The Cumin Weight Loss Theory

Our yummy cumin-loaded brunch today. Recipe below.

Trying to kick a weight loss plateau? Unhand the celery and head for the spice cabinet: New research shows that cumin powder can help  loss, decrease body fat, and improve unhealthy cholesterol levels naturally. 

Researchers at Iran's Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences randomly split 88 overweight or obese women into 2 groups. For 3 months, both groups received nutrition counseling and decreased their daily intake of calories by 500. But one group was also eating 3 grams (a little less than 1 teaspoon) of cumin powder daily, swirled into 5 ounces of yogurt (the same amount of yogurt, minus the cumin, was also prescribed to the control group). 

At the end of the 3-month trial, members in the cumin group had lost 3 more pounds than those in the non-cumin group for a total of 13 pounds weight loss. More impressively, the cumin group members decreased body fat percentage by 14.64%—almost triple the 4.91% loss posted by the control group—apparently due to the addition of the fat-burning spice.

There were internal benefits, too. The cumin group's levels of harmful blood fats, or triglycerides, dropped by 23 points, while the control group's decreased only by 5. Cumin eaters also knocked an average of nearly 10 points off their "bad" LDL cholesterol reading. The control group shed just half a point in that category.

How did the cumin group get such dramatic changes just from eating a little of the spice? First, cumin is rich in phytosterols, plant chemicals known to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the body. Since this is the first research to show the spice has weight-loss benefits, the study authors also speculate that cumin, like other hot spices, temporarily increases metabolic rate.

LWDLIK - All sounded good to me (anything but the dreaded treadmil) so adapted a baked egg recipe for brunch today and was very, very pleased with the outcome.

Baked eggs with spinach, veg and cumin.

Peel and dice two potatoes and two carrots. Boil them for 8 mins in salted water. Meanwhile dice a large onion. Sieve water from potatoes and carrots and drain. Fry diced onion in 2tbs of olive oil for 5 mins. Add potatoes and carrots to onion and continue to fry for few minutes. Add in 1 cup of frozen spinach (just make sure you thaw it out before with a dousing of hot water and squeeze out excess liquid), 2 tbs of chopped dill, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 heaped spoon of powdered cumin and 1 heap tsp of tumeric (a natural anti-inflammatory and miracle spice) mix well keep cooking for a few mins more.

Place mixture in an ovenproof dish make small wells and add in 7 raw eggs. Place in hot pre-heated oven at 375F degrees for 12-15 mins. And that's it. Enjoy.

I was thinking you could use other veg too i.e. pumpkin, tomatoes, courgettes, mushrooms.