Have you ever changed your diet or have you been on a diet and not even used salt for seasoning for fear of doing something wrong?

When losing weight, many people often lose the desire for more vegetables and fresh food after a few days because everything tastes so monotonous without spices.

The fact is, however, that when we have become accustomed to eating convenience products, sweet drinks and fast food for years, our taste buds become less and less sensitive. But taste can be trained! This means that if we switch our diet to fresh, real food and natural spices, we may find it a little bland and monotonous at first, but our taste buds quickly get used to it and after around 14 days we notice again how intensely vegetables, fruit or fresh herbs taste.

Lose weight with spices: they add variety to our dishes

I see no reason why you should do without spices when changing your diet. On the contrary! With spices and herbs, we can add variety to our dishes and optimally support the flavor of the food. A simple dish can be transformed into something special with the successful use of a spice!

And if I now tell you that spices also play a role in weight loss, then I hope I have convinced you...

What to look out for in spices?

When buying spice mixes, make sure you check the ingredients, read the ingredients list carefully and if it says anything about maltodextrin, seasoning, flavoring or, of course, dyes, preservatives, sugar, lactose, E-numbers, etc., then don't buy it. This also applies to salt! It shouldn't contain anti-caking agents, aluminum or other additives either.

Of course, trips to other countries can also be particularly inspiring when it comes to spices. Ask the locals to explain how they season their dishes and buy one or two spices as souvenirs. Every time you cook at home, you'll be happy and think back to the wonderful time you had on vacation.

And if you're looking for a good book about spices, including lots of recipes, then I can highly recommend the book "Gewürze" (Spices) by my favorite chef Tanja Grandits.

But it's not just taste and emotions that speak for the use of spices. The effect of spices and herbs on our body can also be harnessed. One example of this is this spice blend, which I learned about on Yvonne Gloor's spices and herbs course. I had never heard before that spices could help you lose weight.

Ayurvedic "4-spice mixture" helps you lose weight

2 tablespoons of ground cumin
2 tablespoons of ground coriander
1 tablespoon of ground cardamom
1 tablespoon of turmeric powder

Mix everything together well and pour into a screw-top jar.

I like to use this mixture for Lentil or pulses dishes, or to season vegetables. A delicious, healthy recipe with this homemade spice mix is the lentil vegetable stir-fry.

This spice mixture has a strong dehydrating, digestive and weight-reducing effect.

Gloor, Ayurvedic nutritionist

What is your experience with spices? Do you have a favorite spice that you use often? Or have you ever noticed that the use of certain spices or herbs has helped you lose weight?