Healthy Foods Part 7: Herbs And Spices!

Spice Up Your Diet With Herbs And Spices

It is a common myth that it’s only the main foods in your diet and the way that you balance them that determines whether you lose weight or not. I’m here to tell you that it just isn’t true. Sure, the main food groups do make a difference as to whether you lose weigh or not, but the little extra in every dish can really get your system going and help you to lose a lot more weight than you probably thought possible. Herbs and spices can actually help you lose weight because they have very good properties that can spur the body into action!

Herbs and spices do a number of things related to losing weight, largely depending on the herb or spice in question. As a result, we will take the types of herbs and spices out there one by one below.

Herbs and spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cayenne pepper act as stimulants within the body. They are both on the list of thermogenic foods as well because they produce heat. The heat they release actually stimulates the stored fat within the body and breaks it down so that more energy is released ready for you to use up during exercise. This helps weight loss by getting rid of the stored fat, and the heating process itself also burns calories so you metabolism is raised either way.

Some herbs and spices also act as diuretics, meaning that they flush excess water out of the body that can cause bloating and actually weighs heavily so it appear that you are heavier than you should be when it comes to weighing yourself. Burdock and alfalfa both fall into this group, as does fennel. The latter also gives you an energy burst so you feel more energetic and burns calories too.

Flax seed also falls into the cathartics category of herbs and spices. This group has a laxative effect so it clears all of the waste products that your body doesn’t need. However, they are used to prevent full digestion of your food and can help you to lose weight in that way because your body isn’t getting as many calories as you have actually eaten. You get the taste, but your body doesn’t get chance to store the calories that you’ve eaten but don’t need.

The final group that herbs and spices fall into is appetite suppressant. Nettles and kola nuts fall into this category, the former of which is becoming increasingly popular in soups and salads. They work to make you feel more full so that you don’t eat as much, and the fact that they fill your up more quickly also makes it less likely that you’ll snack between meals. As a result, you don’t eat as many calories and you’ll lose weight as a result.

Herbs and spices can really make your food taste a lot better so you enjoy it more, but you lose weight at the same time! It is worth using a variety of herbs and spices when cooking and preparing food to give your system a real boost when it comes to losing weight. Finally there is a solution to the dilemma of diet versus taste, so make the most of it while you can!