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Mint is a widespread herbaceous plant characterized by great species diversity. In the plant world, over 20 species and 100 subspecies of mint are known. For many centuries it has been used in the food industry, household chemicals, perfumes, folk and official medicine.
There is hardly a person who has never encountered this plant in one area or another of life. However, not everyone knows that mint can become a true ally in the fight against excess weight. To understand the mechanisms of its fat-burning action, you need to learn in more detail what this herb actually is.
Positive effects of mint on the body
Mint consists of many different components that have a positive effect on the body. Its leaves contain 2.75% essential oils, its seeds contain 20% fatty oil, and its inflorescences contain up to 6% essential oil. In addition to these components, mint contains the following beneficial substances:
- Rutin;
- Carotene;
- Hesperidin;
- Arginine;
- Ascorbic acid;
- Glucose;
- Betaine;
- Caffeic acid and others.
If you regularly consume mint leaves in the form of tea, you can normalize the functioning of the digestive system, get rid of constipation, and eliminate inflammatory processes in the intestines. Mint helps activate the salivary glands, which improve digestion.
Traditional medicine uses mint to treat the following disorders:
- Colds;
- Angina;
- Nasal congestion;
- Bronchitis;
- Asthma.
The initial use of mint and its leaves was in the field of medicine to improve the patient’s well-being, normalize his processes, and relieve inflammation. Nowadays, mint tea is actively used for weight loss, which has a beneficial effect on the body, is a laxative, and helps relieve constant constipation and gas formation. If you use mint regularly and correctly, you can achieve good results in losing weight.
The essential oil present in mint helps fight skin problems, has anti-inflammatory properties, and copes with infections. It is recommended for use in the treatment of skin diseases that are accompanied by rashes, itching, and pimples.
Precautionary measures
- Consult your doctor before using peppermint tea for weight loss.
- Do not use it if you are allergic to it or any of the ingredients mentioned in tea recipes.
- Consuming too much of it can cause heartburn. So, stick to the recommended dose.
It's amazing how this green herb can have so many positive effects on our body. And now, it's time for you to show the world how amazing you are. Eat healthy, exercise regularly, and add extra weight to your weight loss journey by drinking peppermint tea. Get started today!
How does mint help you lose weight?
Mint is used mainly in tea and tinctures; in its pure form it is rarely used and in small quantities. Peppermint tea for weight loss is the most commonly used remedy and has many benefits. The main function of tea that allows you to lose weight is to reduce appetite. To achieve the desired effect, it is taken warm, 30 minutes before meals, in small sips. This drink contains a minimal amount of calories, but allows you to quickly saturate the body with useful components and discourage the desire to eat sweets.
WHY DOESN'T LEMON WATER WORK?
She works. Let's just learn to drink it correctly. Let's start with the great misconception that you should drink water either cold or at room temperature. This is not true. Water should be drunk from 37 to 40 degrees, i.e. warm-hot.
This is due to the fact that our intestines come into action only with warm water. This is exactly how metabolism accelerates. Water does not stay in the stomach since it does not require digestion; it immediately descends into the intestines through a thin duct located along the edge of the stomach.
If you drink cold water, then the stomach will not allow the liquid to immediately pass into the intestines, it will retain it and begin to warm it up. Accordingly, no metabolism will receive the “Start” command to start working.
The water will simply remain in the stomach. So why is it warm? Well, imagine, our intestines mainly collect waste products, which, after digestion, safely leave the body.
Good elimination requires warm water to break down and soften deposits on the intestinal walls. I think everyone understands what deposits I’m talking about.
Only warm water can help the intestines remove everything unnecessary quickly and without problems. Well, for example, it’s like washing a greasy frying pan. We cannot wash it well from grease and carbon deposits with cold water.
We wash warm or hot. Same here. Only warm water breaks down unnecessary waste in the intestines and flushes out toxins.
And that very moment of losing weight comes when our intestines are cleansed and begin to work like clockwork. By cleansing the intestines of feces, which for many people are deposited on the intestinal walls for years, the size of the abdomen decreases.
This becomes very noticeable as soon as the cleaning process starts. Water will begin to break down fatty deposits as soon as intestinal metabolism starts. And this will happen very soon.
