How to use mint leaves for weight loss
If you are interested in how to use mint leaves for weight loss, this article is for you. Find essential information on health benefits of mint leaves, ways they can be used to lose weight and finally, possible side effects if you don’t observe the rules of usage of these leaves. So, let’s start!
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Can I really lose weight with mint leaves?
This is one of the most widely spread questions that people ask when it comes to the usage of mint for the sake of gaining a beautiful figure. The answer is, Yes, you can. However, it doesn’t mean that mint leaves will play the leading role. They will most likely add to the effect of other things that you should use to boost your metabolism and gradually reduce your weight.
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It’s a fact that you will never lose 10 pounds a week with mint leaves only. Yet, combined with a healthy diet, they can give an astonishing result. Below, you will find several effective recipes that will help your body overcome appetite attacks, stress, and may other factors that cause obesity and excess weight.
Mint leaves: weight loss recipes
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Fresh and dried mint leaves and mint essential oil have almost the same effect. This is why they can easily replace each other if you need. Below, you will find instructions on the usage of mint oil that should be remembered because of its concentration.
All the mentioned mint products are able to make digestion faster, split fats from food, and boost your metabolism. Mint teas have one big advantage that makes them so helpful in the process of slimming down – they reduce appetite. If you have a strong desire to eat something, like a cupcake, a cup of mint tea will reduce the temptation.
The tea will provide you with moisture the body needs so much. Besides that, the effect will become more and more significant and obvious with time. You will learn how to eat less and start to lose weight quickly and in a healthy way.
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To receive the effect, take mint tea when it’s warm or even hot (it’s better). Drink with small sips and enjoy the taste of the beverage. The tea contains no calories (if you don’t add sugar or honey) and causes a relaxing effect on the nerve system. It’s a vital ability of the mint tea for a person who wants to lose weight. Stress causes an increase in the storage of fat and provokes diseases and disorders of the digestive system.
The main effect of mint leaves is in their ability to relax you nerves, reduce the sense of hunger, and calm down your stomach. The more relaxed you are, the less cortisol (a stress hormone) is produced in your body. Under the effect of cortisol, a person always wants to eat something tasty to give the body a feeling of satisfaction to reduce the stress. It’s a dangerous condition even for people with a normal weight.
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- Lemon water with mint
It’s an effective means that can boost your metabolism, provide your body with vitamins it lacks due to a strict diet, increases the production of gall, which splits fats from the food more effectively, and withdraws excess liquid from the body, helping the kidneys.
However, this drink is hardly a good remedy for people who suffer from gastritis. The balance of acids in their body is already violated so they don’t need extra acid to create a bigger disorder. If you don’t know whether you have gastritis or no but experience unpleasant feelings when tasting lemon, this drink is not suitable for you.
A classic recipe of lemon water with mint involves also thyme. Take fresh or dried thyme and mint, 1 tablespoon of each, add 1 cup of boiling water. Let the tea gain strength for 5 minutes. In the end, add some lemon juice or a slice of lemon and drink while the drink is still warm.
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- Milk with mint
Sounds strange enough but many people claim that it’s a good thing. Milk contains a lot of protein, which is a building material for the body. At the same time, mint causes a relaxing effect that reduces appetite.
Milk and mint work together as a great sleeping aid. In this recipe, the milk must be warm and mint will only increase the drowsiness. This is why it’s better not to take it when you are into doing some job that requires preciseness, attention, and concentration.
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- Green tea with mint
This is a very variable remedy. A cup of such tea can give both a relaxing and a toning up effect, depending on the prevailing ingredient. The stronger the tea is, the better the energizing effect will be. The more mint you add and the weaker the tea is, the more relaxing the effect will be. Anyway, the drink will reduce the sense of hunger and a desire to eat something sweet.
In classic recipes, it’s necessary to add 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried mint leaves to 1 liter of freshly cooked green tea. Wait 5 minutes and the beverage is ready for drinking.
- Classic mint tea
Take fresh or dried mint leaves. A tablespoon per a cup will be enough. Add boiling water. Cover the cup with a saucer or a lid and wait for 5 minutes. Drink the beverage immediately after it cools down to a comfort temperature.
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- mint drink with milk and wild apples
Take 1 tablespoon of crab apples and the same amount of fresh or dried mint leaves. Add ½ liter of boiling water. Warm up 4 tablespoons of milk. Remove the mint leaves and apples from the tea and add milk. The drink is ready for consumption!
- mint drink with herbs and spices
Take 1 tablespoon of mint leaves, 1 teaspoon of green tea, 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger root, 1 coffee spoon of caraway seeds and put into a glass jar. Pour 300ml of boiling water into the same jar and leave for 20 minutes. Drink three times a day, 30 minutes before meals.
- A refreshing drink with mint
Take 2 liters of clean water, 1 finely sliced cucumber, 1 sliced lemon (with peel), 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, and 12 fresh leaves of mint. Put all the ingredients into the water and leave for the night in a cold place (the fridge). Drink up to five times a day but keep the rest of the beverage in the fridge.
Side effects of mint leaves for weight loss
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In spite of a wide assortment or proved mint leaves health benefits, there’s a wide range of situations when mint is prohibited. For instance, if you are pregnant or nursing your baby, if you have an individual intolerance to menthol, or if you suffer from acid reflux. As anything else, mint leaves should be taken very carefully in order to reduce possible side effects.
Other side effects of mint leaves:
- Drowsiness
- Diarrhea
- Muscle pains
- Slowing down of the heart pace
- Cramps
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If you want to lose weight safely, give attention to these side effects and make sure you don’t overdo with the mint teas and drinks. Mint leaves cannot able to reduce your weight in several days. This is why you should not try to increase the amount of mint teas you drink for the sake of a better effect.
Share your new knowledge with your friends and lose weight in a healthy, safe, and effective way!
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