Your secret to weight loss may be as close as your spice rack
We’re constantly on the lookout for a weight loss miracle and the market is saturated with fads and gimmicks promising you will drop the pounds quickly.
It may come as a surprise that several ingredients lurking in your spice cabinet may be a tasty way to help you drop the weight.
While adding spices to your diet is unlikely to cause significant weight loss, there are a few ways spices can help you move in the right direction.
Taste
Obviously spices make your food taste better! And in a potentially healthier way than other methods of taste-boosting.
Spices add flavor without adding calories, sugar, salt, or fat.
Cinnamon can add sweetness to fruit or toast as a much healthier alternative to sugar.
And adding bold spices such as garlic, chili, and black pepper can do wonders for an otherwise boring dinner of plain chicken and vegetables.
An added bonus? If you enjoy what you’re eating, you’re less likely to look for satisfaction by snacking later.
Metabolism
Spicy foods can increase metabolism, meaning accelerate the processes inside your body that burn calories.
Recent studies have shown that eating spicy foods with that metabolism boost can help curb your appetite. Warming spices, such as black pepper and turmeric, which contain curcumin, have been known to boost your metabolism by increasing your body heat.
Digestion
Some spices have also showed to improve digestion.
Ginger, for example, has shown to also be a "warming spice," which could play a part in making digestion easier on the body
Cilantro, polarizing as it is, can also be a big help. It has carminative properties that can help with intestinal spasms among other things. As a result it can also aid digestion.
Concentrated vitamins and minerals
Trying to shovel down broccoli all day so you can get your daily recommended dose of vitamins and minerals can be a real slog.
But you need those nutrients to get the energy you need to propel yourself through your day.
For spices that pack an energy boost in small doses, look on your spice rack for those that start with the letter C, like cumin and cinnamon.
We'd also be remiss to not talk about saffron here, the world's most magical spice.
Studies have shown that there may be a link between saffron and reduced cravings and inclination to snack among slightly overweight women. The study suggests that snacking is frequently attributed to stress and the antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties of saffron may help by improving mood and reducing the desire to stress-eat.
You can buy it easily online here at Zaffrus.