Ginger for weight loss: reviews, useful properties, recipes for tea with ginger. How to drink ginger to lose weight quickly

Slimming ginger – an ancient invention

Ginger is a herbaceous plant, a close relative of not only the beautiful orchid, but also another well-known figure-keeping spice, turmeric. As in the case of turmeric, commercial interest is represented only by the large succulent rhizome of the plant, in which all the beneficial properties of ginger are concentrated.

Researchers argue about the origin of the Latin name for ginger, Zingabera: according to one point of view, it comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “horned root”, according to another, the ancient Indian sages used the expression “universal medicine” to refer to ginger. It seems that the second option, if not linguistically confirmed, is true in essence: aromatic stinging roots have been used since ancient times in folk medicine and cooking of all continents.

Russian ginger, which was simply called the “white root”, has been known since the times of Kievan Rus. Its powder was used to fill sbiten and improve baking, and the infusion was used to treat colds, stomach cramps and even hangovers.

Speaking about the benefits of ginger for weight loss, it is difficult to name a malaise in which it will be useless. The unique components of ginger are special terpenes, ester compounds of zingiberen and borneol. They not only give ginger its unforgettable smell, but are also carriers of the disinfecting and warming qualities of the root.

How to drink ginger to lose weight quickly? Choosing the right product

The ginger diet, in which a healthy diet is supplemented with a ginger drink, is a well-known weight loss and detox agent. Ginger tea recipes prescribe it to be made from raw, fresh root. In recent years, this exotic product has become a familiar inhabitant of vegetable shelves in almost any supermarket; it is not difficult to purchase it. However, it is important to follow a few simple selection rules.

Old ginger root can be recognized by the dry, wrinkled skin, often with nodules, “eyes” and greenery. The peeled root is yellow in color and has coarse, tough fibers. Chopping and grating old ginger is much more labor intensive.

Fresh ginger lays well, retaining its wonderful qualities for at least a month. Dried chopped ginger is also quite healthy, but pickled ginger, well known to lovers of sushi bars, has a lot of flavor, but, alas, minimal benefits.

Ginger for weight loss: the four main talents

Ginger stimulates thermogenesis

The main pronounced effect of ginger for weight loss is due to the ability of the root to enhance thermogenesis – the production of heat that accompanies all processes in the body. Their success, in fact, depends on thermogenesis, and it is on thermogenesis that the energy supplied with food and stored in the “depot” is spent. Thermogenesis accompanies food digestion, mitosis (cell division), and blood circulation. In overweight people, thermogenesis is by definition slowed down, so their metabolism leaves much to be desired, and, roughly speaking, instead of being converted into heat, food is deposited in the form of fat.

Ginger contains the unique bioactive chemical compounds shogaol and gingerol, similar in effect to capsaicin, a component of hot red pepper. These alkaloids are renowned for their ability to aid weight loss by stimulating thermogenesis, with gingerol (derived from the English name for ginger, ginger) found in raw fresh ginger root, and shogaol (named after the Japanese name for ginger, shoga) from drying and heat-treating the root.

Ginger helps in digestion

The Roman nobility appreciated ginger for its digestive properties and willingly used it as a means to improve the condition after overeating. Since ancient times, the talents of ginger have not changed – it facilitates digestion and, as evidenced by scientific evidence, accelerates the absorption of nutrients by the intestinal walls.

In addition, the pronounced antiseptic properties of ginger reduce the risk of intestinal infection, and the ginger drink helps fight attacks of nausea and is often recommended by doctors as a remedy for irritable bowel syndrome.

The root’s ability to neutralize gases accumulated in the digestive system also increases the slimming value of ginger, helping to achieve a “flat stomach” sensation.

Ginger regulates cortisol and insulin levels

The steroid catabolic hormone cortisol is an integral part of the normal hormonal levels of a healthy person. Cortisol plays an important role in optimizing the body’s energy expenditure: it orchestrates the breakdown of proteins, fats and glycogen, facilitating the further transport of the resulting products into the bloodstream. However, under conditions of stress or hunger (the combination of the two has an even more devastating effect), cortisol becomes the weight gainer’s worst enemy. It is no coincidence that cortisol is called the stress hormone – its level jumps along with an increase in anxiety, and with an increase in cortisol, the breakdown of fat does not just stop: the upset body begins to turn into reserves literally everything that gets into it.

It is characteristic that cortisol “loves” the limbs – at a high level of production, it stimulates lipolysis, but only in the arms and legs. Therefore, for those who suffer from the arbitrariness of cortisol, a full torso and face with rather fragile limbs is characteristic (this is also why ginger gained fame as a glorious fighter for belly weight loss).

If you are using ginger for weight loss, the root’s ability to suppress increased cortisol production will be of great help.

Importantly, ginger also affects the cortisol antagonist hormone insulin and helps to level the blood glucose levels. This prevents outbreaks of hunger and the build-up of “bad cholesterol”.

