The Red-Hot Way to Weight Loss

2. All you weight watchers out there, take stock! There’s a HOT new way to lose weight. And by hot, we mean hot and spicy. Read red chillies or red chilli peppers. What’s in a name? Red chillies or peppers are no new discovery: they have been around in diets as far back as 7500 BCE. Apparently, Christopher Columbus didn’t just get his route to India wrong, and name native Americans “Indians”, albeit Red. He misnamed red chillies as well and called them “peppers” because they were hot and spicy like black and white pepper. In fact, red chillies are fruits of the genus Capsicum and have no family ties to pepper. Of weight, fat, and all that’s not-so-nice The WHO estimates that fully one -third of the world’s population is overweight or obese. Staggering? Unfortunately, true. So, what causes obesity? There are many reasons including genetics, metabolism, environment, behavior, and culture. But the most common causes are overeating and a lack of physical activity: and these 2 causes can be overcome with the right diet and exercise.

3. Do the math: to maintain ideal body weight, you must balance the number of calories you use with the number of calories you consume. If you use or metabolise less, you gain weight; if you metabolise more, you maintain or lose weight. Fat facts Fat cells in our bodies are of two kinds: White fat cells which store energy in our bodies and should not be more than 15% to 25% in men and 15% to 30% in women. This is the predominant kind of fat in our bodies and needs to be kept within safe levels. Brown fat cells serve as the thermogenic machinery to burn stored fat and generate heat. This is the good, metabolically active fat. You can generate brown fat, or convert white to brown fat by being active, sleeping well and eating right. New research now shows that overeating not only increases white fat but makes brown fat dysfunctional and thus unable to burn calories. All of this, compounds obesity. Measures to control weight are aimed at decreasing intake and increasing the expenditure of calories, along with elevating diet-induced thermogenesis that burns fat cells.

4. Enter the hot new weight buster! The red-hot news is that the compound capsaicin encourages the conversion of white fat to the calorie-burning brown fat. Researchers at the University of Wyoming have shown that the weight of mice plateaued, even though they were fed a high-fat diet, by the introduction of capsaicin in the food. While the figures of mice are of very little significance to almost all of us, the importance of this study is because capsaicin is the chief ingredient in red chillies: it is what gives them their spice quotient. Studies have shown that the more pungent or “hot” chillies are, the more capsaicin they contain. The obvious conclusion is that adding red chillies or chilly powder to our diets, aids successful weight-control. Research results that have been published in recent times have underlined that red chillies and chilly powder favourably affect respiratory measurements, thermogenesis, energy expenditure and intake, appetite, and insulin regulation. Advantage India Ah! The aroma of ‘tadka’ and the mouth-watering look of red chillies in dal or vegetables! Indeed, red chillies and powder are an intrinsic part of Indian cooking and kitchens. There are very few savoury dishes that do not use either whole red chillies or chilly powder.

5. Everyone has his/her own tolerance for spicy foods. We do not recommend stuffing the diet with red chillies or powder either! You only need to eat a few chillies or use a little chilly powder to encourage weight loss. Just include them in your daily diet. Thiscertainly is a delicious way to lose weight! What to look for Our grandmothers had an elaborate mode of operation: they picked ripe and luscious red chillies, dried them, pound them by hand. Why? In days of old, that was the way of ensuring that chilly powder was the purest, hottest, freshest, and the reddest that you could boast of in your kitchen. Of course, we are looking for the same things even today. But, those labour-intensive days are a ‘luxury’ of the past: no one has the time to pick and choose, nor the need to pound out that perfection by hand. Yet, you must be careful when you choose from the innumerable brands in the market. It is not just the question of freshness or spice: adulteration is a major hazard. All that is red is not chilly powder and dangerous chemicals are added to enhance the appearance of this valuable product. Be safe. Don’t lose health instead of weight.

6. At Terra Greens Organic, you can be sure of the best, organic ingredients which bear the NOP and NPOP stamps of authenticity and purity. With us, you can boost your health and your metabolism with the best of spice that chemical-free, organic, red chilly powder and red chillies can lend to your cooking. Treat your family right; they depend on you. Turn on the heat! Thank You...