Thermogenic Foods

Thermogenic Foods ~ adapted from Fat Flush by Ann Louise Gittleman

Some herbs are thermogenic which means they rev up your body’s metabolic fires and jump start energy expenditure which helps to burn calories!
Herbs can also be diuretic or helpful to metabolize carbohydrates and aid digestion.

Cayenne, dried mustard, ginger, cinnamon and garlic all raise your internal body temperature and kick your metabolism into high gear. In fact, studies show that some of these seasonings triple the body’s ability to burn calories for fuel rather than store them as fat.

First let’s look at cayenne … it adds a delicious punch to salad dressings, soups, sauces, dips, beans dishes, vegetables and meat marinades. Making your own recipes from scratch saves you from added calories, preservatives and sodium. Cayenne is not only delicious but stimulates circulation, assists digestion and stimulates the production of adrenal hormones which speed up the breakdown of fat by 25%!

Ginger is one of my favorite flavors. You can chose from freshly grated ginger root, dried/powdered ginger or even candied ginger.
Ginger is great for digestion, motion sickness, sore muscles, arthritis, and menstrual cramps,
I love to add chopped or slivered fresh ginger to stir fry fresh veggies or meats. You can add slivered candied ginger to cookies, muffins or sprinkle it on vanilla yogurt or ice cream.

An added bonus is that you cannot gulp down spicy food and eating slowly gives your brain time to register that your stomach is full, so you won't overeat.


Other Beneficial Herbs …
Bay Leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and coriander help control insulin levels so work more of this into your diet.
Sprinkle cinnamon on muffins, toast, French toast, oatmeal or in your protein shake. This time of year it is delicious on eggnog. I found many recipes for skinny eggnog on line!

Parsley, cilantro, fennel, anise and apple cider vinegar act as natural diuretics.
Coriander are actually the seeds from the cilantro plant. I grew cilantro this past summer and used it in many recipes. Salads, salsa and soups.

Dill, fennel, and anise aid in digestion and cumin helps protect against degenerative diseases. Tumeric is believed to protect against oxidative damage.

I love to cook so this is all fun and easy for me. For those of you that this would be a struggle, the easiest way to add thermogenics to your diet is to consistently use Arbonne’s supplement, Going, Going, Gone! It incorporates Arbonne’s Get Going! Herbal blend.

I also highly recommend The Fat Flush Cookbook by Ann Louise Gittleman as it has a nice section on herbs, their uses and benefits.

Happy, healthy eating!! San