Besides being a powerful aid in colds, inflammation, poor blood circulation and other conditions, ginger is also known as the condiment of lean people. Naturally, we’ve wondered if there’s a real connection between ginger consumption and weight loss. Here is what we found out.
What’s so good about ginger?
The most abundant bioactive compound is gingerol, which can melt fat cells. In any case, it was shown to cause weight loss in rats. Paradol, gingerdione, gingerenone and many other gingerols were discovered and credited by researchers. Numerous studies were carried out and the information is easily available on the web.
Health benefits of ginger
For thousands of years already, mankind has been aware of the health potential of this remarkable and very tasty root. Ayurveda medicine has been praising ginger for its weight loss effects for ages.
Besides being a very powerful antioxidant (only surpassed by pomegranate and certain berries) and anti-inflammatory agent, it can also improve blood sugar and give quick relief from nausea and vomiting.
Ginger is generally great for digestion and when this function is improved, your body weight normalizes. It will modify leptin levels, with leptin being a hormone that triggers the feeling of satiety after meals. Studies by researchers like Eliopoulos, Chrubasik, Surh, Pittler, Afzal and Shukla reveal the many benefits of ginger consumption.
Losing weight with ginger
The 2004 Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin showed that high stress levels translated to increased cortisol production were controlled and diminished by ginger. By suppressing cortisol, ginger thus prevent the stress response from getting you fat. To get the maximum benefit, one should consume ginger raw instead of cooking it.
This helps preserve its nutrients and active compounds intact. Never opt or dried ginger root in powder form, unless you can be sure it’s fresh; otherwise it may no longer haves all that goodness.
Fresh powder is the most concentrated form, along with tincture, so you may want to use these in your weight loss attempt. If you can’t eat it raw, since ginger tends to be quite a strong spice, you may infuse it or boil it in water.
It’s also possible to simply let it macerate for at least several hours or overnight. The resulting drink will have a fresh taste; you may sweeten it with honey if you think it’s not palatable. The recommended quantity is 1-2 cm of grated root per cup of water.
Ginger extract not only influences leptin hormone levels, as mentioned above, but also counters the lipid level increase after consuming fructose (a highly fattening agent). In addition, the extract is thermogenic, raising your body’s temperature and speeding up the metabolism.
Tips to increase your weight loss
If you’re using ginger in fresh or supplement form, do this for at least 30 days. It has been observed that ginger accumulates in the GI tract, which means that it becomes more efficient with time, when the concentration is higher.
To lose more weight, combine it with lemon. Drink ginger water or tea on an empty stomach right before meals, to make you eat less. Don’t simply slice the ginger root to prepare it, but grate it. You want to get as much as you can out of it. You can mix the infusion with turmeric powder and cinnamon, for a faster and stronger slimming effect.
Warnings
Ginger isn’t recommended to everyone. Hypertension, diabetes, blood coagulation issues and gallbladder stones don’t go well hand in hand with it. Also, certain medications may interact in unwanted ways and the best way to find out is to talk about it with a physician or pharmacist. The doses used in treatments have been of 1 to 4 grams per day.
You should never go above 4 grams of powdered ginger, as it can be an irritant. If you are pregnant, use it with caution. It’s true, many women have countered their pregnancy nausea with ginger, but to some it can be risky.
Ginger rhizome can help you fight excessive fat from multiple angles, by modifying your hormonal profile, giving you more energy and diminishing hunger. It’s a great way to add taste to your meals and drinks and melt fat at the same time.
