Losing Weight With Spices–The Absolute Truth

Losing Weight With Spices–The Absolute Truth

It’s still up for debate whether spices have a direct impact on efforts to lose weight. Many spices are known to have properties that can either inhibit fat storage or calorie absorption, which are factors for effective weight loss.

Eating habits have changed over time. While salt and pepper remain the go-to condiments to enhance food flavors, there is a growing trend in the use of spices for cooking. Not only does it help enhance the flavor and aroma of a variety of dishes, adding certain spices are said to help shed off unwanted pounds or to keep from gaining weight.

Studies are being conducted on different spices, especially to test theories that they can effectively promote weight loss. While there is nothing scientifically conclusive yet, many claim turning to spices for flavoring has done wonders to keep healthy.

Spices not only enhance flavor they are also rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and has medicinal properties that do help correct health conditions.

Spice versus Salt:

If there’s five spices that you can incorporate in your diet to help in your weight loss journey be aware of Ginseng, chili peppers, black pepper, turmeric and mustard.  At some point, you’ve most likely used these in your food, or eaten something prepared using these as ingredients. Now, you just have to be conscious that including a dash of these in your food can be beneficial if your goal is to lose weight.

First, you can actually use them as substitute for salt. Remember that doing away with salt in your diet, or at least reducing salt intake,can be a big factor to keep the weight off, or even shed them. High amounts of sodium in the diet results in water retention, which is one reason why we gain weight.

Too much salt can also cause dehydration, and most people’s response to feeling thirsty is getting soda, which is packed with sugar, therefore calories.

Second, seasoning foods with spices enhances flavor and taste and before you know it, you’ve gotten used to spices and no longer mind not having salt added to your food.

Pepper: Red and Black:

Black pepper is salt’s most popular partner when it comes to seasoning. But yes, you can set aside the salt if you’re intent on losing weight, but keep the pepper corn and grind them over dishes to still get a robust flavor and even be able to distinguish the real flavor of your food.

So what’s in black pepper that promotes weight loss? It’s called piperine. This is responsible for the pepper corn’s pungent aroma that can make you sneeze. But this very substance is also said to block the formation of fats in cells, which is good for those trying to lose weight.

Two things must happen to shed off unwanted pounds. The body must expend more energy than what it takes in. Second is to regulate the amount of calories consumed so they don’t end up as stored fat, which is responsible for weight gain.

Now if piperine can help prevent fats from getting stuck in the cells, then black pepper could definitely aid the weight loss regimen.

Throw in chili – including cayenne pepper powder – and you’ll have twice the means to keep fat absorption to a minimum. Chili peppers contain capsaicin. This is responsible for the heat in chilies. It is said to help reduce caloric intake because you tend to consume less when your mouth feels on fire.

But more importantly, this heat can trigger stored energy to burn, which should result in weight loss. According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Wyoming, white fat cells store energy. To lose weight, these white fat cells must turn brown in order to burn the stored fat faster. Capsaicin is said to turn the white fats to brown fats.

Between black pepper that keeps fats from being stored in the cells and chilies that help burn stored fats quicker, then losing weight using these spices sounds like a good idea.

Turmeric:

It’s a type of ginger with a deep orange color and is foundation for curry. Curcumin is its active ingredient, which is said to reduce the formation of fat tissue. Blood vessels are necessary to form fat, so suppress these and you lower body fat.

Turmeric helps detoxify the liver, essential to fat burning. Damage to the liver will reduce its capacity to flush out wastes in the body and filter nutrients needed to fuel the body. It can also lower bad cholesterol with its lipid lowering properties thereby reducing the risk of getting fat.

Mustard:

Add mustard seed to your food and boost metabolic rate by 25 percent. This simply means your body’s ability to burn energy increases, which means less stored fat. Of course, it still requires activity like exercise, combined with eating the right food in proper amounts to achieve the goal of weight loss.

Mustard in the bottle isn’t exactly going to do the trick unless it’s the spicy or whole grain kind. You want more mustard seeds in them to really give the kick needed to burn fat. Mustard seeds are more preferable also because they contain low calories.

Ginseng:

Now Ginseng isn’t something you normally add to food. But it does come in roots that can be made into tea or as supplements.  It’s known to boost energy levels and increase stamina. With more energy, a person can continue to be physically active for a longer period, thereby expending more energy.

It helps regulate blood sugar by lowering the amount of carbohydrates converted to fat. The less fat converted, the less stored in the cells, which will result in weight loss or at least maintaining the ideal weight.

Ginseng tea is the most common product, and it is also the most easily absorbed by the body.

Diet is extremely important for people wanting to lose weight. The more aware a person is about what goes into his body, the better able to shed off weight or properly maintain it for good health. Spices aren’t bad. They take getting used to. But if the benefits are plenty, it won’t be such a hardship to incorporate them.