Most of you are aware that an exercise and a well-balanced diet is the key to controlling out body weight. Many people might turn to some herbal products to promote weight loss, health, and well-being. And what if we told you that there is one amazing spice that can help speed up the process of weight loss? Sounds good, right?!
The name of this fantastic spice is CUMIN.
Why is Cumin an Amazing Spice?
Cumin (Cuminum Cyminum) comes from the family Apiaceae and is widely used in cooking practices of the Indian Subcontinent and some other African, Asian, and Latin American countries as a spice or condiment. Those who are of the opinion that spices are not good for peoples’ health must note that cumin could be beneficial for some of the most serious diseases, and is generally consider an improvement for overall health.
There are numerous health benefits of cumin, including the ability to help in digestion, treat insomnia, asthma, respiratory disorders, bronchitis, anemia, common cold, boils, skin disorders, cancer, and lactation.
Many of you may remember hated eating those soups and curries that had fired or roasted cumin seeds in them when we were kids because they looked just like small black insects. So, your mother may have removed the flavorful parts before she served you the meal. However, the taste wasn’t bad at all.
Cumin is an incredible adjunct to add to your food to help promote weight loss by decreasing fat cells accumulating, therefore leading to not just a stabilization of your weight but weight loss, too.
How Can Cumin Help You Lose Weight?
You can find this amazing spice both as powder or seeds. It has a peppery flavor. With a regular consumption, cumin can help you balance your blood sugar levels by increasing how subtle cells are to both glucose and insulin, therefore, ensuring that the body responds well to them. Simply by keeping the blood sugar levels in check, this spice can minimize cravings for carbohydrates and keeps you feel satiated. So, just by consuming cumin regularly, you will balance your blood sugar, keep your craving in check, and watch some excess weight drop off.
Cumin is also rich in phytosterols and antioxidants. Phytosterols prevent the absorption of damaging cholesterol in the digestive tract that can be one explanation for their great weight-reducing effects.
This amazing spice is also great for other problems that can indirectly interfere with the weight loss regime. In case you suffer from some digestive problem, for example, you may not be able to absorb all the nutrients in the food you consume causing you to have cravings leading to indulge eating.
Cumin Can Help Appetite and Digestion
The aroma created by this amazing spice activates the salivary glands in the mouth that help get the digestive juices flowing and begin the main digestion of food.
Moreover, a potent compound present in cumin, known as thymol, stimulates the glands which secrete enzymes, bile, and acids that are responsible for whole digestion of the food in the intestines and the stomach.
Cumin is also a great carminative. Just mix ¼ teaspoon of cumin in a cup of warm water and drink the beverage – it will relieve you from gas troubles and stomach aches.
How to Use Cumin for Weight Loss?
Here are some great tips that will help you include cumin in your diet and use it regularly:
- Add some ground cumin to sautéed or to roasted veggies.
- Use it as a spice when you prepare hummus.
- Make yourself a cup of warm cumin tea – just boil the cumin seeds in a cup of water and leave them steep for about 10 minutes, and your tea is ready!
- Toast some cumin seeds, next grind them into a coffee grinder and sprinkle a teaspoon or so of the powder over soups, salads, and nuts.
- Use cumin to spice your soups, principally black bean, or lentil soup.
- Add it to brown rice with some olive oil – and you will get a nice exotic taste.
- Heat a tablespoon of coconut or olive oil in a pan. Put 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds. When they start to crackle within a few seconds, just tip in 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder and 2 potatoes that have been diced and boiled. Stir well, and add some sea salt to taste. Next, when the potatoes get a golden color, remove them off the heat and you can serve them as a side with the main course.
- Roasted cumin seeds with Greek yogurt aid in constipation. A tasty meal accompaniment to help digestion is raita (cucumber and yogurt) drizzled with some roasted cumin seeds.
Conclusion:
Cumin powder can reduce levels of fasting cholesterol, increased HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. It can reduce significantly BMI, weight, fat mass, waist circumference, and its percentage. It has no effect on fat-free mass and FBS. According to a research from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, this amazing spice showed an incredible improvement in biochemical and anthropometric in obese/overweight women.