Very important note. If we want to specifically remove fat deposits, we don’t need to go on scary diets. As soon as you get your intestines in order, and this happens very quickly, your weight will begin to drop on its own.
Correct bowel function means correct weight. But don’t think that everything will somehow happen. To really lose a lot of weight, you just need to change your diet, but don’t torment yourself with terrible diets, after which you will gain even more weight in 2 days than before. You can read about it here.
In general, lemon water and a normal eating schedule are all you need for your ideal figure. Sports activities are secondary here. Sports will help you tone your body, but losing weight is only possible by changing your schedule and diet.
You can practice sports around the clock. But if you return home from the gym and eat fatty foods and snack on a bun, at least get some exercise. There will be no meaning.
How to use mint for weight loss
Mint is also used in its pure form, but in this case its use will not be pleasant enough. Most often, various drinks are prepared; mint recipes for weight loss are as follows:
- "Mint decoction." The washed mint leaves must be filled with water, placed on low heat and cooked for 5-7 minutes. After this, the drink is set aside for a while and taken orally 4 times a day in small portions;
- "Peppermint oil." Sunflower oil is heated to a temperature of 160 degrees; for this, a glass vessel is used, which is conveniently placed on the fire. The mixture is infused under a closed lid for 30 days without ventilating it. Taking the oil is simple. You need to drop one drop of oil under your tongue and hold it in your mouth until it dissolves. Taken no more than 3 times a day for 10 days. The prepared oil has a shelf life of up to 1 year, so the reception can be repeated after some time, if necessary. Peppermint oil for weight loss is considered one of the most effective ways to normalize body weight;
- "Herbal collection". In addition to mint, this drink also uses ginger, a spoonful of regular tea, and a spoonful of cumin. The mixture is poured with boiling water, closed with a lid and left for up to 20 minutes. You need to drink no more than 3 times a day.
Mint has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract, it improves metabolic processes, suppresses appetite, and reduces hunger. If you drink one type of mint drink every day before meals, you can achieve weight loss without overeating.
Stressful situations and nervous tension often lead to eating breakdowns and long-term gluttons. Mint helps to calm down, relax, get rid of negative thoughts and emotions, allowing a person to easily endure a given situation without turning to food for comfort. Thus, taking mint not only helps restore the intestinal microflora, relieve pain in the stomach, and normalize metabolic processes, but also promotes weight loss, which begins literally from the first days of taking the drink.
Effectiveness for weight loss
With the help of mint you can lose 3-6 kg. Fasting days cannot be arranged every week. Mint diets should be accompanied by physical activity. They are increased gradually 1 in the first days you need to limit yourself to morning exercises and walking before bed. Subsequently, they move on to more active sports - swimming, running, cycling. Physical exercise alternates with rest - it is important to ensure proper sleep lasting 7-8 hours.
Diet therapy begins with a review of the diet. Bad habits (alcohol, tobacco products) must be given up in advance. Heavy and unhealthy foods (sweets, confectionery and sausages, smoked, salty and spicy foods) should be excluded from the diet. Drinks with mint, prepared independently, are consumed when thirst occurs. Carbonated sweets and energy drinks should not be consumed during weight loss.
Meals are eaten at the same time. For breakfast, porridge is prepared in water from oatmeal, millet, rice or buckwheat. For lunch - light salads from boiled and fresh vegetables, pureed cream soups. The diet may include fish (low-fat river varieties) and poultry (chicken, turkey). Dishes are steamed, vegetables can be stewed in their own juice or boiled. Sunflower oil is replaced with olive oil. Spices should not contain large amounts of salt and ground pepper. Dried mint serves as a seasoning.
How to brew mint for weight loss?
The beneficial properties of mint are difficult to overestimate; it is beneficial not only for various inflammatory diseases and viruses, but also improves metabolic processes, promoting weight loss. Peppermint for weight loss is brewed in several ways, and you need to know about them.
