Ginger (Latin name Zingiber officinal) is a plant that has not only a bright burning taste and rich aroma, but also numerous healing properties, allowing you to use it very widely in traditional medicine. One of the areas in which this spice has gained particular popularity is the fight against excess weight.

This review will discuss how exactly ginger can help you lose weight, what the ginger diet has contraindications, and how to make fresh, healthy and tasty fat-burning tea based on this exotic oriental root.

Healing properties, the effectiveness of ginger root to accelerate metabolism and weight loss

Ginger root contains a large number of vitamins (primarily group B), essential and essential amino acids, as well as the most important minerals for the human body - potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. However, the main and, what is fundamentally important, a unique substance, thanks to which the "horned root" gained the fame of a medicinal plant, is the so-called gingerol.

• The effect of this biologically active compound on the body is diverse, in particular, you should know that it:
• accelerates metabolic processes (according to some studies, by 15%), promotes the breakdown of fats;
• possesses analgesic (analgesic) action;
• exhibits antioxidant and antitumor activity;
• contributes to the symptomatic treatment of diseases and specific conditions accompanied by nausea (for example, toxicosis during pregnancy);
• relieves the respiratory tract from excess sputum (helps to cope with a productive cough and asthma attacks);
• stops inflammatory processes in the body;
• strengthens the walls of blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure;
• helps to improve digestion;
• improves skin condition;
• restores blood sugar balance;
• strengthens the immune system;
• It has a pronounced bactericidal, antifungal and anthelmintic action.

It is believed that the main reason that ginger tea, decoctions and smoothies are included in the diet of those who want to lose weight is this is the ability of the horny root to accelerate metabolism. However, in reality, the mechanism of work of fragrant oriental spices in our body is much more complicated. The reason for gaining excess weight can be not only an incorrect (slowed down) metabolism, but also functional disorders in the work of various organs and systems.

The tonic, invigorating and healing effect that ginger has on the body is accompanied by a noticeable improvement in well-being, and getting rid of a few extra pounds in this situation is only a natural consequence of the normalization of all processes taking place in our body.

Is it possible to lose weight with ginger root

The answer to this question cannot be unambiguous and depends on how critical the problem is, whether it is caused by a systemic disease, without identifying and treating which positive dynamics is impossible in principle, as well as the lifestyle that anyone who wants to lose weight leads.

Important! Ginger is useless in the fight against excess weight, if you do not combine its intake with physical activity and the right approach to making a diet - limiting flour, fat, fried, lack of overeating, getting rid of the habit of eating too much at night, etc.

In order for the weight loss process to give its results, you need to carefully study your lifestyle, exclude from it the main reasons that can contribute to weight gain, and those that cannot be excluded, try to neutralize, for example, by adding a mandatory morning run to your daily routine, evening walk, dance classes and other active ways of hanging out.

As a hint, we note that, according to scientists, the TOP 10 main reasons why people become full include the following unfavorable factors:

1. Overeating.
2. Sedentary lifestyle (lack of physical activity).
3. A sharp change in one of the two factors mentioned above (for example, an athlete who has left the sport, when eating the same amount of food as always, very quickly begins to gain excess weight).
4. Lack of fluid in the body.
5. Age-related changes and hormonal disorders.
6. Ignoring breakfast (it turns out that it is the first meal that triggers metabolic processes in the body and makes the digestive system work correctly).
7. Lack of sleep.
8. Lack of diet (long breaks between meals, irregular snacks, meals on the go, etc.).
9. Permanent diets.
10. Stress.

Did you know? The dubious title of the fattest man in the world belongs to a resident of the state of Michigan (USA) named Carol Yeager, whose weight was fixed at around 727 kg. It is interesting that, according to doctors, the only reason for an overweight woman is her restless appetite, which arose, however, as a result of stress experienced in childhood.

One way or another, it’s definitely not worth counting on ginger as a magic wand or miraculous pill if you don’t take over the main reason for weight gain.

