Slimming Spices for Spring Shedding
The media constantly feeds us quick and seemingly healthy fixes to get thin. Unfortunately, fad diets, magic weight loss pills, and other unsafe ways to rapidly shed inches off your waist have unspoken consequences and can lead to poor health or long-term adverse side effects. Society doesn’t tell you that there are tons of natural ways to slim down that won’t require you to eat bland foods or unsafely limit your caloric intake!
But how?
The power of herbs and spices has proven to treat ailments, inflammation, immune system issues, diabetes, and beyond, and can–believe it or not–aid in weight loss. Spruce up plain chicken rice and broccoli by incorporating slimming spices, or add them to beverages such as wellness shots, fresh juice, or morning lattes. Not only will your meals taste better, but you’ll be working weight loss magic at the same time!
If you’re hoping to shave a bit of fat off your body in a healthy manner, take the holistic approach of adding more herbs to your diet.
Spices to Help Slim Down
Garlic
Garlic is a gift from the earth that is beneficial in all forms. Whether you’re eating raw garlic, pickled garlic, roasted garlic, or garlic granules, you’ll reap this superpower plant’s benefits. The compounds within garlic not only cut down on recovery time of colds, lower blood pressure, and reinforce the immune system, but can also can reduce body fat.
Consuming garlic can boost your energy levels and your metabolism and is also known to be an appetite suppressant, which will help curb your cravings and prevent you from overeating. It is also a spectacular detoxifier and can help flush your system of pollutants and toxins, helping your digestive system regulate at optimum. Don’t like the smell or taste? Garlic powder supplements work too.
Ginger
Just as garlic helps with your digestive system and promotes feelings of fullness when consumed regularly, ginger affects how your body burns fat and digests carbohydrates and insulin. Ginger is high in antioxidants and contains phytonutrients that have benefits spanning from reducing inflammation to killing bacteria and fungus in the body.
It is an excellent spice to keep on hand when you are under the weather, to treat nausea, and digestive problems. Eager to lose weight? Ginger is a phenomenal appetite suppressant and provides a natural way to increase metabolism and burn fat. It does so by decreasing the body’s absorption of fat and slowing how much fat your gut absorbs. Consume ginger in fresh juices, curries, or other yummy dishes to help manage weight, control appetite, and prevent obesity.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants and is known to stabilize blood sugar by mimicking the effects of insulin. Throw some cinnamon in your oatmeal, coffee, on top of healthy banana pancakes, or in certain warming dishes to help reduce appetite. Consuming cinnamon daily will help you feel less hungry and boost weight loss efforts.
Black Pepper
Piperine–a potent alkaloid in black peppercorns–can make a massive difference in weight loss if you incorporate it regularly. It is known to help prevent chronic diseases and facilitate weight loss, even for those on a high-fat diet. Piperine essentially wards off fats by blocking the formation of new fat cells, and can help manage obesity if consumed effectively.
In the morning, a winning combo is a fresh squeezed lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to flush the system. Another way to incorporate pepper is to sprinkle it onto your breakfast toast or eggs, or add a kick to mixed greens. Not a fan of the taste of pepper, but want to get the most out of the mighty plant? Take pepper capsules!
Ginseng
Ginseng is a brain booster, energy provider, and fighter against obesity. The compounds within the multifaceted spice delay fat absorption and can modify fat formation, stimulating weight loss. Drinking ginseng tea regularly or sprinkling it into your meals can completely alter your gut microbiome–for the better–and help you shed a few pounds with proper diet and exercise.
Fenugreek
Fenugreek is a spice we’ve talked about in many recent articles, and for a good reason. This North African and Middle Eastern spice stimulates insulin and slows the absorption of sugars in the stomach, lowering people’s blood sugar with diabetes. Like cinnamon, Fenugreek can transport sugar to be used as energy and decelerate the breakdown of carbohydrates. Stabilizing blood sugar does wonders for metabolism and appetite. Fenugreek can help curb hunger and cravings for fatty foods and has significant results if used daily.
Pinch Fenugreek into Greek or plant-based yogurt to create a healthy metabolism-boosting dip, add it to a vegetable dish, or put a dash in a sauce and voilà–you’ve got a flavorful and healthful combo.
Turmeric
Another spice we’ve spotlighted numerous times due to its versatile benefits and flavor combinations–turmeric–is a fantastic spice that can help aid digestion and reduce swelling and inflammation. Consuming turmeric daily can boost your metabolism and lead to weight reduction overtime. To get the most out of the spice, use turmeric with a fat source–perhaps in a stir-fry or with golden milk like coconut, almond, or regular milk.
Healthy Herbs & Spices
Remember, eating healthy doesn’t have to mean eating flavorless foods. Now that you are familiar with some herbs and spices that aid in weight loss, start incorporating them into your recipes daily! Subtle changes can provide small miracles and ultimately massive shifts with enough time, patience, and perseverance.
If possible, try to consume these spices in their natural form. Supplements are still effective, but it’s better to go straight from the source and consume these herbs in their purest and rawest form. We understand that it can be challenging to include all of these spices into your daily meal, so supplements are an effective way to do more by doing less, especially if you don’t have time or energy to cook all of your meals.
These are just a few of countless spices that can help aid your digestive system, boost your metabolism, and suppress your appetite, so we encourage you to do your research and find out what other spices are out there that you love to eat that double as fat reducers! Now ditch those diet pills and start shopping for some slimming spices!
