Spice up your meals to lose weight!

Added on 26/07/10

Author: Alex Wilkinson - Reporter

Are you a fan of spicy food? If so then here’s some good news!

Scientists from Korea have found that chillies trigger weight loss and can fight the build up of fat in the body. This is because chillies contain an ingredient called Capsaicin which can potentially encourage helpful chemical changes in the body.

If you’re the sort of person who feels as though your mouth is burning when you eat a hot dish, and have to rush to get a glass of water, then just remember this. The burning sensation you’re experiencing might be a bit painful – but it actually triggers your brain to release ‘happy chemicals’ into your body.  Spices have many other benefits too. They help the brain to stay alert. They also help us to eat less by making us feel less full. A study found that when women took just two teaspoons of spice, and sprinkled it over a meal, they consumed fewer calories and fat.

Perhaps you could try scattering some chilli sauce over your scrambled eggs in the morning? Or add some chilli flakes to a salad, to give it a spicy summery kick.

If you’re vegetarian then spice can be a really useful way to make a meat-free meal much tastier. Recent research shows that a meat-free diet can be a great way to lose weight, so why not cut down on your meat intake and replace them with spiced-up veggie meals?

Chillies are traditionally part of Indian and Chinese meals so you might be tempted to rush out and get a takeaway. But a far more healthy method is to include chillies in your home cooking. They’re a surprisingly versatile ingredient and you can really have fun experimenting with them! If things get too hot to handle, you can always cool down by adding ingredients like yoghurt or cream to your dish.

Spicing up your mealtimes is cheap, simple and could help you to lose weight!