The chief causes of obesity or overweight are: overeating, irregular eating habits, improper diet and lack of physical training.
In Ayurveda, Charak Samhita describes eight different types of physical state that are disease prone. Out of these, the obese body is described as the one afflicted with most of the diseases creating serious health problems. Excessive deposition of fat in the adipose tissue causes obesity. This extra fat puts a strain on the heart, kidneys, liver and the joints such as the hips, knees and ankles and thus overweight people are susceptible to several diseases like coronary thrombosis, diabetes, blood pressure, liver and gall bladder disorders, arthritis, etc.
Natural Methods for Losing Weight
Here are most easy and safe methods to decrease weight without stressing. To lose weight and fight obesity three basic things are to be noted at first:
- One must control eating tendency all round the clock.
- Do regular physical exercises ( walking, jogging, swimming, bicycle…)
- Drink a lot of water.
Diet recommended to lose weight
Early morning
- Drink Juice of half a lemon mixed in a glass of warm water and a teaspoon of honey.
Breakfast
- Eat wheat or Mung bean sprouts and a cup of skimmed milk or a glass of orange, pineapple or carrot juice.
Lunch
- Prepare a refreshing salad of raw vegetables such as cucumber, carrot, soya bean sprouts, beet, shredded cabbage, parsley, mint, fine juicy tomatoes, etc. mixed with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or few drops of lemon juice and pepper.
- Take steamed or boiled vegetables with some pepper. Pepper is an excellent spice which helps in weight loss.
- Drink buttermilk mixed with a half teaspoon of roasted cumin seeds, fresh green coriander leaves, a pinch of salt and some grated ginger.
- Eat whole grain bread or whole wheat chapatis (Indian bread).
- Cook vegetables with certain spices like pepper, cinnamon, ginger, coriander and cumin seeds.
Mid-afternoon
- Prepare Lemon tea or drink coconut water or have a light vegetable soup.
- Eat few dry fruits.
Dinner
- Take steamed seasonal vegetables.
- Whole grain bread.
- Seasonal fruits (except banana and apple) for sweet dish.
Home Remedies for Losing Weight
Spices like black pepper, dry ginger, cinnamon, coriander and cumin seeds are favorable for weight loss and can be added to the food.
- Consume fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.
- Include vegetables like bitter gourd (Karela) and bitter variety of drumstick in your diet.
- Raw or cooked cabbage inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Hence it is benefic for weight loss.
- Avoid intake of excessive salt (salted chips, salted aliments, pickles or conserves) as it may be a factor for increasing body weight.
- Avoid milk products like cheese, butter and fatty food products.
- Avoid meat as they are rich in fat and prefer lean fish instead. Steam fish with some fresh herbs like mint, coriander, pepper, and lemon.
- Prepare a chutney wit green mint with some lemon juice can be taken with meals.
- Avoid rice and potatoes as they contain a lot of carbohydrates.
- Prepare some refreshing tea or infusion with fresh mint leaves and lemon. Add a teaspoon of honey.
- Fasting on honey and lime- juice is highly beneficial in the treatment of obesity.
- For this, mix one teaspoon of fresh honey with the juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water.Take several times a day at regular intervals.
- Physical exercise is important to lose weight. It burns the calories stored in body as fat.
- Walking is the best exercise to begin gradually, followed by jogging, swimming, rowing…
Some Plants to Lose Weight
Herbal products are not harmful or dangerous. It is safe to lose weight with ayurvedic herbs. Mentioned below are some of the natural herbs which favours weight loss.
Aloe vera
Aloe vera is a useful ayurvedic plant for losing weight. Aloe Vera juice helps in improving digestion and cleaning the digestive tract thus avoiding the accumulation of all kinds of fatty acids and toxins.
Gymnema Sylvestre
Gymnema Sylvestre is popularly known as the "sugar destroyer". In earlier times, physicians used to chew few Gymnema leaves to suppress the sweet taste of sugar.The fresh leaves when chewed have the remarkable property of paralysing the sense of taste for sweet and bitter substance for some time.The plant is acrid, anti-inflammatory, anodyne, liver tonic, emetic, diuretic.
It is useful in hepatosplenomegaly, dypepsia, constipation, jaundice, halminthiasis, cardiopathy, amenorrhoea. Today, its prescribed for controlling blood sugar which indirectly helps in controlling weight gain too.
Green Tea
Green tea also helps in weight loss. Regular intake of green tea burns extra calories and if taken together with caffeine, the fat burning process is increased by 40 percent.
Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Triphala Choorna, Ashwagandha and Shilajit are other Ayurvedic medicines which are used to lose weight naturally. These herbal remedies help to lose weight without causing any harmful consequences. These organic herbs are very efficient as they not only help to lose weight naturally but also develop good health.
Guggul
Family Name: BURSERACEAE
Botanical Name: Commiphora Wightii
Common Name: Commiphora, Mukul, Guggul, Balsmodendron Mukul, Indian Bdellium Tree, Moql, Moql-Arzagi
Habitat: Rocky tracks of Western India and Eastern Himalayas.
Guggul belongs to a flowering plant in the Burseraceae family. Guggul tree (a tiny, thorny mukul myrrha tree) produces a resinous sap referred to as guggle gum.The Guggul extract from this gum is called gugul lipid (guggulipid or guglipid.) The active ingredient in the guggul extract is the steroid called guggulsterones, that is believed to lower cholesterol synthesis in liver. This particular herb helps to get rid of the unwanted fat.
Guggul herb is an "ushan virya" herb with hot potency and Ayurvedic medicine uses it for the treatment of many diseases.
- Guggul is popularly known as "the natural fat killer". Guggul extract is used for lowering cholesterol levels and lipids.
- It is a good appetizer and also grants relief from hyper acidity and belching.
- Guggul improves digestive disorders and prevents indigestion and constipation.
- Guggul is also a very useful anti inflammatory and pain relieving herb. It is used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, sciatica, paralysis, hemiplegia, lymphadenopathy…
- Guggul herb, due to its antibiotic effects is widely used for treating infectious diseases.
- It is also used for treating upper respiratory tract infection.
- It fights asthma. Gargles with guggul dissolved in water can treat tonsillitis, mouth ulcers, upper respiratory tract infection, throat irritation, pharyngitis and stomatitis.
- Guggul is also very useful herb for treating various heart problems.
- It is a very good blood purifier and is thus used to treat various skin diseases including leprosy and eczema.
- Guggul herb treats hypertension as it helps in lowering blood pressure to normal levels.
- It is also an aphrodisiac and its regular intake improves sexual ability as well as it increases healthy sperm production.
- Guggul herb is also beneficial for women's health because it gives relief from menstrual problems like painful menses, cramps and other related conditions.
- It promotes youthfulness with longevity.
Note : Ayurveda restricts everyone from taking guggul in raw form. Guggul gum extract should always be used with milk, water or in herbal medicine preparations.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Use apple cider vinegar to lose weight or extra fat in the body. It also improves cholesterol levels and high blood pressure and it equally prevents rheumatoid arthritis
With this change of season, easy Ayurvedic remedies to fight cold and cough infections can also be consulted. These most natural tips protect us all throughout the year and help us to face winter without any fear.
Pascal Marion - Author, independent researcher, responsible of Terres d'Asie.
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