Recently I wrote about menopause weight gain and what you can do about it. Something which we may do without even realizing it when we are trying to lose weight is significantly reducing our herb and spice intake. When we think of losing weight, we automatically prepare blander food, which we associate with being healthier.
Even if the food we eat is healthier in terms of containing less refined carbohydrates or less sugar, we still use herbs and spices less to prepare these meals. This is, in fact, a common misconception, as there are natural herbs for weight loss that can aid your efforts to get a slimmer version of yourself.
It is true that too much salt, or sodium chloride, can increase your chances of high blood pressure, kidney stones and heart disease . However, not all the spices and herbs which we cook with have this effect on us.
Although we naturally lean towards plainer and blander food and snacks, we should instead try to incorporate certain spices and herbs into our meal plan. We also have a much higher chance of sticking to our eating plan if we enjoy how our food tastes.
What spices help lose belly fat?
The following herbs and spices could help you in your journey with weight loss:
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is a spicy pepper that falls into the Capsicum family and is our first pick of natural herbs for weight loss. This shiny red pepper can be turned into a powder by grinding it and can then be used as a spice to add flavor to your cooking. Cayenne pepper is spicier than the average chili powder and has a few advantages for your health.
Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which is the pepper’s active ingredient. This particular compound causes your body temperature to rise and increases your metabolism.
Cayenne pepper stimulates your metabolism and increases the rate at which you burn those calories. The capsaicin in the cayenne pepper could also help you to feel fuller for longer. It causes less of a particular hunger hormone, ghrelin, to be produced so that you won’t feel as hungry as soon as normal.
Besides cayenne pepper’s weight loss benefits, it also contributes to a healthier immune system. Cayenne pepper can aid in the prevention of colds and flu. The capsaicin in cayenne pepper also causes your blood to thin slightly. This means you are less susceptible to both heart attacks and strokes.
Turmeric
Turmeric is an orange-yellow root from Curcuma longa, a plant belonging to the ginger family. The roots are crushed and turned into the bold yellow spice we most commonly see used in curry powders.
Turmeric’s principal active ingredient is called curcumin. Turmeric was traditionally used as an anti-inflammatory and can still be used medicinally today.
Like cayenne pepper raises your body temperature, turmeric also causes your body heat to rise. This increase in body temperature encourages the rate at which we metabolize or break down calories. With our metabolism working faster, we burn calories more quickly.
Curcumin which is in turmeric, has the added benefit of contributing to your heart health. In essence, curcumin is beneficial for the membrane that surrounds the heart, which controls blood pressure. This means that curcumin lowers your chances of heart problems.
Turmeric can be used to add flavor to curries and soups, as well as stews and scrambled eggs. It can even be added to your smoothies and morning oats. Golden milk, an originally Indian drink, can also provide you with your turmeric dose.
Golden milk is easy to make at home and can be done by boiling milk (dairy or dairy-free), turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and honey.
However, if you choose to get your turmeric intake, ensure you include it in your diet!
Ginger
When we think of ginger, we might think of it being used as a part of home remedies along with honey and lemon to soothe a sore throat. Ginger has been used for many years for this purpose and to help with nausea and inflammation. This root has many uses, one of which may be to contribute to our weight loss.
It is the root of the Zingiber officinale plant that we commonly know as ginger. Ginger is an antioxidant that, along with Cayenne pepper, contains capsaicin.
In addition to the previously stated benefits for your health from capsaicin, ginger suppresses your appetite and can be considered one of the natural herbs for weight loss. Ginger can stabilize our blood sugars, meaning our blood sugar levels don’t rise quickly and then drop steeply later, which makes us feel like we need to eat more.
Ginger also provides us with energy, which is beneficial in encouraging us to exercise and burn calories.
Ginger can be added to teas and smoothies. It can also be included in curries and stir-fries or used in homemade healthier salad dressings.
Cinnamon
Next on our list of natural herbs for weight loss is almost a universal favorite, cinnamon. This spice is acquired from the Cinnamonum family of trees – it is concentrated in their bark and can be found in grocery stores as pieces of bark, sticks, or powdered form.