Ginger Tea Recipes for Weight Loss

Ginger slimming tea does not have to be prepared in strict accordance with the recipe. It is enough just to grate the rhizome (not even peeled, just thoroughly washed) on a fine grater, pour the resulting pulp with boiling water, insist a little, like regular tea, and a fragrant, tasty, rich in vitamins, refreshing, tonic drink, which also has the property of promoting accelerate metabolism in the body, ready.

Video: Ginger Slimming Tea

However, using the described recipe as a basis, you can add various additional ingredients to the aromatic root to your taste - fruits, berries, herbs, spices, etc., as well as black or green tea leaves, each time getting new shades of the taste of the finished drink . It’s only important to remember that in order to lose weight, you need to drink ginger tea without sugar, as a last resort adding a little quality honey for sweetness.

Ginger root tea with lemon, honey and cinnamon

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 25 g;
• Limo - 1 pc.;
• cinnamon - 1 stick (or 1/2 tsp. powder);
• honey - 1 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash rhizome, peel and grate on a fine grater or chop finely with a knife.
2. Wash the lemon and cut into small cubes directly with the peel.
3. Put ginger pulp on the bottom of the thermos, add cinnamon and pour water heated to a temperature of + 85 ... + 90 ° С.
4. Cover the thermos with a lid and leave to insist for 20–40 minutes.
5. Open the lid, add chopped lemon to the slightly cooled tea, cork it again and leave it for 3-5 minutes.
6. Before use, remove the cinnamon stick. If desired, you can strain the liquid and remove the “tea leaves”, but it is better to take this tool for weight loss along with thickening.
7. You can add honey to the cup to taste.

Did you know? Peeling ginger can be very difficult. However, if the rhizome is held for several minutes in water, the skin will be removed literally from the touch of a knife.

With orange and honey

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 20–25 g;
• orange - 1 pc.;
• green tea - 3 tsp;
• ground black pepper - 1 pinch;
• honey - 1 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash rhizome and grate on a fine grater.
2. Put ginger pulp, green tea leaves, pepper on the bottom of the teapot, pour boiling water over the ingredients, cover, leave for 10-15 minutes.
3. While the tea is infused, cut the orange in half and gently squeeze the juice from one half, simultaneously removing the seeds falling into the juice. Cut the second half of citrus into thin slices.
4. Pour tea into cups, season with orange juice and honey, put an orange slice in each cup.

With lingonberries

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 20 g;
• lingonberries (fresh or frozen) - 1 tbsp. l .;
• honey - 1 tbsp. l .;
• mint (fresh or dry) - a few leaves;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Grate or finely chop the rhizome.
2. Put the berries on a plate, carefully crush each fruit with a wooden mortar, so that they let the juice.
3. Put ginger and berry gruel in the teapot, add mint.
4. Pour boiled water over the mixture, cover, let it brew for 15–20 minutes.
5. Drink without filtering, after adding honey to the cup.

Important! Lingonberries, if desired, can be replaced with blackberries, cranberries and any other favorite berry.

With mint

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 25 g;
• black tea - 1 tsp;
• dried mint - 1 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash the root, peel, cut into thin slices.
2. Brew black tea in the usual way by mixing dried mint with tea leaves.
3. Add ginger slices to the finished drink with a rich mint aroma, mix well and drink in small sips.

With wild rose

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 15–20 g;
• dried rosehip - 10-15 berries;
• red apple - 1 pc. (medium size);
• cinnamon - 1 stick (can be replaced with powder);
• mint (fresh or dried) - a few leaves;
• raisins - 10-15 berries;
• honey - 1 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash the apple, cut into 4 parts, remove the seed chamber and seeds. Cut each quarter across into thin slices.
2. Grind the wild rose in a mortar.
3. Wash the ginger root, grate.
4. Put ginger, crushed rosehip, raisins, cinnamon and mint on the bottom of the teapot. Pour the mixture with boiling water, cover, let it brew for 15–20 minutes.
5. Pour the finished drink into cups, add honey and apple slices. Drink without filtering.

