5 Natural Ingredients That Can Help With Weight Loss

When people start contemplating losing weight, they often think about the things that are commonly associated with the weight loss process—diet and exercise.

Don’t get me wrong, both are extremely important and vital if you want to effectively lose weight. But most people don’t know that there are other things that can help you too.

If you visit your doctor, they might prescribe or recommend over-the-counter, chemically-filled medications, but these can be harmful in the long term and often come with some unwanted side effects.

With that being said, mother nature has provided us with many natural ingredients that can improve your overall health when combined with other weight loss tactics. Better yet, because they are completely natural, you are fine to use these for as long as possible without negatively impacting your body. (1)

Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a natural weight loss ingredient with antioxidant properties a thousand times more potent than Vitamin C. You’d be right to assume that the level of antioxidant properties within this ingredient enable it to perform many functions. In fact, there’s so much to be discovered about the ingredient that research studies into it have continued to this day! Despite these ongoing investigations, however, there is already a lot that we know about the antioxidant, including how it impacts weight loss.

One benefit of including astaxanthin in your weight loss diet is that it can help reduce exercise fatigue, allowing you to carry on exercising for longer periods of time without becoming exhausted.

It can also help to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and help manage other symptoms, including high blood pressure, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, both caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

Given all these properties, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest that including astaxanthin as part of your new diet will help rectify past dietary mistakes that you could otherwise find yourself paying for in the future.

Caffeine

You’re probably surprised to see caffeine on this list—and you wouldn’t be alone.

Many of us have been programmed to think that caffeine is bad and instantly addictive because of its common use as an ingredient in soda and energy drinks. But what if I told you the exact opposite, that actually, caffeine could be good for you? Not only that, but caffeine can even aid as a natural weight loss ingredient!

This is because caffeine is a natural stimulant that triggers an increase in the release of body fat for use as energy when it takes effect on your metabolism.

Burning more fat will accelerate the processing of the carbohydrates from the food you eat, enhancing your endurance abilities. Many people use caffeine when engaging in high-intensity workouts as it lowers your perception of the effort you’re putting into said exercises.

One important thing to be aware of, however, is that your body can begin to tolerate caffeine, building resistance to it, and you will need more of it over time to reap the same effects if used on a long-term basis. (2)

Glucomannan

Glucomannan is a water-soluble dietary fiber that is extracted from the roots of the elephant yam, otherwise known as konjac. It has a unique ability to absorb water, to the point where a glass of water would turn into a gel if you were to add a tiny amount of glucomannan to it.

Its unique absorption properties make it a great natural weight loss ingredient as it takes up space in your stomach, promoting a feeling of fullness that will stop you from overeating. This will go on to help you reduce your serving sizes without feeling hungry afterward, and reduce unnecessary snacking. Glucomannan also reduces stomach emptying, which contributes to feeling fuller for longer.

This natural weight loss ingredient will also help to reduce the absorption of protein and fat as it is a soluble fiber.

Green Tea Extract

Green tea extract is a concentrated form of green tea that is rich in caffeine and the polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

We have spoken about the benefits of caffeine further up in this article, but what makes green tea extract worth mentioning as its own natural weight loss ingredient is the EGCG compound contained within it. This is because the compound triggers a process known as thermogenesis, where the body will burn calories—specifically fat—to produce heat.

Green tea extract may also aid in weight loss by slowing down carbohydrate absorption and increasing the rate at which fat burns in the body by improving insulin function.

It’s suggested that you should take between 250-500mg daily to receive the best results possible.

Results from 15 studies show that green tea extract provided participants with between 3 and 7.7 pounds of additional weight loss over a twelve week period.

One benefit of these natural weight loss ingredients is that they can be mixed together without consequences. In the case of green tea extract, combining it with caffeine actually increases its effectivity. Various studies over the years have shown that by combining the two, your metabolism is stimulated beyond the capabilities of the compounds independently, leading to faster fat burning in the body.

Proteins

Most people understand that we need some level of protein in our every day, balanced diet in order to maintain normal bodily functions. We often see it promoted and consumed by bodybuilders at the gym, but did you know that protein is also a natural weight loss ingredient, too?

One benefit of increasing your protein intake is that it boosts your metabolism, making it easier—and faster—for your body to digest fat. A study involving 60 overweight participants found that a high protein diet was almost twice as effective at burning fat when compared to a moderate protein diet.

Protein is also an effective natural weight loss ingredient that can help to curb your appetite by making you feel fuller for longer. It does this by triggering the release of hormones like GLP-1, CCK, and PYY while reducing the release of the hunger hormone ghrelin at the same time.

A lot of people struggle to regularly consume enough protein for the benefits of a high protein diet through food alone. If you want to take natural supplements to help you get the best benefits possible, it’s recommended that you take between 25-50 grams of protein powder daily.

This article comes from Digital Authority Partners, a healthcare marketing agency in Chicago.