Author Archives: LadulceLavie
Herbs and Spices for Weight loss. Part 1
Late last year when my son turned 1, I decide to lose all the baby weight. Unlike the time before with so many failed attempts after my daughter was born, I decided that this will be different. I was also hoping that this will also support and motivate my husband to continue on his own weight loss. He was doing well on his own journey so far. I did a bit of research and a mixture was concocted using ingredients we already had in abundance at home.
Below are a few herbs and spices that have amazing weight loss properties and I will follow this with the concoction my husband drank that saw him shed centimetres faster than if he had gone to the gym.
The mixture helped reduce appetite and saw fewer meals and craving and the amount of food he consumed was also reduced.
These ingredients will astonish you and they are all present in a good curry.
- Cayenne Pepper
For those of us who like I little heat in our food, this is almost always on the tray along with black pepper-more on the black pepper later. This pepper is filled with capsaicin; the compound that gives peppers their heat. It assist with the fight against weight gain by decreasing calorie intake( you will eat less) and shrinking fat tissue therefore lowering blood fat levels. It also temporarily increases thermo-genesis in your body, where your body burns fat to create heat. This increases your metabolism and reduces fat storage. This is also great when you have flue.
- Cinnamon
I like to put a few sticks in my tea water along with ginger for variety but now I know the benefits are more than just taste. This spice helps to boost your metabolism and helps regulates blood sugar (this reduces cravings). Cinnamon has been found to significantly reduce blood sugar levels, triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes, as well as increase glucose metabolism by about 20 times. This is also great when you have flue.
- Black Pepper
Black pepper contains piperine, which blocks the formation of new fat cells. When combined with capsaicin and other substances, black pepper was also found to burn as many calories as taking a 20-minute walk. It also assists with the absorption of other vitamins and minerals.
- Mustard
Who does not like mustard on their hotdog? Mustard seeds have a thermo-genic effect which been shown to boost metabolic rate by 25 percent, which means you’ll burn calories more efficiently. In fact, just 3/5 teaspoon of mustard seeds daily may help you burn an extra 45 calories an hour.
- Turmeric
Turmeric’s active ingredient is Cur-cumin, which reduces the formation of fat tissue by suppressing the blood vessels needed to form it, and therefore may contribute to lower body fat and retard weight gain. It also improves insulin resistance, hyper-glycaemia, hyper-lipidemia, and other inflammatory symptoms associated with obesity and metabolic disorders.
- Ginger
Ginger is another thermo-genic spice that also has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to help soothe and relax your intestinal tract. Ginger has an appetite-suppressant effect which will curb cravings and reduce the amount of food you eat
All these spices can be consumed dry and ground like the kind you get from the spice shelves in the grocery store or fresh from the farmers market. By incorporating these ingredients in your cooking you can make a difference on your waist line
My husband’s mixture
Equal measures e.g. (teaspoon) of the following ingredients, with lemon and honey to taste in a glass of warm water.
Ginger
Tumeric
Cayenne pepper
Do it your self face mask, the healthy option
why spend a wad of money on store bought face mask with all the chemicals whose names you can pronounce when you can make your own at home, with ingredients that are already on your shopping list? And if you like me buy stuff and use it a few times only to dispose of it months later and repeat the cycle again all over again, this will help save you some money.
The first base for using all these masks is to wash your face with luke warm water. This will soften the dead skin and make the mask more effective. Oh! Remember, remember to always rinse twice and mask at least twice a week for good results. Don’t overdo it as you will be left in a far worse off position that you were in
Rooibos (Red) Tea mask
The mask will exfoliate and cleanse your face and is suitable for all skin types.
Put a bag of rooibos (red tea) in hot, not boiling water in a basin for 5 minutes. Take the bag out and pore contents in to a cup and mix with a spoon of yoghurt or honey or a bit of both. Gently put the mixture on your skin and leave in for 10 to 15 minutes. Wash your face in the tea water in small circular motion to gently scrub your skin.
Banana mask
Half a ripe banana is mashed to a mask consistency and then put on the face, leave for 30 minutes and wash off.
