Drinking a cup of detoxing ginger tea is one of the best ways to warm you up from the inside out on a cold winter day. Did you know that ginger tea is also great for weight loss?
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How does ginger tea help with weight loss?
Ginger has been used in traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years to treat a wide range of health conditions from nausea to colds and the flu.
Lesser known is the fact that ginger can help you lose weight in 5 powerful ways:
1. Boost metabolism
Ginger is a thermogenic food that can heat up the body by burning stored up body fat, giving your metabolism a boost and reducing body fat storage.
Consuming thermogenic ingredients like ginger may potentially boost your metabolism by up to 5 percent, and increase fat burning by up to 16 percent (1).
2. Increase satiety
Leptin is a hormone that our body releases to inform our brain that it’s feeling full and satisfied after a meal and encourages your body to burn energy and produce heat.
Leptin resistance is a condition often found in obese individuals where their body doesn’t respond to changes in the levels of the leptin hormone.
When the brain is unresponsive to high leptin levels, the body mistakenly stays hungry and stores more fat, making weight loss more difficult.
Gingerol, the main bioactive compound in ginger, has been shown to improve leptin levels and blood sugar levels (2).
GInger’s anti-inflammatory properties can also help you reverse leptin resistance, which in turn helps you to lose weight.
3. Natural appetite suppressant
Along with increased satiety, ginger may help to suppress your appetite and ultimately reduce your overall daily caloric intake. Drinking ginger tea around mealtime has been found to reduce feelings of hunger for up to six hours (3)!
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4. Reduce cortisol
Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, regulates a wide range of processes throughout the body from metabolism to immune and stress response.
Hormonal changes and chronic stress can cause spikes in blood cortisol levels.
Elevated cortisol levels may contribute to weight gain, especially making it hard to lose belly fat.
It also causes the immune system and metabolism to be out of balance.
Ginger has been found to suppress cortisol production (4). so consuming ginger can help restore your internal balance, reduce stress, and facilitate weight loss.
5. Aids digestion
Ginger is traditionally used as a digestive aid for thousands of years. It improves digestion by stimulating your digestive enzymes.
Ginger also has the ability to relax the smooth muscle in your gut lining and move food along throughout the system.
This is one reason why ginger can relieve bloating, constipation, and other gastrointestinal disorders.
When everything moves more smoothly and efficiently, you benefit by losing weight more easily. Reduced bloating can also reveal a flatter stomach.
How to make ginger tea for weight loss
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons of grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger powder or 1 teaspoon of freshly roasted ginger
½ lemon, juice squeezed
1/2 tablespoon pure raw honey
1 cup boiling water
INSTRUCTIONS
Put the ginger in a mug. Pour boiling water over the ginger and let it steep for 5 minutes. Let the tea cool to a warm temperature, then add lemon juice, raw honey, and stir.
When should I drink ginger tea for weight loss?
Drink one cup before your meals to get your digestive systems ready for processing food.
Another added benefit of drinking liquids before your meals is the effect of filling you up and reduced overeating.
Having a cup of ginger tea before bedtime can help to reduce late-night snacking and allows it to work its magic while you sleep.
Are ginger tea bags as good as fresh ginger?
Ginger tea made with fresh ginger root or loose roasted ginger roots will be far tastier than ginger tea made with tea bags.
As far as health effects, both seem to be equally powerful. Many research studies that have shown the positive effects of ginger were done with ginger powder.
My personal experience has found both effective for weight loss and other health benefits.
If you are looking for an easy and quick ginger tea blend that you can just add hot water to steep, this freshly hand-blended ginger lemon tea provides a uniquely powerful yet calming boost to sustain you through the afternoon.
For every teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, replace it with ½ teaspoon dry roasted ginger or ½ teaspoon of ginger powder.
We hope you enjoyed this article on how to make ginger tea for weight loss and pin this recipe for easy reference when you are ready to make your tea!
Thank you . I am interested in learning about this..
You’re welcome, Jane. I’m glad you found this helpful.