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Ginger is one ingredient every Indian household and kitchen stocks up. Whether you use it to flavour your tea or to add its paste to your curry, ginger is a staple in Indian cuisine. But did you know that ginger can also help you boost your immunity and lose weight the healthy way? Medical studies have shown for decades that the addition of ginger to your diet can not only help improve immunity, but also aid weight loss when combined with a healthy diet and exercise.
Ginger is a root spice that has been used for centuries for its potential health benefits, so much so that it is repeatedly mentioned in Ayurvedic texts. While ginger is often associated with aiding digestion and reducing nausea, its effects on weight loss are less direct. This means that simply eating lots of ginger will not help you lose weight, but adding ginger to your diet will boost certain body functions that will improve weight loss.
Some studies have indicated that ginger may contribute to weight loss indirectly through its potential effects on digestion and metabolism. It has been suggested that ginger can help increase the feeling of fullness, reduce appetite, and enhance thermogenesis (the process by which the body generates heat and burns calories). By promoting these effects, ginger might have the potential to support weight management efforts.
Video Credit: YouTube/The Bong Chef
Here are some prominent ways in which including ginger in your diet can aid weight loss:
Increased satiety
Ginger has been suggested to increase feelings of fullness and reduce appetite, which may help prevent overeating and promote portion control.
Enhanced digestion
Ginger has traditionally been used to aid digestion by stimulating the production of digestive enzymes and improving gastric motility, potentially supporting the efficient breakdown and absorption of nutrients.
Thermogenic effects
Some studies suggest that ginger may help increase thermogenesis, which is the body's process of burning calories to generate heat. This may potentially boost metabolism and calorie expenditure.
Blood sugar regulation
Ginger has been shown to have a positive impact on blood sugar control by enhancing insulin sensitivity. By promoting stable blood sugar levels, ginger may help prevent spikes and crashes in energy, reducing the likelihood of overeating due to cravings.
Reduced inflammation
Chronic inflammation has been linked to weight gain and obesity. Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may help reduce low-grade inflammation in the body, potentially supporting weight management efforts.
How To Use Ginger For Weight Loss
One of the easiest ways to have ginger for weight loss is to include it in detox and weight loss drinks. These drinks are concentrated with the benefits of its ingredients, including ginger, and can actually boost your metabolism better than anything else—which is one sure-shot way of speeding up your weight loss journey. Here are some ginger-infused weight loss drinks you must have.
Ginger-Lemon Tea
Make some ginger tea and add a dash of lemon juice to it. This tea will not only hydrate you, but having it twice a day will also boost your metabolism and digestion.
ACV Ginger Juice
Apple cider vinegar is just as well-known as ginger for weight loss, so combining the two and having the drink every morning can be beneficial.
Ginger Green Tea
Green tea is packed with antioxidants and known to aid weight loss, so adding ginger to green tea will indeed make it a more potent weight loss drink.
Ginger Cucumber Water
Cucumber and ginger both have alkaline properties that can help detox the body and boost both weight loss and digestion.
Ginger Turmeric Milk
Everyone knows turmeric milk can aid everything from good sleep to weight loss, so add some ginger to the drink and make it even more nutritious than ever before.
