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‘Spices that help in losing weight’

India is popular for its spicy food. The sheer number of whole and ground spices used in Indian foods is sometimes intimidating. Each dish has its own combination of spices and its own unique flavour. The spices not just add flavour to your food but they also have many health benefits. Rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, most spices are good for your health. Some of the spices also improve your metabolic rate and help in losing weight. Here is a list of Indian spices that help your body to burn more fat. So, spice up your dishes!

Cinnamon

cinnamon

According to a recent study, cinnamon may boost your metabolism. This sweet, fragrant spice also regulates your blood pressure. It lowers level of total cholesterol, bad cholesterol, triglyceride and blood sugar in type 2 diabetes patients. Cinnamon increases the metabolism of glucose by around 20 times. This spice will help you lose weight faster.

How to Use?

You can prepare cinnamon, honey and lemon drink- boil a pinch of cinnamon in a cup of water. Sieve and add a tablespoon of honey and squeeze some lemon into it.

Turmeric

Turmeric

The pungent, yellow spice is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-fungal properties. It also helps you lose excess weight. The spice ups your body heat and this can result in improved metabolism.

HOW TO USE?

Use it in your curries, chicken and in milk to gain the health benefits of turmeric.

Ginger

ginger

The spicy ginger regulates your blood sugar levels and helps prevent an increase in the level of glucose. Like turmeric, ginger has thermogenic or fat-burning properties. You can add it to your stir-fried vegetables or tea or chicken. It improves the taste and helps you in weight loss.

HOW TO USE?

Prepare a Jeera (Cumin) Ginger drink.

Boil a tsp of Jeera and some crushed ginger in a glass of water. Boil till it starts reducing, sieve it and Drink after 30mins of lunch and dinner to ease digestion.

Black Pepper

black-pepper

Black pepper has a pungent flavour, thanks to the presence of the substance known as piperine and this substance also prevent new fat cell formation. The bioavailability of other foods is also increased by black pepper. It makes the food not only tasty but also healthy. If u eat fresh pepper and begin to perspire, that’s the pepper helping your body to get rid of excess water and toxins. But, you need to control consumption, a pinch with your food (one meal) is enough.

HOW TO USE?

Black Pepper Tea.

Easy to prepare and the best way to consume black pepper for weight loss. You can use ginger, lemon, honey, tulsi (basil leaves), cinnamon, or green tea bags to prepare the tea.

Use 1/2-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and drink it before breakfast.

Regular consumption will not only help you in losing weight but also improve your skin and prevent gut problems.

CAUTION

Do not consume too much as it may cause gastrointestinal problems, burning sensation in eyes, stomach irritation. If you feel uneasy, stop the use of black pepper immediately.

Garlic

garlic

Adding garlic to your diet will help you burn the increased amount of fat and lose weight faster. Try to use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder or granules.

Here’s how it works…

  1. Garlic stimulates the satiety hormone which reduces binge eating, sugar cravings, junk food, and oily stuff.
  2. It releases the norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter which boosts metabolism.
  3. The allicin present in it lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels.
  4. Garlic inhibits the process breaking down stored fats.
  5. It is a powerful detoxifier and effective diuretic.
  6. It contains trace minerals (sulphur, selenium, and magnesium, zinc, copper and iron), amino acids and vitamins A, C, and E.
  7. It helps to dissolve blood clots that lead to Heart stroke.
  8. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
  9. It helps to remove excess mucus from the body.

HOW TO USE?

  • Squeeze juice of 1 lemon in a cup of water.
  • Chew 3 garlic cloves followed by the lemon water.
  • Or add crush the garlic cloves, stir in the lemon water and drink.
  • Repeat the process every morning.

These spices will help you to shed those extra kilos but you also need to change your lifestyle to a healthier one and should have a healthy diet.

TRY THEM OUT!!!

 

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Tulsi or Basil: Queen of Herbs

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I have always wondered as to why ‘Tulsi’ is given so much importance in India.I have known my aunts and great grand aunts telling me the story of Tulsi being the consort of Lord Vishnu. As an inquisitive child, I questioned this. “How can a plant be a consort?  A plant is a plant! Period! It gives oxygen and takes in carbon dioxide.”

tulsi

Today, as a doctor, I feel that the importance of many plants is hidden in folklore. Unfortunately, the folklore remained and the importance is now dying away.

In this article, I try to bring out the importance of “Tulsi”- The Holy Basil, which is also considered as the queen of herbs! Tulsi is grown in almost every household in India for religious purposes. But I suggest we all grow it for its medicinal purposes (at the cost of paying hefty fee to doctors for minor ailments!).

Tulsi 2

Tulsi is

  • Antibacterial
  • Antiviral
  • Antifungal
  • Antipyretic
  • Antioxidant
  • Antiseptic and
  • Anti-cancer.

Tulsi helps in cold & cough because of its antiviral&antibacterial properties. Juice of basil leaves along with ginger and betel leaf juice mixed in honey taken twice or thrice a day is beneficial. For extreme cough one should add a pinch of black pepper powder with little black salt in above mixture.

The antipyretic properties of tulsi work on Fever of any origin like malarial, fever due to influenza, cold or fever with pain in ribs. Take juice of 10 to 12 basil leaves with honey three times a day.

Tulsidetoxifies. Consumption of 10 Tulsileaves with jaggery regularly for 15 days controls formation of worms in abdomen. In case of ringworm, the juice mixed with camphor to be applied daily on the affected part twice daily. Tulsi consumed daily keeps the stomach clean because of its properties.

Regular intake of juice of 15 to 20 basil leaves mixed in aloe vera is beneficial in liver disorders.

The mixture of Tulsileaves and clove powder on teeth provides instant relief from pain. Leaves dried in the sun and powdered can be used for brushing the teeth. Leaves dried and mixed with mustard oil are used as toothpaste. This paste is very good for maintaining the overall dental health, countering bad breath and massaging the gums. The paste is also useful in treating pyorrhea (gum disease) and other tooth disorders.

The anti-inflammatory properties of tulsi helps to diminish swelling and pain.

The holy basil is a great diuretic and detoxifier for the kidneys. It reduces the uric acid levels in the blood (one of the main reasons for kidney stones), helps cleanse the kidneys. The presence of acetic acid and other components helps in breaking down kidney stones and its painkiller effect helps dull down the pain of kidney stones. To relieve kidney stones one must have the juice of tulsi leaves with honey, every day for six months to help wash out the stone from the kidney.

Holy basil is a purifier and will give you a glowing skin if eaten raw. It purifies the blood prevents the appearance of acne and blemishes. Its antibacterial and antifungal properties prevent breakouts on acne prone skin. The anti fungal properties reduce itchiness of the scalp and hair fall. Mix the powder in coconut oil and apply regularly to the scalp to prevent hair fall.

Consuming 10 – 12 leaves of Tulsi per day helps to reduce stress (Read on stress induced migraine).

According to Shyamkant Padoley, an eminent botanist, “Tulsi gives out oxygen for 20 hours and ozone for four hours a day along with the formation of nascent oxygen which absorbs harmful gases like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide from the environment”.

Ensure that tulsi becomes a part of your daily diet today! It is cheap, it is available at your doorstep & it has no side effects!

 

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