Ginger is a source of energy

Scientists have proven that the use of ginger stimulates cerebral blood flow, which in fact means good spirits and quick thinking. For the quality of the enlightening effect, doctors from the Maryland Medical Center compared ginger to coffee. According to their recommendations, the optimal daily dose of ginger is about 4 grams; pregnant women should consume no more than 1 gram of raw ginger per day.

In addition, ginger is famous for its property of relieving muscle pain (which is important if you use not only diet, but also sports activities to lose weight), and also, thanks to its ability to increase blood circulation and equalize blood glucose levels, it successfully fights fatigue syndrome ( which is especially relevant for office workers in a sedentary job). Also, ginger “knows” how to relieve nasal congestion and spasms of the respiratory tract, which also has a positive effect on the flow of oxygen to the cells and, accordingly, additionally “revives” them, giving you new strength.

How to drink ginger to lose weight in summer? Refreshing recipe

Summer ginger tea for weight loss is good both freshly brewed (if you spend the summer in an air-conditioned office) and chilled (if you like cool refreshments). White or green tea in its composition is also one of the popular home remedies for weight loss: it contains theine (tea caffeine), which accelerates lipid metabolism, and catechin antioxidants, which inhibit aging oxidative processes in the cells of the body.

To make 1 liter of summer ginger drink, you need white or green tea (3-4 teaspoons), 4 cm of fresh ginger root (scrape like carrots or new potatoes and cut into thin slices), XNUMX/XNUMX lemon (peel off the zest and add to the grated ginger) , to taste – mint and lemongrass.

Pour ginger and zest with 500 ml of water, simmer for 15-20 minutes, add sliced ​​lemon, lemongrass and mint, leave for 10 minutes, strain by squeezing with a spoon. Brew tea in a separate bowl (pour the specified amount also with 500 ml of water, brew for no more than 3 minutes (otherwise the tea will taste bitter), also strain and combine with ginger-lemon infusion.

How to drink ginger to lose weight in winter? Warming recipe

When it is cold outside and insidious viruses are scurrying everywhere, a ginger slimming drink with honey will improve immunity, provide an antibacterial effect and soothe a throat irritated by cold air. Honey contains 80% sugars, most of which are glucose, so this natural product is quite high in calories. However, of course, this does not detract from its merits: the composition of honey contains vitamin B6, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, amino acids. Moderately add honey to ginger for a flavorful, tasty and slimming shake.

To make a winter ginger slimming drink, grate a 4 cm long piece of ginger root on a fine grater, pour 1 liter of hot water, add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and leave in a thermos for at least an hour. Then strain, add 4 teaspoons of lemon juice and ¼ spoonful of red hot pepper. Honey at the rate of ½ spoon per 200 ml is more useful to stir in a drink immediately before use and when the infusion has cooled to 60 C – doctors believe that contact of honey with hot water changes its composition for the worse.

Drink no more than two liters of ginger slimming drink during the day. It is advisable not to consume ginger tea daily for more than two weeks, although you will most likely like its effect: the infusion with ginger not only invigorates, refreshes (or, depending on the composition and temperature, on the contrary, warms), but also helps to control appetite. Due to the energetic properties of ginger, avoid drinking its infusion or decoction shortly before bedtime.

Ginger for weight loss: who should abstain

The health and slimness benefits of ginger are undeniable, and its ability to become both an exotic food spice and a successful dietary supplement drink makes the aromatic root a popular and affordable product. However, alas, ginger cannot be considered a universal remedy: its action and composition involve a number of limitations. Do not use ginger for weight loss if you:

• are pregnant or breastfeeding;

• suffer from gallstone disease;

• complain about the instability of blood pressure (this is typical, for example, with hypertension, vegetative-vascular dystonia);

• have a history of inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, especially associated with excessive production of gastric juice and violations of its acidity;

• often face manifestations of food allergies;

• you know firsthand what edema is.

Any and all-natural remedies that are planned to be used as active weight loss aids require the approval of your doctor, and ginger is no exception.

How to drink ginger for weight loss: along with coffee!

Green coffee for weight loss with ginger over the past few months has become, without a doubt, the most popular of the products, about whose help in getting rid of extra pounds are legendary. You can argue for a long time about whether the effect of a drink made from ground beans of raw unroasted coffee with the addition of ginger is natural or overestimated, or you can use a remedy whose effect is noticeable literally from the first seconds of use.

Anti-cellulite scrub recipe with green coffee, ginger and red pepper

To prepare the mixture, take ground green coffee (you can sleep), ginger powder and red hot pepper powder in the proportion of 100 g of coffee – 30 g of ginger – 20 g of pepper, mix thoroughly. Apply the scrub every night to problem areas and massage thoroughly. Do not use the product if you have sensitive skin, wounds, or are allergic to any of the components. In the event that you tolerate the composition of the scrub well, the green coffee particles will not only help mechanically affect the “orange peel”, but also tighten the skin, give it a more well-groomed appearance due to the content of caffeine and fat-soluble substances, and shogaol of ginger and capsaicin red pepper will significantly enhance blood circulation and create favorable conditions for smoothing cellulite irregularities.