- With lemon. You need to take 0.5 liters of boiled water, pour in mint leaves and cover the container with a lid for 30 minutes. Before use, add juice from a quarter of a lemon to the mint. This combination will have a fat-burning effect, help to quickly activate metabolic processes and remove excess fluid from the body;
- With thyme. You will need 10 g of dry thyme and mint leaves, pour them with 200 ml of boiling water. Infuse over medium heat for 25 minutes and consume warm before bed. Tea has a calming and relaxing effect, so it will help you quickly get rid of bad thoughts and normalize sleep. It is worth remembering that there will be a diuretic effect, you need to be prepared for it;
- With green tea. Green tea itself has a diuretic effect, and therefore promotes weight loss. If you combine it with mint, the effect will be twice as great. To prepare, you need to take 20 g of dry tea leaves and the same amount of mint. Everything is mixed and poured with boiling water. It is not recommended to dilute the mixture with sugar or add milk to it; the effect is lost.
Mint for weight loss is brewed in different ways, all of them will be effective at the time of weight loss. Any decoctions and teas that contain mint have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the body and the digestive system in particular. The main thing is to measure the amount of drink you drink, do not overuse it and take into account all the norms.
Recommendations
What to use
The leaves are used to lose weight and improve the health of the body. Harvesting is done during flowering (July-August) in dry weather. You need to catch the moment when half of the flowers bloom, and the second half remains in the form of buds. The entire aerial part is cut off with scissors and dried, according to the rules for harvesting medicinal plants. Only after this the leaves need to be picked and stored in paper bags for 2 years. The root, stem and flowers are not used in dietetics.
You can purchase ready-made herbal tea in bags at the pharmacy. It is accompanied by detailed instructions indicating contraindications and dosages, which makes use convenient and correct. For example, the Altai company produces a special weight loss tea with mint and cassia (about $3).
Herbal tea for weight loss with mint and cassia
How to cook
It is better to add crushed dried leaves as a seasoning to hot dishes (soups, stewed vegetables, meat, fish).
In cold dishes (fruit and vegetable salads and appetizers) - fresh leaves, which are placed on top as a decoration.
To prepare a hot drink (tea, infusion, decoction), you can use any raw material - fresh and dry, whole and crushed leaves. It is better to do this in a ceramic teapot to preserve all the beneficial properties of the plant.
Fresh leaves are usually added to cocktails, smoothies and water.
How to use
To speed up your metabolism, you can drink water in the morning on an empty stomach and then throughout the day to quench your thirst in any quantity.
Hot drinks - a quarter of an hour after meals several times a day.
Restrictions on the consumption of dishes with its addition relate only to calorie content, the daily norm of which for weight loss should be on average 1,500 kcal for women and 1,800 kcal for men.
Lifehacks
In case of an overdose, food and drinks will taste bitter.
Do not put fresh leaves into boiling or too hot water for cooking (this does not apply to drinks). Cool to at least 70°C.
Any mint drinks should be drunk in small sips and not in one gulp.
Other names. Cold, cold, noble, English, garden, tea, chill.
Mint drink recipes
You can make more than just tea from mint. There are many recipes for smoothies and cocktails that have similar properties and have an extremely beneficial effect on the body of a person losing weight. Weight loss drinks with mint are prepared very easily and simply, just take the necessary ingredients and you can start preparing.
- Coconut smoothie. You need to cut a cucumber, 20 g of ginger and 5 mint leaves. They are mixed and poured with 200 ml of coconut milk. Mix everything in a blender until smooth, add a spoonful of honey for taste. The smoothie turns out tasty, nutritious and aromatic. It satisfies hunger, saturates the body and promotes weight loss.
- Summer cocktail. You will need 100 g of strawberries, 50 g of mint, 50 g of cocoa powder and a little cinnamon. Everything is poured with milk and mixed in a blender. It is important to mix the ingredients well with the honey so that they create a pleasant and homogeneous consistency.
- Celery smoothie. Take 20 g of ginger, 50 g of celery stalk, green apple and mint. Mix all the ingredients together, beat for 1 minute in a blender, add 100 ml of water. Mix again until a homogeneous consistency is formed.
In addition to these cocktails, regular water with mint is also used for weight loss. To do this, just add a few mint leaves and ice to a glass of water and take it before meals. The drink is not only refreshing, but also invigorating, promoting weight loss.