Oatmeal Mask
Can be used by allskin types but more beneficial for oily skin,
Soak oatmeal in warm water for a few minutes then add honey or yoghurt or a bit of both. Put this on your skin and wash it off with warm water while making small circular motions to exfoliate your skin.
Sugar
Sugar can be used to exfoliate the skin all over your body,
Lemon
Put a bit in your wash water when rinsing to get a matt finish or after washing your face put a few drops on a cotton ball and use as a toner.
Avocado
A teaspoon full can be used as a mask for dry skin, or used as a night repair. Just put on about a teaspoonful and wipe of excess with a dry towel just before you go to bed.
Gratitude can do wonders for you
Some time ago I made a conscious choice to be grateful, to remember to recall my blessing not count them as counting will take too long as the Lord has been very generous with me. Now after the few months that I have had it seems I have been living a sheltered life without any cares but with great abundance. I was going through a tumultuous time and I thought I do not have the strength nor will I be able to make it through this time without any major scars, but my husband reminded me that I have actually been through worse even though I did not see it.
In his words he said I will put my bet on you anytime against the odds as you have come up against difficult times countless times before and you have won every time, so statistically chances are you will overcome.
This prompted me to take stock and I have won every time, I have a clean record against rough times.
I decided then that I will be grateful every day; I will find and declare my gratitude. This has been very helpful as a few months later and this has been the past 5 months; I have had some of the worst times of my life. I have through this time been the calmest I have been with great strength and courage. I have not blamed and have continued to recall my blessings as they are more abundant and countless yet to many not memorable while the hardships are so memorable we are hyperthymesiac about them.
With my gratitude I have relinquished the burden of my troubles to the universe. I am not saying that they do not affect me negatively but that they are punctuations of my life and not pit stop in my life. I am grateful for this as with all that happened to me recently the burden is far too heavy to carry around and to keep asking why me would mean that I have now taken the responsibility to find out why, who and how come? Which I may never find out but will most definitely waste my time. I would not be able to return things to their previous state and would miss the chance to grow and learn from the situation.
Choosing to recall my blessing and declare my gratitude has put me in a buffered life where I am touched by trouble but am not fazed, but I am firmly rooted and secure to the world whirl winds. Where before I was living a sheltered life and ”trouble” which really was small unsettling shook me and left be drained and hollow.
Make your small kitchen look bigger
If you have a small kitchen and would like to make it look bigger here are a few tips to help you that will not break the bank, considering the financial times we are in. First look at my previous post on Small kitchen Tips. Creating more storage area is relatively cheap and easy.
First you need to keep your surfaces clean of all dirt and blemishes then free up counter space, I know it’s very appealing for some to keep certain of their appliances (food processors, blenders, can openers, mixers etc.) on the counter for easy reach but storing them here makes the room look busy, cluttered and therefore smaller.
Use Sliding doors
Sliding doors create more space in the passages and you can open more doors without reducing the space available for moving around. It also helps if you have those deep cupboards to install drawer cupboards when the shelves are pulled out, you can easily reach items stored in the back of the cabinet.
Increase space
If you currently have space above the cupboards consider installing more cabinets above them (Stacking). This frees up space in the cupboards below for the items that are regularly used and transferring those items you use seldom to the top cupboards
Increase the lighting
Consider under-the-counter lighting; the kitchen will appear larger. Use light colors when decorating, and lighten your cabinets and countertops. Add glass fronts to wall cabinets or replace solid cabinet doors with glass fronts along one wall. It will give the room a more open feeling, as light reflects off them. This does not have appeal for untidy people for obvious reasons but for those super tidy people with this is ideal
Where possible, enlarge windows and if possible move them to the east site of the room for maximum exposure to light and a beautiful view that will increase the aesthetics of the room
If your kitchen has walls to an adjoining dining room and you have some money, consider opening the wall between them to create an open plan. If you know that you will need your privacy in future, the wall can be replaced with folding sliding doors and you can decorate or darken them as you wish for when they are in use. This could be a do-it-yourself project if the wall is not load-bearing.
Related articles
- Refresh your kitchen without cleaning out your wallet (frugaltimes.com)
- Maximise ROI From Kitchen Development (mynewsfix.com)
- 10 Inspiring Small-Space Pantries – Small Space Living (thekitchn.com)