7 common kitchen spices for weight loss

You must have heard the saying, "Weight loss journey starts in the kitchen". While a healthy weight loss is the result of a balanced diet and exercise, your diet has a more important role to play. If you are someone who is trying to lose weight, here is some simple help.

Indian food is incomplete without a variety of spices added to it. These spices do not just add flavour to your foods but also show wonderful results on the weighing scale.

Here are seven spices that you must include in your diet if you are trying to lose weight.

Turmeric has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties and is loaded with antioxidants. It helps add warmth to the body in an instant. It boosts the digestive system and helps increase metabolism. You can use turmeric in your curries, tea or just with water.

From smoothies, baking cakes to curries, cinnamon is used in making various dishes. It's packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Having cinnamon water every morning increases the metabolic rate and results in quick weight loss. If a person is insulin resistant, the carbs eaten by a person get converted to sugar that does not get metabolized to its required quantum and is converted into fat. Cinnamon can help break this cycle and thus weight loss.

Commonly known as saunf, fennel seeds are usually consumed after meals as a mouth freshener and to aid digestion. Saunf can help suppress hunger and thus stop you from binge eating. You can add it to your tea, curries or have saunf water first thing in the morning.

Saunf is also rich in vitamin A, C and D along with antioxidants. All this paves the way to healthy weight loss.

A teaspoon of cumin seeds soaked overnight can go a long way in accelerating your weight loss journey. You can add turmeric to your curries, bread, soups and pulses.

Fenugreek seeds are rich in fibre, which keeps you fuller for longer and thus stops you from binge eating. Fenugreek can help decrease your dietary fat and calorie intake. It keeps you satiated for longer and suppresses cravings, which is the biggest hindrance during the weight loss journey.

Having cardamom with warm water at night can help increase the metabolic rate. Cardamom has melatonin, which is essential to increase the metabolic rate. A high metabolic rate helps the body to churn fats faster and release more energy. Thus, cardamom is a healthy spice to combat morbid obesity.

From relieving congestion to helping you lose weight, black pepper has various health benefits. To shed those extra kilos, you can add a pinch of black pepper to your green tea and have it two-three times a day. Phytonutrients in black pepper also help burn excess fat.