By Julia Denham
You probably know ginger as a candy, and have eaten gingerbread cookies. But did you know that this tuber is also a potent medicine, and can help you to lose weight?
Ginger has been used as a medicine to ease upset tummies for centuries, and is also popular as a remedy for travel sickness. It has both calming and pain-relieving qualities, and is a great digestive aid.
So how does it help you to lose weight?
Here’s how.
1. When taken as a tea, with honey, half an hour before your main meal of the day, ginger acts as a appetite suppressant.
Chop a tablespoon of the fresh root finely, then pour boiling water over it. Leave this tea to draw for five minutes, then add a teaspoon of honey.
You’ll find that you’re less hungry, and that you eat less. You’re also less prone to cravings — honey gives you a quick burst of energy, and the ginger helps your digestion.
There’s an added benefit too: studies have shown that ginger can lower levels of cholesterol in your system.
2. Feeling bloated? When you’re dieting, you’ll fill up on vegetables, and this leads to discomfort. Drinking ginger tea before a meal will stimulate your metabolism, so that more energy is available to you.
When your metabolism is revved up, you’ll burn calories more quickly.
3. Of course you can cook with ginger too. It’s often used in Chinese cooking, and you can add it to casseroles and stews. If you eat it once a day, you’ll have a smaller tummy, because it helps to regulate peristalsis, which is the muscular contraction which enables movement of material through your digestive system.
The big benefit of ginger is that it’s normalizing: it helps your body to work better. When you’re overweight, your body’s systems tend to be sluggish. Ginger balances them. Not only does it help you to feel great, you’ll look great too.
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