The summer holiday season has started and getting back into a bikini after months of being covered-up is a daunting prospect for most of us.
But getting your body beach ready doesn’t necessarily mean a diet of bland salads and even blander superfoods, when you could be tucking into tasty spicy foods and curries to help you shed the pounds.
Experts claim that the spices used in Indian and Asian food can help speed up the metabolic rate, suppress appetite and even stop fat cells from reappearing after weight loss.
And one such spice that is still quite an unknown ingredient but has many health benefits is cardamom, which is thought to help increase fat burning by improving metabolism. It is also good for digestion by reducing flatulence and general digestive discomfort.”
Nick Rahman, who owns Cardamom Black, Pan South Asian restaurant and bar in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, agreed with the experts and said that Indian food has in the past been labeled a fast-food but spices are well known to have many different health benefits.
In his award-winning restaurant he said they use only lean meats and poultry and a lot of seafood and fish in their curries, using daily-made fresh tomato stocks and hand-ground spices.
Here are a few more reasons to add a couple of cardamom pods to your cooking;
- Weight loss – helps burn fat by increasing metabolism
- Detoxification – known to detoxify the body. The pods help cleanse and remove all the waste from the body through the kidneys
- Antioxidants – many of the phytonutrients, vitamins and essential oils in cardamom act as antioxidants which help clean up free radicals
Depression – Ayurvedic practitioners firmly believe that cardamom tea is a good way to fight depression. It’s natural ingredients help detoxify the body and rejuvenate the cells which helps- Cold and Flu – Cardamom is a good home remedy for cold and flu treatment
- Bad breath/Oral Health – Cardamom is known to aid digestive problems which can contribute to bad breath
- Respiratory problems – it is believed that cardamom is beneficial for asthma, whooping cough and bronchitis sufferers
- Improves skin – the essential oils and Vitamin C in this spice helps improve blemishes giving you a clearer complexion
- Improves Blood Circulation – Cardamom contains vitamin C that is a powerful antioxidant. It improves blood circulation throughout the body, also improving skin tone
Cardamom Black restaurant and bar opened in 2011 in the beautiful old Empire Theatre building and seats 200 people and can cater for all occasions including corporate events.
For opening times and booking information please call 01423 313136, or see www.cardamomblack.co.uk
