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Getting slimmer by shedding off excess pounds is something that is not achievable easily. If you are tired of trying weight loss supplements and treatments, it is time to rely on a natural fat-cutter like amla. The round green fruit from the amla tree is much loved for its sour and tangy taste. And the best thing about it is that it can help you reach your weight loss goal quite fast. If you have been trying to kick that flab around your belly, opt for this humble fruit for a natural remedy. Here, we will explain why and how to use amla for weight loss.
What Is Amla?
Amla or Amalaki or Indian Gooseberry (scientifically known as Phyllanthus Emblica) is an edible fruit obtained from a deciduous tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Originated from Southeast Asia, this tree also grows in the Middle East and some Southeast Asian countries. The berry-like fruit of the amla tree is round in shape and greenish-yellow in color with six vertical stripes on its body. It has a very strong taste that is a combination of sour and bitter. Amla is one of the richest sources of vitamin C and many other nutrients, making it a superfood for our health. They are rich in antioxidants and are known to be powerful anti-aging ingredients. The potent fruit has been used in many ayurvedic medicines for thousands of years, notable among them is the chyavanprash. Amla oil promotes hair growth like no other oil does and has been used in India for ages to grow long dark hair. Besides, amla also has a fantastic ability to eliminate extra weight from the human body.
Adding salt and red chili powder increases the palatability of amla by neutralizing its strong sour-bitter taste.
Nutrition Profile Of Amla
Amla comes packed with many nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is a low-calorie fruit with a very high dietary fiber content. A serving of 100 gm. of raw amla offers only 44 calories and 4.3 gm. of fibers. It is also a rich source of carbohydrates (10.18 gm.) and vitamin C (27.7 milligrams). Though it is not rich in protein or fat, it provides 0.9 gm. and 0.6 gm. of nutrients. The humble fruit can also help you meet your daily needs for micronutrients as it contains vitamin A (0.087 mg.), vitamin B6 (0.1 mg.), sodium (1 mg.), potassium (198 mg.), manganese (0.1 mg.), copper (0.1 gm.). You can even get calcium, iron, phosphorous, and vitamin E from amla to some extent (1).
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Health, Skin, And Hair Benefits Of Amla
Amla is a spicy and nutrient-wealthy fruit recognized for its manifold health benefits. Given below are numerous advantages of using amla regularly (2):
- Prevents oxidative damage by fighting against free radicals in the body with the help of phytochemicals (furosin, gallic acid, corilagin, and quercetin)
- Detoxifies the body for a better performance of digestive enzymes and an accelerated process of digestion
- Ensures more excellent absorption of nutrients and more efficient release of wastes, leading to increased metabolism and decreased body weight
- Protects against stomach lesions, gastric ulcers, etc. with its gastroprotective effects
- Encourages bowel movements and provides relief from constipation with its high fiber content and natural laxative properties
- Enhances liver function and protects the organ from toxicity by increasing antioxidant levels in it
- Reduces the risks of diabetes and other related complications by keeping blood sugar levels under control
- Heals chronic inflammation and pain by decreasing the levels of pro-inflammatory markers in human cells with powerful anti-inflammatory properties
- Promotes cardiovascular health by reducing high blood pressure and preventing atherosclerosis by lowering the levels of bad cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. in the bloodstream
- Decreases the formation of skin cancer tumors and inhibits the growth of cancer cells with potent anti-carcinogenic properties
- Stimulates the production of collagen in the body to maintain the elasticity of the skin and keep it younger-looking
- It gives longer, stronger, and jet black hair that is soft, smooth, silky, and incredibly shiny.
How Does Amla Help Weight Loss?
Amla takes care of our overall health, which plays a crucial role in keeping our bodyweight steady. It reduces obesity with its strong hypolipidaemic properties while balancing and improving metabolism effectively. To be more precise, it helps us control weight by influencing more than a single factor in our body. We have listed them below:
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1. By Improving Metabolism
Poor metabolism is one of the main reasons for obesity. However, the amla fruit is known to speed up your general metabolism by pushing the rate of synthesis of food, especially protein, higher in your body. The moment your metabolism becomes better, you start breaking down more food instead of accumulating it as fat, thereby preventing the body from piling up pounds too quickly, burning more fat daily, and eventually accelerating your weight loss process.
2. By Detoxifying Body
Amla helps in flushing out harmful toxins that have accumulated in your body. These toxins can inhibit the functionalities of our digestive enzymes, thus causing sudden weight gain in many people. When you consume amla regularly, you eradicate the already built-up toxins from your body and prevent further build-ups.
3. By Boosting Digestion
By helping your body get rid of harmful toxins, amla ensures that your food is digested well. It increases the body’s digestion rate, ensuring that all the nutrients from the food are absorbed into the body, and the waste is expelled completely.’
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4. By Relieving Constipation
Amla is a good laxative that helps relieve constipation, even if it is of a chronic kind. It not only facilitates your digestion but also eases up your bowel movement. As a result, your weight loss procedure also becomes easier.
5. By Keeping Us Full
Being a filling food ingredient, amla can keep you full for a longer time so that you do not feel hunger pangs every now and then. It keeps your body hydrated and prevents you from munching on snacks. This way, you do not fall prey to unhealthy weight gain.
6. By Increasing Energy
Amla works as a natural rejuvenator by boosting your energy levels significantly. It supplies enough nutrients, vitamin C, and water to your body, which keeps you high on energy for your weight loss workouts. An indirect way to promote your journey, indeed!
People suffering from diabetes should consume amla juice along with bitter gourd juice. This will keep the levels of sugar in the bloodstream under control while eliminating the flab around the belly.