In order for the weight loss process to occur according to all the rules, you need to know how to take mint for weight loss. It is recommended to drink no more than 3 glasses of the drink per day, one glass before each meal. This will fill your stomach, satisfy your hunger, and reduce your appetite. Cocktails work to create a calorie deficit, which is what causes weight loss and getting into the desired shape.
Mint wraps and baths
During these procedures, accelerated fat breakdown is launched and metabolism is activated. As you know, menthol irritates skin thermoreceptors, causing a feeling of cooling. Because of this, a slight burning sensation occurs, the vessels reflexively narrow, blood circulation and metabolic processes in the subcutaneous fat are enhanced.
This mechanism allows you to successfully use mint wraps against cellulite and baths for weight loss.
For the wrapping procedure, you need to prepare a special infusion in advance by steaming 25 g of mint in a liter of boiling water for half an hour. When it cools down, moisten the bandages generously and wrap them around the thighs and abdomen. Wrap regular cling film on top and wrap yourself in a warm blanket for 40 minutes. As soon as a feeling of coldness and burning appears, remove the bandages.
To prepare a mint bath you will need essential oil. Fill the bath with warm water and add 15 drops of oil. Sit in the water for 20 minutes. In addition to losing weight, such a bath will have a calming effect, relieve stress and nervous tension.
Contraindications for use
Only at first glance, mint is considered a completely harmless plant that has medicinal properties. But not everyone is shown this option for losing weight. There is a group of people for whom the use of any mint-based drinks is strictly contraindicated, we note:
- Breastfeeding period;
- Pregnancy;
- Menthol intolerance;
- Allergic manifestations;
- Acid reflux aggregation.
In these conditions, taking mint is strictly not recommended; it will further irritate the human intestines, not giving the desired effect. If the rules for using drinks are not followed, serious side effects may occur that will force the person to undergo additional treatment.
Possible harm and side effects
When using peppermint for weight loss, do not forget that side effects may occur. These include:
- Drowsiness and lethargy. Appears when a person consumes mint either in excess or for a long time. While losing weight with the help of mint, it is recommended not to engage in work that requires increased concentration and not to drive a car.
- Heartburn. Appears when a person consumes mint in high concentration.
- Itching, rash, burning – an allergy, in a word. Occurs in people with individual intolerance to the plant.
- Problems with conception. Some experts believe that this may be due to the use of mint.
- Problems with potency. Men should take the use of mint seriously and not exceed the permissible dosage.
LIFE STORY
I have a friend who completely denies any products that are not from a pharmacy or cost less than 500 rubles. She believes that the more expensive the better, and all sorts of herbs and ants were invented by not very smart people in her opinion. I didn’t try to dissuade her, to each his own. Probably most of us have problems with digestion and, excuse the details, going to the toilet every day. I started drinking my lemon water.
I confess, for some moments I stop drinking it because I get bored. But my absolutely incorrect nutrition brings me back to it. Of course, I advised her to start drinking this drink. He kicked, went and bought laxative pills at the pharmacy.
In the end, after suffering with sharp pains in my stomach for a week, I called to ask what I should put in.
Started drinking. Metabolism has started, the intestines have started working. Now my friend has stopped spitting in the direction of alternative medicine, and now willingly buys herbs at the pharmacy for herself. I planted mint and some other flowers on the windowsill. I stopped going to doctors.
We, people of the modern world, have completely forgotten that in addition to chemical tablets, there are also natural medicines that will always help cope with ailments.
When we stuff our children with immunomodulators and pseudovitamins, for some reason we don’t think about the fact that it’s enough to always give the child a slice of lemon with tea and forget about snot once a year. My child has been going to kindergarten for 2.5 years.
During the entire time, we were sick 2 times and not at all with snot. The first time I had scarlet fever, the second time we went to remove the adenoids ourselves. That's all. No one in my family is sick. Although both my husband and I were rather sickly comrades.
As adults, we took charge of our own health. And you know, everything passed. We drink lemon water all the time. A child has been drinking it like juice since he was 3 years old. And he doesn’t even look at store-bought juices. He says they are not tasty).