With mountain ash

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 20–25 g;
• rowan berries (better than aronia) - 3-4 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash the rhizome and chop finely with a knife.
2. Pour mountain ash into a saucepan, add water and put on fire.
3. As soon as the water boils, add chopped root to the saucepan, immediately turn off the stove, cover the container with a lid and let it brew for 10-15 minutes.
4. After a while, strain the liquid, pour into cups, add honey.

With apple

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 20–25 g;
• green apple - 1 pc.;
• cinnamon - 1 stick;
• honey - 1 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash and chop the ginger in any convenient way.
2. Cut the apple into thin slices, after removing the core and the stalk.
3. In a teapot, mix ginger and apples, add a stick of cinnamon, pour hot water, cover, let it brew for 10-15 minutes.
4. Pour tea into cups, trying to evenly distribute pieces of fruit and ginger sediment. Remove the cinnamon stick.
5. Before use, add honey.

With turmeric and cinnamon

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 20 g;
• turmeric root - 20 g;
• lemon - 1 pc.;
• ground black pepper - 1 tsp;
• water - 1 l.

If the turmeric root could not be obtained, you can replace it with a powder analogue, which is easy to find in any supermarket in the spice department.

Step by step recipe:

1. Grind both roots.
2. Bring the water to a boil, add the resulting ginger and turmeric gruel, cover, let it brew for 10-15 minutes.
3. Cut the lemon in half, squeeze the juice from one half, cut the second into thin slices.
4. Strain the infused tea, add pepper, honey and lemon juice to the drink, pour into cups, and then put a lemon slice in each.

Did you know? Turmeric is not only a popular spice and a medicinal plant widely used in folk medicine, but also a very beautiful flower that can be grown at home, thus combining business with pleasure.

With cardamom and mint

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 25 g;
• fresh mint - 60 g;
• cardamom - 1 tsp;
• lemon - 1 pc.;
• orange - 1 pc.:
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Finely chop the mint leaves with a knife.
2. Wash rhizome, grate.
3. Cardamom fruits thoroughly grind in a mortar.
4. Squeeze the juice from citrus fruits.
5. Mix in the teapot all the components except juice, pour boiling water, cover, let it brew for 1.5–2 hours.
6. After a while, strain the liquid.
7. When the drink has cooled to room temperature, add orange-lemon juice. Take chilled.

With red pepper

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 20 g;
• green or black tea - 1 tbsp. l .;
• ground chili pepper - 1 tsp;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash rhizome, peel, cut into small slices.
2. Brew tea. Pour the drink into cups.
3. Add honey and red pepper, mix well and drink in small sips immediately.

With garlic

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 20 g;
• garlic - 3-4 cloves;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash the ginger and chop finely.
2. Peel and chop the garlic. For this purpose, it is better to use a knife, not a garlic press, so that the juice remains inside the pieces.
3. Pour both components into a teapot, pour boiling water, cover, let it brew for 10-15 minutes.
4. Strain before use.

Important! It is garlic-ginger tea that is considered the most effective in the fight against excess weight. This effect is achieved due to the combination of gingerol and allicin, which is part of garlic, which has similar properties, resulting in the so-called synergy (the two components together work better than simply summing up their work separately).

With caraway seeds

Ingredients:

• ginger root - 25 g;
• black cumin seeds - 2 tbsp. l .;
• candied fruit - 1 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1 l.

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash and chop the rhizome with a grater.
2. Pour cumin seeds with cold water, put on fire and bring to a boil.
3. After removing the liquid from the fire, add ginger and candied fruit to it, cover, let it brew for 10-15 minutes.
4. Pour tea into cups without filtering. Before use, add honey.

Brewing and Use Rules

The beneficial properties of ginger tea directly depend on compliance with the technology of preparation of the drink and its proper intake.When preparing ginger tea for weight loss, you should listen to the experience of wise Chinese. The fact is that the water that has passed the boiling stage acquires excessive rigidity, since high temperature helps dissolve heavy metal salts in the liquid. Brewed in such water, tea will not only bring less benefit to the body, but will also significantly lose the richness of taste.

