Yesterday was Fat Tuesday the start of Mardi Gras traditions.
The King Cake has become synonymous with Mardi Gras.
The King cake tradition began with the first French settlers and like all traditions has evolved over the years.
Similar to the Christmas of the three wise men bearing gifts 12 days after Christmas, King's Day or the Twelfth Night is commemorated with a pastry twisted into a wreath and decorated with multi-colored icing in purple, green and gold.
It is said that in 1870 Twelfth Night Revelers held a ball.
In celebration that put a bean in the King Cake and the women who got the piece with the bean became Queen of the ball.
This tradition has stuck and the cake is often cooked with a trinket of a gold bean or baby Jesus.
King Cake is eaten on the 40 days leading up to Mardi Gras, needless to say the calorie laden cake can and will pack on a few pound for those who indulge heartily in its consumption.
Fat Tuesday is a gluttonous day of feasting before the 40 days of Lent when the pious give up some treat for the period leading up to Easter.
For many this resolve to abstain is difficult, so what to do about the extra weight gain and added pounds? Since Easter is generally the start of the Spring season, we know its not long until bathing suit season will be on our minds.
This is the perfect opportunity to adopt some healthier eating habits and shed those unwanted King Cake pounds.
Here are some foods that will boost your metabolism and get you on your way to losing weight: Fruits & Veggies:

1. Grapefruit - rich in fiber your body burns calories just to break it down.
   
2. Apples - like grapefruit it is lo-calorie but high fiber thus keeping you feeling full longer.
   
3. Spinach - not only will speed up your metabolism, however, it's a great source of antioxidants, potassium, iron, magnesium, and Vitamin C.
   
4. Jalapenos contain cacaisin which causes your body to burn extra calories speeding up both heart rate and metabolism.
   
5. Broccoli- loaded with calcium and vitamin C, the calcium triggers metabolism.
   

Nuts, Beans & Grains:

1. Almonds - the essential fatty acids raise metabolism.
   Hoever, only 6 almonds are considered a portion, so watch be mindful of portion control.
   
2. Curry - like Jalapenos increases the number of calories burned to rev up metabolism.
   
3. Beans - also low in fat and full of protein, they will keep you feeling full longer.
   Fiber rich as well, your body works harder burning more calories to digest them.
   

Dairy:

1. Yogurt - high in protein, it requires a lot of energy to be processed.
   In addition, the probiotic in yogurt aids the digestive process.
   
2. Soy Milk - heavy in calcium it helps to boost metabolism.
   

Other:

1. Green Tea - rich in EGCG which speeds up your nervous system thus causing you to burn more calories.
   
2. Coffee - will give you a boost, however, more than 2-3 cups will give you the jitters.
   
3. Turkey - lean and protein rich its known to build lean muscle tissue and raise metabolism.
   
4. Oatmeal - this fat-soluble fiber lowers insulin levels and speeds up metabolism as it takes the body a long time to break it down.
   
5. Cinnamon - even just a little helps the body to metabolize sugars and maintain steady blood sugar levels.
   

Boosting metabolism is a great way to burn calories more effectively to aid in the weight loss process.
Taking a metabolism boosting supplement is another method to speed up weight loss and reaching your goal.
Supplements formulated with calcium, guarana extract (caffeine), bitter orange, green tea and Korean ginseng will promote a diminished appetite, burn fat faster, boost metabolism and help you to slim down faster.
A good one to try is MetaboSpeed.