenic," since a satisfactory weight loss effect can't be attained outside a balanced diet.

8 Metabolism Boosters You Can Find In Your Kitchen

Nutritionist May Simpkin lists the best types of food that can help stimulate slow metabolic rates, ensuring you burn fat. Listed according to their metabolism-speeding effect, these superfoods are the following:

1. Chili peppers
Within the body, fat cells are divided into two categories: white fat cells, which store calories, and brown adipose tissue, which burns calories thanks to its heat-producing effect. A study released not long ago revealed white fat cells can be stimulated to act like thermogenic brown fat cells with the aid of capsaicin, a compound found in chili peppers. If you have a taste for flavor, don't hesitate to spice up your meals with chilies (fresh, flakes, or cayenne powder) to maximize calorie burn.

2. Whole grains, plus fruits and vegetables
Both these food groups are rich in insoluble fiber, which requires extra effort to be digested. Turning to oats, brown rice, and quinoa will force the body to dig deeper into its energy stores to process them. The same goes for leafy greens (spinach, watercress, cabbage, kale) and high-fiber fruits such as apples and pears.

3. Black pepper
Black pepper is rich in piperine, a compound that can actively aid in burning fat cells. Its thermic effect leads to a faster metabolism, which in turn can help you shed off extra pounds.

4. Ginger
Just like chili peppers, ginger also contains large amounts of capsaicin. Whether you use it for stir-fries and marinades or simply boil it to make tea, ginger has a double positive effect on weight loss: It curbs hunger and speeds up metabolic rates.

5. Garlic
Garlic gets its fiery kick from certain chemicals that also promote thermogenesis in brown fat cells. If you're not too tempted to go heavy on the extra cloves, you might try using garlic in salad dressings and marinades.

6. Mustard
As is the case with many kinds of spicy food, mustard teems with thermogenic compounds, including capsaicin. These increase body temperature during digestion, stimulating a lazy metabolism.

7. Green tea
Known for its weight loss properties, green tea helps your body burn more calories thanks to its rich caffeine, isoflavones, and catechin content. Ample studies indicate these compounds as valuable resources in combating obesity.

8. Protein
Being complex nutrients, proteins require more energy to break down than other food groups. Subsequently, 30 percent of the calorie intake is burned in the digestive process. Found in lean meats, beans, brown rice, quinoa and lentils, proteins help you stay slim by also reducing your appetite between meals.