There are many plants that aid weight loss! Isn’t that great news!
If you’ve followed me for very long, you’ve read some of the ways I use plants, herbs and essential oils on our homestead. I’ve been researching some natural ways that plants aid weight loss and wanted to share them here for myself and for others. Since having my 2nd child and going thru perimenopause, I’ve struggled to get the weight off. Yes, we all know we need to eat right and exercise. For the past 10 years, I’ve worked on feeding my family healthier and have gone to the extent of raising a good portion of our food. If we don’t grow it ourselves, I try to get organic foods, free of pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, msg, gmo and dyes. Are we perfect? No, we have a few more things to work on but we do pretty well in this category. So let’s talk about exercise. Most homesteaders get exercise naturally with farm chores and such but I do need to work on daily exercises to get my heart rate up and strengthen my core.
For me, it’s not about a fad diet. I want my family to be healthy into our old age. I want it to be a lifestyle. If we are exercising and eating healthy but the weight is still being stubborn, what then? Oh, did I mention, I’ve also fought borderline hypothyroidism my whole life. As I’m sure, many of you do as well. So, let’s look at some natural ways to support weight loss. I’ve read up on 10 plants to aid in weight loss. Here’s what I discovered.
1 – Cinnamon supports healthy blood sugar levels which is an important part of weight loss. Sprinkle some on your oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt or meat marinade. I also like to dip a toothpick in my cinnamon essential oil and stir my tea or water.
2 – Grapefruit – A study published in Neuroscience in 2005 found the scent of the component, limonene, reduced appetite which is found in grapefruit. Diffusing grapefruit essential oil is recommended at least 15 minutes per day.
3 – Ginger reduces sugar cravings and inflammation in the intestines. This increases absorption of vitamins and minerals in the gut which increases energy.
4 – Lemon is a natural detoxifier. Squeeze a little in your water each day or put a drop of lemon essential oil in your drink.
5 – Juniper Berry is super packed with nutrients to help boost immune and lose weight. Juniper Berry can naturally flush excess water weight, aid digestion, heartburn and blood sugar levels.
6 – Thyme helps in weight loss by accelerating the burning of fat and speeding up the metabolism.
7 – Rosemary has the ability to inhibit lipase activity according to a study by Nestle Research Center. Lipase is an enzyme that the body uses to bread down fats. Rosemary may make you feel fuller by delaying the digestion of fats.
8 – Fennel – In the middle ages, fennel seeds were eaten to suppress the appetite on fasting days. This idea has garnered scientific support through a study on fennel oil aromatherapy performed on rats. Over the course of eight weeks, the rats inhaled fennel oil twice a day for 10 minutes; this resulted in fewer calories consumed and a faster rate of food digestion.
9 – Lemongrass aids in a healthy digestion and decreasing appetite. It can also normalize water in the body and eliminate excess.
10 – Slim & Sassy essential oil is a combination of grapefruit, lemon, peppermint, ginger and cinnamon. Slim & Sassy promotes a healthy metabolism, mood and curbs cravings.
If you are using the essential oils of these plants, you can use all of those listed above internally, topically and aromatically if you purchase the right type of essential oil. Not all brands can be ingested. Check here for the brand I use and recommend if you’d like to get started. Check out some of my online webinars to learn more about how to use oils in the proper dosage.
Resources: preventionmagazine.com, Modern Essentials, livingstrong.com
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If you are interested, make sure to check out the food section on Amazon for any great deals.