Category: Female Health

Weight Loss – 7 Food Items That May Help You Lose Weight Naturally

Overview

These days people are having problems with increased body weight and health conditions due to it. Today nearly 1 out of 5 people in developed countries are overweight.

Weight gain is when the bodyweight increases, it involves an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits and excess fluid such as water, etc.  Weight gain can be the cause of serious medical issue or may be due to wrong lifestyle and diet

weight loss herbal remedies

If a lot of weight is gained due to the accumulation of body fat, one may become overweight or obese. The body mass index measures the body weight in proportion to the square of the height and it defines the ratio in optimal, insufficient and excessive body weight.

Sometimes you may unintentionally increase your weight without increasing your food intake but decreasing the physical activities.

There may either be 3 types of fluctuations.

These are:

1) In some cases, weight fluctuations occur periodically every now and then due to menstrual cycles in most of women.

2) Rapid weight gain is often a side effect of some medications, can also lead to unintentional weight gain.

3) Continuous weight gain is an issue of gaining weight due to varying factors like overeating and advancing age.

Here are some additional factors of gaining weight like hormonal changes, during the time of menopause and other factors also noted in the case of women such as pregnancy and after delivery, they gain weight.

Most people are unsure how to lose weight safely and naturally and at this time, everyone is fighting with body weight.

Ayurveda suggests some home and natural remedies that may help in weight loss but before moving forward we also need to take some extra steps which should be added in weight loss trends to avoid continuous weight gain

  • A person should eat easy to digest food and  take the light evening meal
  • Drink hot water to help cleanse the digestive tract and blockage and flush out the impurities of  the body
  • Avoid eating highly processed, packaged and junk foods
  • Move your body. Indulge in some physical activities and yoga
  • Limit your intake of added sugar

Food Items That May Help You Lose Weight Naturally

7 Food Items That May Help You Lose Weight Naturally

1. Cinnamon Tea and Honey

Like honey, cinnamon has many medicinal properties; it contains antioxidants which help to improve health in various forms. It can help to improve metabolism and improve insulin function, thereby helps in weight loss

  • Boil a cup of water,
  • Add1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder and let it cool.
  • Now add a teaspoon of raw and organic honey in it

2. Avocados

This fruit is high in carbohydrates and rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, and potassium. People who eat avocados on a daily basis tend to have low BMI and avocados can be the perfect addition to vegetable salad. It is a good appetite suppressant.

3. Herbal Green Tea

It is considered to be one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. One of the most recommended beverages which help in weight loss. Green tea is full of antioxidants. These antioxidants boost metabolism and beneficial in weight loss. These days’ people more rely on Green tea among all the healthier beverages which have also been proven effective.

4. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

It helps to boost our metabolism and helps to lose weight by burning more calories in a day. It has also found to satiate the hunger for longer period of time. Consuming coconut oil every day can burn fat especially belly fat but it is also a fact that finding organic, un refined and virgin coconut oil is difficult

b: It can be considered the alternative of olive and margarine oil for cooking food; and can be added to the salads as well. Adding a teaspoon of coconut oil in the boiling water for every half cup of rice helps to reduce calories if you eat it on daily basis.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is produced through 2 steps of the fermentation process.

The acetic acid present in apple cider vinegar may promote weight loss in several ways:

  • It lowers the level of blood sugar
  • Reduces fat storage like fat stored in belly or liver fat
  • Burns fat
  • Improves metabolism so it helps to decrease fat and sugar production in the liver
  • Suppresses appetite. Acetic present in it may suppress centers in the brain to control appetite so the food intake is relatively reduced.

6. Oatmeal

Oatmeal itself can help you lose weight.  After eating oatmeal, people feel fuller and less hungry in comparison to other cereals. The fibers and loads of nutrients contained in it are also beneficial for the digestive system.

  • The snack bar is also to be made by oats which is nutritious but at the same time void of carbohydrates and calories.
  • Homemade bread and pancake made up of oatmeal flour add to the taste as well as help in weight loss

7. Nuts

Nuts are extremely healthy, they are full of nutrients and antioxidants, may prevent weight gain. Mid day craving can be managed by some of the nuts:

  • Almonds are considered to be as a pre-workout meal, those who’re looking to shed some weight, almonds can be beneficial for them. They contain the amino acid, which helps you to burn more carbs and calories during the workout.
  • Walnuts are high in unsaturated fat which is healthier for the heart. It is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, proteins, magnesium and antioxidants. It suppresses your unnecessary craving and stimulates your body to lose weight faster.
  • Pistachios have fewer calories as compared to most of the nuts. Their high fiber content allows you to feel full without overeating.

Eating all these above foods can help to shed your body weight. But nature has given us many more organic food items as well.

In Ayurveda, piperine present in pepper enhances the metabolism. Taking a pinch of pepper along with honey and lemon in hot water can help in quick weight loss by boosting the process.

There are more such remedies taken from ancient Ayurvedic science that are herbal and natural and helpful for those who are searching for weight loss techniques in modern science which might give some sort of side effects to your body

How Shatavari is Useful During Pregnancy

Overview

Gestation is the crucial phase of life by which one or the other day a woman has to go through. Those 37 to 42 weeks in the woman’s life brings a lot of changes either in the means of physical health or social well-being. Here in this phase, mostly  women have to avoid or take precautions regarding various things either in the form of a diet or medications.The most important thing is that at this time there are high demands of nutrition to maintain the health of pregnant women and the fetus. So, to meet the needs of pregnancy “SHATAVARI” is the herb of choice.

