Can You Use Saffron for Weight Loss?

If you’re struggling with diet and exercise, you may want to consider using saffron for weight loss. This very pungent spice is used in cooking and especially for fish and rice dishes, to give them flavor and aroma. The spice is full of many healthy ingredients that can bolster your body’s own health and even help you lose weight.

Consider how and why you might use saffron for weight loss and how it can help you keep your weight manageable. You may find that it then becomes one of your favorite spices to use in the kitchen!

Curbing Appetite

One reason that you can use this spice when you need to lose weight is that it seems to curb your appetite and calm your cravings. This is because the spice helps to release serotonins in the brain, which are those “feel good” chemicals that cause you feel relaxed and happy. When you’re relaxed you’re not as likely to overeat out of anxiety or nervousness.

Serotonins are also thought to help you to feel full when you eat. This in turn allows you to eat only a moderate amount of food and not overeat, as the body’s hunger signals get turned off when your brain releases serotonins. In turn you can control your portions with every meal and stop eating once you’re full.

Using as a Spice

Another reason you can use saffron for weight loss is that the spice is very pungent and aromatic and it gives flavor and aroma to otherwise bland dishes, like fish and rice. Fish especially is a good choice for those who want to lose weight because it’s low in calories and high in protein. However, many people avoid fish dishes because they feel they’re bland and dull and don’t taste good.

When you learn to cook with herbs and spices and get away from oils or butter to add flavor to your food, you can in turn eat healthier foods that help you to lose weight. You can add more fish and simple rice dishes to your diet when you add saffron to your cooking. Rather than filling up on fried foods or those that are heavy with oils, you can fill up on foods with fewer calories and that have more nutrition. In turn you can lose weight and keep it off because of using a spice like saffron.