Magic Beans!!!!!

I see some of the ads on TV and in magazines frequently that have these huge glaring claims for magical weight loss.  “Clinically Proven” weight loss with no changes to your eating or lack of exercise habits.  These always get me, I mean I think at this time that everyone, well, most every relatively intelligent person, understands how weight loss actually works.  There are relatively few tricks to make it easy.  Sure, in the early part of the last century you could buy diet pills that contained the viable eggs of tapeworms, those worked.  Methamphetamines work, but the side effects are rather extreme.  And the fake fat stuff works, because the horrific diarrhea it causes along with the blocking of the absorption of nutrients increases weight loss.  But none of those things are actually good for the body.  Of course we all know that real true weight loss comes from reducing caloric intake, increasing the complexity of those calories, and increasing the number of calories burned; exercise. 

However, there are a few cheaters out there.  Things that really and truly do help your body burn more calories without doing anything extra like exercise.  Not the magic promised on TV, but a little bit of help.  And believe it or not these things have lots of other benefits as well, not the least of which is just that they plain taste good.  The magic beans are, Herbs and Spices.  I know it sounds weird, but it is very true.  Here are some of the top performers and why they work for you.

1. Ginseng: This root, especially Panax ginseng, is well known for the ability to boost energy and speed metabolism.
2. Cayenne and Black Pepper:  Wow, these both are spectacular for doing a jumpstart to your system.  Besides the high Vitamin C content of Cayenne, these two have been shown to boost metabolism by up to 5%.  That means an increase in fat burning capability of nearly 15%.  And piperin in Black Pepper has been shown to block the production of new fat cells. 
3. Cinnamon: Good for metabolism, but its true benefit lies in the ability for it to increase glucose metabolism by up to 20 times.  This helps to reduce blood sugar levels and to improve the body's ability to regulate blood sugar.  All in all, a great thing for losing weight.  
4. Mustard:  Eat a lot of mustard, or do as I do, and take a teaspoon of ground mustard seeds every morning.  Mustard has been shown to boost metabolic rate by 20%, an easy way to burn and extra 35 to 40 calories PER HOUR for hours after eating them.  Eating a lot of mustard made naturally and not using distilled white vinegar (which is very bad for you) helps.  
5. Ginger and Turmeric:  Both root spices, and both known to have thermogenic properties, they relax the intestinal tract and have appetite suppressant effects.  Plus both are known to have proven antibacterial properties and are great for taking during flu season.  
6. Cardamom:  Good stuff, a little boost in metabolism but one of my favorite sweet spices.  I love it in coffee, peach soup, plain yogurt with a bit of honey, and mixed into any cookie recipe.  The Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine set forth nearly 2500 years ago.  It lists many of nature's products and how they help the human body exist and to do it well.  Cardamom is mentioned many many times and is a favorite of Indian cooking with good reason.  

Try adding some of these cool things to your diet.  I buy many of these spices in bulk and load them into gelatin capsules, and some I just buy commercially made ones.  Does it help, well, I don't know.  I have lost about 40 lbs since August, so I think maybe so.  But whatever you do, just adding them to your culinary achievements will make life more exciting.