Cinnamon also aids in the control of our blood sugar levels, ensuring we do not feel like we should eat more because of a blood sugar spike or drop due to eating a high-carb or high-sugar food. Cinnamon can lower our insulin levels after we eat a snack or meal.
Cinnamon can also be beneficial to us in terms of controlling cravings. It makes us feel fuller for longer and combats sugar cravings due to its flavor compounds.
On top of the weight loss benefits, cinnamon also contains compounds that lower the risk of heart diseases and strokes. These compounds also reduce stress, which, if you’ve read “6 Top Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight (Some You Can Control)”, you would know that stress can slow your weight loss progress and prevent you from losing weight.
Cinnamon adds excellent flavor to smoothies and your morning bowl of oats. Cinnamon is sprinkled on top of yogurt and fruit or can even be added to your morning coffee.
Oregano
Oregano is a herb from the plant Origanum vulgare, a member of the mint family. This herb is an antimicrobial compound and thus aids in helping our immune systems to fight infections and illnesses .
The active compound in oregano is called carvacrol. Oregano oil has greater concentrations of this compound than the dried herb, although both contain it. Carvacrol plays a part in removing visceral fat, the hidden fat in our bodies that surround our stomach and organs.
Over and above that, oregano can enhance digestion and minimize bloating. It has diuretic properties, meaning that it helps remove water and sodium from your body and ultimately reduces blood pressure.
Oregano is most commonly used on pizzas, but this may not be the best option to consume often during your weight loss plan. Instead, season your meat and chicken with oregano. Fresh oregano can be included in salads.
Black Pepper
Black pepper originates from a Piperaceae vine, where the small fruit is dried to become peppercorns. These peppercorns can be sold whole, decanted into grinders, or crushed into a powder for a finer pepper.
Piperine is the name of the active compound in the common table spice, black pepper. Apart from piperine being responsible for pepper’s flavor, it can also contribute to weight loss. This compound can help your weight loss by interfering with fat cell synthesis.
This lowers the amount of fat that can form and contributes to the breakdown of fat cells. This will have an even more pronounced effect when paired with exercise, which burns calories and targets fat stores when enough calories are burnt.
In addition, black pepper includes antioxidant compounds that can lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It also can decrease inflammation.
Pepper can be utilized in various ways, such as to season meat or added to healthier salad dressings and sauces. Pepper can be sprinkled over just about every meal, so get grinding!
Rosemary
Rosemary comes from a plant called Salvia rosmarinus. This herb has long, skinny leaves which are dried to create the rosemary we use at home.
Rosemary’s active ingredient is called carnosic acid. This antioxidant compound promotes weight loss by lowering blood glucose levels. This keeps the feeling of hunger at bay for longer.
Carnosic acid stops fat cells from forming in the body. It inhibits the synthesis of fat cells going to the body’s fat stores. Rosemary has the added benefit of being an anti-inflammatory and improving your blood circulation.
Rosemary can season meat and chicken and add flavor to egg dishes. Rosemary, combined with garlic and olive oil, makes a great dressing to drizzle over salads.
Which herb is best for weight loss?
If you would rely solely on herbs for weight loss, then I am afraid none of these will work. However, if you use these as part of a healthy diet along with meeting the physical activity targets for adults, then probably cayenne pepper may be one of the best herbs for weight loss because it helps increase your metabolism, which helps you burn more calories and plays its part in reducing your weight.
Conclusion
Using these natural herbs for weight loss in your healthy meal prep will help you lose weight. Turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger can be added to smoothies, teas, and coffees. Cayenne pepper, black pepper, oregano, and rosemary can season meat or add flavor to egg dishes.
Although all the above spices and herbs can aid in weight loss, they will not be effective unless a healthy diet is followed and regular exercise is done. Stay active and eat flavorful and run away from any claims of herbs for extreme weight loss because that can be very harmful to your health, One of the healthy diets is a vegan diet, and you may like to explore how a vegan diet can help you regain fitness.
