Want to Lose Weight? Eat a Curry!

Developing a taste for the spicier things in life could help you lose weight, according to a new study. It seems that hot foods can help you in your bid to shed pounds as they actively  reduce inflammation in the gut and cut your chances of developing insulin resistance.

Previous research has suggested that hot and spicy ingredients could help to boost your metabolism, allowing your body to burn more calories – always a plus. However, it seems that they can work in a few other ways, all of which can improve your health and see those numbers on the scales go down.

Scientists from Boston and China had a look at how capsaicin – the spicy ingredient in chilli – affects our body. They found that three big factors that contribute to obesity are inflammation in the gut, issues with the bacteria in the gut and with the intestinal barrier.

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A diet that includes capsaicin was found to help reduce the chances of these risk factors occurring. This means that a regular curry could be a good idea, especially when teamed with the boost to your metabolism – just be sure to make healthy versions at home rather than go for a takeaway! Cooking a delicious homemade curry in the ActiFry is a great way to cut out the calories.

On top of helping you lose weight, the researchers also found that those who eat spicy foods a lot have a lower risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, cancer and breathing issues.

This doesn’t mean you need to sweat through every meal, as all chillies contain capsaicin, although the hotter ones do have more in them. Having slightly spicier foods that you can still enjoy will help you eat more and won’t leave you feeling uncomfortable at the dinner table.

Other warming spices are also thought to help boost your metabolism, such as ginger, turmeric and cinnamon. This means you might want to try and experiment with introducing these to your meals if the thought of chilli is a bit much.

Of course, if you’re a big fan of hot and spicy foods that would blow other people’s socks off, you’ve got nothing to worry about!