New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS): The body's metabolism can be increased by indulging in vegetables to give an edge to the weight control regime, says an expert.

Tanuja Sodhi, nutritionist at pro parenting online community www.parentune.com, says metabolism refers to how fast or slow our body converts the food we eat into energy.

"The faster our metabolism runs, the more calories we burn. Eating several small meals a day has been known to speed up metabolism. For the same reason, food has great importance in raising or lowering metabolic rate," Sodhi told IANS.

Here’s a list of vegetables to boost metabolism:

-Broccoli: The green vegetable contains high amounts of calcium, which increases the metabolic rate of the body and help burn fat.

- Spinach: It is a good source of various nutrients like vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and iron. Vitamin C in spinach helps raise metabolic function.

- Bell peppers: The chemical capsaicin in capsicum or bell peppers is an effective metabolic booster. When we eat it, our body temporarily releases stress hormones that speed up our metabolism. This burns more calories as the body tries to cope with the spicy flavour.

- Beans: Beans are high in both protein and fibre. While protein helps build and maintain muscle mass that helps raise the metabolic rate; fibre too perks up the metabolic rate because the body takes a long time to break it down.