7 Spices To Boost Metabolic Health & Function
Boosting metabolism is one of the best ways to promote metabolic health and function and even help you lose weight!
Here are seven spices that can help.
- Chili
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Black cumin
- Vinegar
- Nutritional yeast
The seven spices and condiments are scientifically proven to boost metabolism and help you lose weight faster.
We focus on including these seven spices daily in the Sampoorna Ahara Weight Loss Diet program.
At Sampoorna Ahara, we believe in holistic wellness in every aspect of our lives. By taking action to improve your nutrition, physical movement, and stress management, you may be able to live a longer, healthier, happier life.
Like many people, do you struggle with your metabolic health?
Metabolic health is not just about which kind of fruit to eat during summer - it runs deeper than that. An unhealthy diet is the leading risk factor for death in India.
In our experience, we have come to understand two things:
- Most people think metabolism is complicated.
- Adding spices to boost your metabolism is a simple yet effective way to promote your cardiometabolic health status.
How does metabolism work?
Your metabolism affects everything from how quickly your bones grow to how efficiently your muscles use energy.
When it comes to body weight, a good metabolism means that your body is burning fuel at a healthy rate and helping avoid excessive fat buildup in your adipose tissue.
Within the mitochondria of each cell, glucose is burned with oxygen. It produces energy, mainly in Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP). Then, ATP is distributed throughout the cell to drive all of its essential life functions.
This cellular engine is what enables every organ to do its job. Your body's functions depend on cellular metabolism, from your heart beating to your lungs breathing to your brain functions and muscle movement.
Do spices work to boost metabolism?
Herbs and Spices are the highest antioxidant foods on Planet Earth. Some may help boost immune function, basal metabolic rate, and even fat oxidation at higher rates than other foods.
Of course, metabolism and fat distribution may depend on both genetic and environmental factors.
Yes, you may be unable to do much about certain genetic factors. But research shows that your lifestyle can significantly influence your epigenetics - how your genes are expressed and contribute to your health today and in the future.
Spices that Boost Metabolism
You may already be using a variety of spices. However, you may not have heard of a few!
While research in this field is relatively new, some spices are proven by Randomised Controlled Trials to have fantastic results in increasing fat metabolism, regulating blood sugar levels, and promoting hormonal balance in the digestive tract.
Here are seven spices to boost metabolism and support weight loss:
- Chilli: King of spicy foods! Capsaicin, the spicy phytonutrients in chili peppers like cayenne pepper and regular green chilli, and even capsinoids that are non-spicy, have been proven to burn more body fat and accelerate metabolism after meals.
- Ginger: Ginger has been traditionally used to boost metabolism and make you feel 'warm'. This may be due to its ability to promote diet-induced thermogenesis and increase body temperature. It even helps reduce cholesterol, blood sugar, oxidative stress and inflammation.
- Garlic: The unique phytochemicals in garlic help reduce adiponectin. These critical steps benefit blood glucose levels and fatty acids and help reduce body weight.
- Cumin or Jeera: Simply adding some cumin to your daily diet may help you reduce around 1 kg in 8 weeks, a recent study has found. It has health benefits beyond just metabolic function - it can even help reduce oxidative stress.
- Black Cumin: Nigella Sativa, or Kalonji, is a forgotten spice in Indian households. Recent research shows that adding kalonji to your daily meals could help you reduce as much as 1.76 kg of weight and improve your BMI - Body Mass Index - by up to 0.85 kg/m2.
- Vinegar: You don't normally associate vinegar with Indian cuisine. It goes great with salads and pickles, though. Japanese study participants who consumed 2 1/2 tbsp of vinegar daily cut their body weight by around 2kg in 3 months. This is a simple change that has excellent benefits.
- Nutritional Yeast: Unique beta-glucans found in nutritional yeast may help you lose weight, control blood glucose, and lower the risk of heart disease without increasing your calorie consumption.
How we selected these spices:
You'll find scientific research on each of these spices, linked above, that demonstrate how each of these spices boosts metabolism.
They promote adipose tissue metabolic activity (fat burning), improve satiety and insulin sensitivity, balance hormones, and have a ton of other health benefits apart from weight loss too.
When used as part of a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, along with healthy lifestyle practices like physical exercise, healthy sleep habits, and better managing stress, these simple herbs and spices can help boost metabolic health and function.
Besides these spices, many healthy habits can also help boost your metabolism.
- Staying hydrated, especially when you drink a glass of water before meals.
- Supporting hormonal health by avoiding animal foods that may contain natural or injected hormones
- Eating well-balanced, nutrient-dense and calorie-dilute, whole plant foods
- Incorporating physical movement into your daily routine
- Getting adequate, good-quality sleep at the right time
- Practising better stress management habits
These are all excellent practices to support your cardiometabolic health and promote a healthy, active metabolism in the human body.
The Conclusion
Metabolism may seem complicated, but it is simplified when you go into the details.
Research is finding more and more that lifestyle changes to support your metabolism are simple enough, though.
With a foundation of healthy habits like a whole food plat based diet, regular exercise and reducing stress, adding these simple spices could help you boost your metabolism and reach your ideal weight and ideal health faster.
Read their rave reviews here to discover what doctors, nutritionists, and health experts think about Sampoorna Ahara's Weight Loss Diet.
This article does not seek to be a replacement for medical advice. Always seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional for any personalised medical advice.