Believe it or not herbs and spices can have a positive affect on your health and weight loss as well as make your food taste great. Not sure? Read on and discover how these ten ingredients could help you.
- Cayenne pepper has been known to improve blood flow and also gives your metabolism a kick, increasing the amount of fat that is burned by your body. In turn this works to allow important nutrients to be more easily delivered to where they are needed around the body as it also does with a number of hormones.
- Mustard is also known to be an ingredient that is helpful when it comes to boosting weight loss and much more. There have been studies which have suggested that mustard could in fact increase your metabolic rate as much as 25% (from just one teaspoon) which is significant in itself. Mustard also comes recommended as a source of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories.
- Ginseng is another ingredient well known for its health-boosting properties, particularly speeding up the metabolism, aiding digestion and boosting energy levels, all of which are great for those wanting to weigh less and feel better. For those enjoying short intensity workouts regularly ginseng could be really quite useful.
- Black pepper much like cayenne paper aids digestion and kick-starts the metabolism which in turn is great for weight loss. According to a report released in January 2013 black pepper could potentially also offer anti-cancer properties. This study was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
- Many people enjoy caffeine free chamomile tea at the end of the day to help them unwind and de-stress. Some enjoy it through the day for the same reason, for its delicate taste and also because being more rested and enjoying chamomile has been shown to reduce the risk of emotional over-eating. This obviously results in weight gain so Chamomile is an overall "good guy" in the health and wellbeing stakes. Chamomile has also been linked to helping fight inflammation.
- Ginger has been used for countless years to aid digestion. It may also be used to suppress your appetite which is certainly handy if you are trying to avoid unnecessary snacking. Ginger also boosts your metabolism (burning up extra calories) and removes a number of toxins from the body. Do you need any more reasons to incorporate ginger into your diet?
- Cumin, often used in the more spicy recipes born out of the Middle East, India, the Mediterranean and Mexico has been used to lower cholesterol, boost the immune system and more. As a powerful anti-oxidant many feel cumin may protect the body from molecules that might go on to damage cells. Cumin is also used as an energy booster.
- You may have used yourself or heard of cardamom being used in sweeter tasting Indian dishes. Cardamom again is known for helping to boost the metabolism and encourages a healthy digestive system. It has also been shown to help reduce blood pressure, boasts anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties and even slows down aging.
- If you use turmeric the chances are that it will help you beat junk-food cravings by balancing hormones. Turmeric also boosts liver activity, stabilises blood sugars, reduces the way that your body stores fat and is a potent anti-oxidant.
- Cinnamon is regularly used in sweet treats and is well-known for being a metabolism booster and a weight loss aid. As cinnamon has been linked with improving insulin sensitivity it may also help those enjoying it manage blood sugar levels.
Reading this you'll see that it is perhaps worthwhile updating your herb and spice rack and enjoying fabulous flavours which double up as health boosting properties at the same time.
*Herbs and spices are not meant to replace formal medicine in any way and should only be used as per instructions in foods and drinks.