How Shatavari is Useful During Pregnancy

Shatavar or Shatavari or the botanical name is Asparagus racemosus is an herb that has been used since decades as a medicine in the traditional system of medicine and also in the form of  curry. Shatavari not only helps to maintain pregnancy but it also helps in the conception and promotes the milk production and ejection after pregnancy. Shatavari is a medicinal plant that grows upto 1 to 2 meters in height and is a native to India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The roots are a useful part of this herb.

QUALITIES OF SHATAVARI or Asparagus racemosus

How Shatavari is Helpful During Pregnancy
Shatavari is Useful During Pregnancy

(Reference – BhavaPrakasaNighantu / GuduchiadiVarga / Shloka no. 186 and 187)

  • Rasa (Taste) –  Madhur (sweet) and Tikta (bitter)
  • Guna (Quality) – Snigdha (unctuous in nature) and Guru (heavy to digest)
  • Veerya – Sheeta (cold in potency)
  • Vipaka – The end product of digestion is Madhur (sweet) in taste
  • Effect on Tridoshas – Balances Vata and Pitta doshas
  • It acts as Rasayans (Rejuvenating)
  • It promotes strength and milk production, enhances memory, improves sperm quality and count, and is beneficial in treating inflammatory disorders, heart diseases, bleeding disorders such as hemorrhoids, menstrual disorders, etc.
  • Being vrishya (aphrodisiac) it develops a suitable environment for the fetus for proper growth and development.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ASPARAGUS

  • The active compounds in the Shatavari are tannins, asparagamineA, shatavarins, shatavaroside A and B, asparanin A, filiasparoside C polycyclic alkaloid and so on.

ACTION AND EFFECTS OF SHATAVARI DURING PREGNANCY

  • It acts as a Rasayana (rejuvenating) that maintains the functions of all the systems. It is a generalized tonic that supports the female reproductive system.

EFFECTS ON THE ORGANS

  • Shatavari is an herb that mainly acts on the organs such as uterus (maintains the suitable environment for the development of fetus), ovaries (maintains FSH and LH level), brain (maintains the functions of all the other hormones like TSH, prolactin, testosterone, etc.), heart (maintains the proper blood supply to the fetus thus provides sufficient nutrition to the embryo),stomach (shatavari is cold in potency and sweet to taste therefore it balances pitta dosha and shows calming and soothing effects on stomach) and colon (supports the colon for absorption of the nutrition).

MAINTAINS PROGESTERONE LEVEL

  • As we know in order to maintain pregnancy the level of progesterone needs to be in proper levels otherwise it may lead to miscarriage or abortion. Asparagus helps to maintain this level and avoids the drop down of progesterone and in fact the estrogen level too also. Because estrogen is a precursor to the hormone progesterone.

Herbal Remedy for Women Health

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MEETS THE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS

  • No doubt everybody needs nutrition to maintain his or her health. But in pregnancy, a lady requires an extra amount of nutrition for her body as well as for his fetus. There are various macro and micro nutrients that are required for our body but in pregnancy usually the body requires –
  • Iron – Usually  pregnant women have less hemoglobin level in the body and often suffer from anemia. This herb helps to boost up the Hemoglobin level as well as blood level.
  • Folic acid – Folic acid is required for the proper growth and development of the child. Folic acid is responsible for neural development and also prevents the chance of birth defects.
  • Vitamins– Multivitamins are generally prescribed in the pregnancy to fulfill the needs of micronutrients but potentially Shatavari can fulfill all these demands. It is rich in vitamins such as K and B.
  • Calcium – After first trimester there is a high demand for calcium in the body as per Ayurveda after 2nd month the bones start to grow. Even some systems of the body start functioning after the 3rd month so calcium is required to perform all those activities. Shatavari can fulfill the needs of calcium effectively.
  • A GENERALIZED TONIC– Shatavari is a generalized tonic that helps to cover up the weakness and dizziness. Moreover, it provides strength to the body and reproductive organs and eases the pain and complications during labor (delivery) by nourishing all the doshas, dhatus and indriyas of the body.
  • BALANCES TRIDOSHA – We know that if all the doshas are in equilibrium state the person is healthy otherwise may end up with the various disorders. But a pregnancy may end up with complications if Vata Dosha and Pitta Dosha get vitiated or aggravated. It may retard the growth of the child.So to avoid these things Shatavari can be incorporated in the daily diet to fulfill the needs of multivitamins.
  • BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM – Usually, immunity is very low during pregnancy hence, the pregnant woman and child are more prone to develop infections. This herb stimulates the immune system and safeguard the body from infectious diseases.

DOSAGE

  • Shatavari granules – Take ½ teaspoonful, mix it in a glass of lukewarm milk twice daily, after meals.
  • Shatavari churna – ½ teaspoon twice daily
  • Shatavari capsules or tablets – 1 capsule twice daily
  • Anupana (After drink) – Lukewarm milk or plain water.

NOTE:

  • Before starting anything like medicine or even the general health tonics you should consult a physician.