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Peppermint & Weight Loss

Peppermint consumption can help benefit overall health as well as expedite weight loss. A natural appetite suppressant that increases alertness while decreasing hunger pangs, peppermint can help you control your appetite and improve digestion. Peppermint also can make food taste better and help you feel full and satisfied more quickly. Peppermint is effective when ingested or inhaled.

  1. A 2,800 Calorie Difference

    • A study from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia concluded that those exposed on a consistent basis to peppermint consumed about 2,800 fewer calories per week than those who were not. According to study creator Bryan Raudenbush, Ph.D., the scent or consumption of peppermint increases brain activity in the area that controls alertness. He found that avoiding this crash in attention and focus will curb the snacking that often takes place to jump-start energy. Another study, conducted through the University of Cincinnati by Dr. William N. Dember, concluded that mental alertness and focus could be increased by 28 percent through the inhalation of peppermint oil.

    Decreased Appetite

    • Dr. Raudenbush's study also found a decrease in hunger associated with inhaling peppermint oil. On a diet of 1,800 calories per day over seven days, those participating in the focus group consumed approximately 23 percent fewer calories from fat and sugar. The focus group also concluded that their overall hunger was diminished over this one-week period.

    Why It Works

    • Along with increased alertness and diminished fatigue, peppermint helps increase the sense of fullness and satisfaction after eating, Raudenbush's study found. It also can help pronounce your senses of taste and smell, which will enhance your eating experience overall and increase meal satisfaction. Contact with peppermint, whether inhaled or ingested, will help curb appetite and cravings, which, as Raudenbush's study confirmed, means fewer calories will be consumed. However, the study claimed that in order to be effective, the peppermint used must be organic without traces of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

    Aiding Digestion

    • Not only does mint help with overall weight loss, it is beneficial internally as well. The consumption of mint can help to eliminate foreign particles in your internal organs and ease digestion by calming the stomach and relaxing the muscles of the intestines, which can help eliminate cramps. Mint also will ease nausea and heartburn, reduce the production of bacteria in the stomach and better the flow of bile, according to the Global Healing Center.

    Where to Find It

    • Peppermint can be found wherever herbal products are sold, such as HerbalRemedies.com or in an organic grocery store. The key is ensuring that the product is labeled organic. Growing the mint yourself in a garden or pot is another way to guarantee that the mint you are using is organic. Mint can be used in oil form, as tea or by simply plucking a few mint leaves for consumption.

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