How To Use Amla For Weight Loss?
Now, as you already know why amla is a good choice for getting rid of excess body weight, here are the best ways to include it in your daily routine:
1. Amla Juice
Both concentrated and diluted forms of amla juice aid in weight loss. To prepare amla juice, remove pits from the fruits, cut them into small pieces, and whizz them in a blender. Now, extract the juice and store it in the refrigerator. Just mix 1 part of this juice with 3 parts of water and have it the first thing in the morning every day. The juice helps lose weight by easing bowel movement and strengthening immunity to a great extent. It also flushes out all the toxins in the body to make the skin better and keep us active throughout the day. However, make sure that you drink it daily for the best results.
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If you do not have access to fresh amla for preparing juice, buy unsweetened amla juice concentrates from a reputed brand.
2. Raw Amla
If you want to keep the fibers in the fruit intact, indulge in raw amla. You can simply clean and eat a whole amla first thing in the morning if you can tolerate its sourness. Otherwise, slice up the fruit after discarding the pit and chew on a few of them every morning on an empty stomach.
3. Dried amla
Amla is available in its dried form too. You can purchase a pack of sun-dried amla and pop some in your mouth whenever hunger strikes. It is a two-edged sword that helps control hunger pangs and promotes weight loss. Just make sure not to use the salted kind since you do not want to cause water retention in the body or the sweetened kind to stay away from the intake of extra calories.
Dried and dehydratetd amla can also be preserved for future use. Clean, deseed, and chop up a handful of fruits, sprinkle salt all over them, and dry under the sun for a couple of days. Store it in a cool, dry spot away from the sunlight.
4. Amla Powder (Churna)
Amla churna is nothing but the powdered form of dried amla fruits. You can use it for preparing a water infusion and consume it the first thing in the morning to prevent weight gain. All you need to do is add a tablespoon of powder to a glass of lukewarm water and mix well. This improves the metabolism and corrects the BMI to help you maintain a stable body weight. However, avoid the overdosage of amla churna as it can do more harm than good.
The popular Ayurvedic medicine called ‘Triphala Churna’ (or, pills) is made by mixing amla powder, bibhitaki powder, and haritaki powder in equal parts. Consumption of this churna regularly will also help you with your weight loss issue.
5. Amla Candy (Murabba)
Candied amla, popularly known as amla murabba, is a tasty and tangy way to add this fruit to your daily diet. It is prepared by adding boiled whole amlas to a mixture of sugar syrup and spices. Being an extremely appetizing and beneficial food for weight loss, amla candy is highly popular across India.
6. Amla Jam
Amla jam is another savory food item that has been widely used in most states of India. It is made by grating the fruits thoroughly and soaking them in a syrup containing sugar, honey, and other mild spices. Consuming this jam will increase your energy level instantly while raising the rate of your metabolism to a large extent.
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7. Amla Pickle
Pickled amla is one of the most admired delicacies across the southern part of India, which often contains ginger and a host of other beneficial herbs. It offers bursts of taste with a very high dosage of health. It also stimulates metabolism, thereby promoting weight loss significantly.
3 Best Amla Recipes For Weight Loss
While having amla directly is the easiest way to enjoy its weight loss benefits, the superfood can also be added to other healthful recipes containing natural fat-burning ingredients. Check out 3 of them here:
1. Amla-Aloe Juice Mixture
Chop up fresh amla fruits and turn them into a fine paste by grinding in the mixer in batches. Please place it in a clean piece of fine cloth and squeeze it tightly to extract the juice. Either refrigerate this fresh and pure amla juice for 15 days or preserve it for 8-10 months by adding sodium lactate to it. For consumption, take this juice and pure aloe vera juice in equal quantities and mix well. You can even blend a couple of teaspoons of this juice with fresh fruit juices for added flavor.
2. Refreshing Amla Drink
Extract the juice from large and fresh amla fruits by following the steps mentioned in the previous recipe. Add wood apple juice concentrate, lemon juice, and crushed ginger to it and combine everything nicely. Refrigerate this mixture until you are ready to consume. You need to add some water and a little salt to taste before having it.
3. Amla-Honey Blend
The combination of amla and honey is an amazingly healthful weight loss remedy. Chop up some amla fruits coarsely and mix them with amla powder, star anise powder, and water. Strain this mixture and mix in raw honey with it. Add some crushed ice cubes to it and enjoy!
Side Effects Of Consuming Amla
Although amla is stuffed with tons of weight loss benefits, too much consumption might not be safe. Some of the most common side effects of amla consumption include allergy, hyperacidity, constipation, dryness of skin and scalp, foul smell, and burning sensation during urination, etc. Conversely, you must steer clear of this superfood or use it cautiously if you are experiencing iron deficiency, hypoglycemia, hypertension, cardiac issues, renal disorders, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Long Does It Take To Lose Weight With Amla Juice?
It depends on your current body weight and other health conditions. However, you should not expect dramatic results overnight. It may take anywhere between 2 and 4 months to see visible outcomes.
How Much Amla Juice Should I Take Daily?
You should drink 2 glasses of amla juice every day to lose a significant amount of body weight. Each glass should contain the juice of 5 to 6 fresh, whole amla fruits.
When To Eat Amla For Losing Weight?
The best time to eat amla for losing weight is in the morning on an empty stomach. However, you can also take it 30 minutes before each big meal or at night to hasten the process of weight loss.
References:
- “Gooseberries, Raw Nutrition Facts And Analysis Per Serving“, NutritionValue.org
- “Indian Gooseberry Benefits for the Liver, Heart, Gut & Brain“, DrAxe.com