Did you know? The Chinese science of making tea involves several stages of heating water for brewing, with very beautiful names for each. It is considered the most correct to fill the leaves with water, heated up to the “white key” stage, that is, the moment preceding the boil, when numerous bubbles begin to rise intensively from the bottom of the kettle, and the water becomes almost white due to this.

On the other hand, insufficiently warmed water will not provide the brewing process, i.e. extracting all biologically active and valuable substances that should get into the drink from ginger and other ingredients added during the preparation process. That’s why the “white key” is exactly the temperature of the water at which you need to strive to make tea to make it perfect.

Most nutritionists do not recommend getting involved in ginger tea., limiting daily to a maximum of two cups of such a drink. If there are no global problems with excess weight, to maintain the body and figure in good shape, it is enough to simply add a little crushed root to a standard cup of tea drunk during the day.

To obtain a more pronounced effect, the aromatic drink should be drunk in small quantities (150-200 ml each).about half an hour before each meal. Gingerol and other active ingredients brewed in tea will start the active production of two main enzymes involved in digestion - gastric juice and bile, as a result of which everything eaten will be absorbed quickly and will not be deposited first in the stomach, and then on the sides in the form of excess fat. And the tonic (invigorating) effect exerted by the ginger root on the body will prevent the occurrence of a dangerous desire to relax after a heavy meal, which usually leads to undesirable weight gain.

However, it should be borne in mind that not all people tolerate ginger equally well, therefore, if this spice is not present in the diet all the time, then you need to start drinking the drinks insisted on it from small portions, gradually increasing the daily dose from 50 ml to an acceptable 0.5 l.

There is also the practice of organizing fasting days with ginger tea instead of any other food, except for a small amount of fresh or dried fruits, in another version - boiled vegetables, light soup, low-fat fish. However, given the ability of the horny root to irritate the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, before resorting to such methods to reduce their weight, it is better to consult with your doctor.

Contraindications

For all its many beneficial properties, ginger - the plant is not at all harmless, and its improper use can lead to serious problems. First of all, we are talking about an overdose, but there are a number of conditions that are a direct contraindication to the inclusion of the horned root in your diet. But for children under four years old, ginger tea should not be given at all.

• In particular, this list should include:
• any diseases and conditions accompanied by damage or hypersensitivity to the mucous membranes of the esophagus, stomach or intestines (ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, colitis, enteritis, erosion, etc.);
• serious liver disease, including hepatitis and cirrhosis;
• disorders of the cardiovascular system (stroke or pre-stroke condition, myocardial infarction or pre-infarction condition, coronary heart disease, hypertension, etc.);
• the presence of stones in the gallbladder (aggressive ginger can set them in motion, which is fraught with serious consequences up to urgent surgery);
• bleeding of any nature and orientation, weak blood vessels, a tendency to hemorrhage (the ability of ginger to thin the blood can aggravate the condition);
• acute conditions characterized by fever and hyperthermia (any warm drink can lead to an increase in heat, but ginger tea is especially dangerous in this case);
• an allergic reaction to any component that is part of the chemical composition of the plant;
• dermatitis, rash of undiagnosed nature and other skin diseases in the acute stage;
• taking certain medications, in particular, aimed at stimulating the work of the heart muscle, lowering or increasing pressure, lowering blood sugar, lowering blood coagulation.

Speaking about the contraindications of the drink, one should also not forget that not only ginger, but also other components that make up fat-burning tea can have their own side effects, so in each case the list of conditions that are at risk may be expanded due to additional items. Ginger tea will not help to lose weight if you drink a juicy hamburger lying on the couch in front of the TV. In addition, since we are talking about a very burning and aggressive plant, it is also impossible to use infused drinks without restrictions as a product for a mono-diet.

Important! During pregnancy, ginger tea should be used with caution, especially in the third trimester. The main danger of the drink lies in its ability to provoke jumps in blood pressure, so the expectant mother needs to carefully listen to her feelings during this kind of tea party.

And yet, this does not mean that the ability to lose weight with ginger tea is a myth, you just need to lose weight correctly, combining the use of a fat-burning drink with a healthy diet and an active lifestyle, including physical education and frequent walks in the fresh air.