24 Apr Amazing Natural Weight Loss & Detox Secrets

As the days get colder and “sweater weather” begins in earnest, it’s tempting to start eating more calorie-filled comfort foods, and pack on a few winter pounds. However, we at Faithful to Nature know that winter needn’t mean the start of unhealthy eating habits. We’ve put together a winter weight management essentials list for you below – a selection of wholesome filling foods, warming teas, health-boosting supplements and even a few bath-time goodies! These weight loss secrets have stood the test of time, and if you haven’t heard of them already, we’re looking forward to revealing them to you…

Winter Weight Management Essentials

1. Meals & Snacks

Raw cacao: Surprised to find something so delicious at the top of our list? Cacao is chocolate in its purest, raw and unprocessed form. This dark-and-decadent treat helps to curb your appetite and reduce cravings. It’s also packed with heart-healthy magnesium and antioxidants – and it’s known for its antidepressant powers, which makes it the perfect antidote to those winter blues!

Take a look at the difference between raw cacao and ordinary chocolate below:

Virgin coconut oil: The perfect replacement for ordinary, calorie-laden cooking oils. Coconut oil is full of medium chain fatty acids (MCAs), which have been shown to speed up the metabolism – in fact, regular consumption can boost your metabolic rate by an amazing 25%!

Organic pine nuts: These tasty snacks are a rich source of pinoleic acid, a natural appetite suppressant. When you eat pine nuts, the pinoleic acid triggers the release of two hunger-suppressant hormones in your body; namely cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which combat those unwanted cravings. Pine nuts are naturally high in fat, so enjoy them in moderation!

Wakame: You can create warming miso soups and stir fries using this nutrient-rich sea vegetable. Wakame has a silky texture and delicate taste that makes it a wonderfully satisfying winter food – high in nutrients, low in calories. Wild-harvested wakame is an alkalising, cleansing food; it’s rich in fibre, which improves digestion, and full of iodine and magnesium, which help to regulate hormones and keep your body in balance.

Apple cider vinegar: A daily spoonful of this tangy vinegar will boost your metabolism, curb cravings, lower blood sugar levels AND reduce water retention! For best results, take a dose of apple cider vinegar before meals – it also makes a great addition to salad dressings and pasta sauces.

Shirataki noodles: Enjoy a warm and satisfying bowl of noodles without the guilt or the carbs! Shirataki noodles are extremely low in calories, high in fibre and completely gluten-free. Made from the roots of the Asian konjac plant, these noodles contain glucomannan, one of nature’s richest dietary fibre sources – plus they’re carb-free, soy-free, wheat-free and sugar-free.

2. Teas & Juices

Buchu tea: This is a cleansing digestive herbal tea that will leave your system feeling lighter, cleaner and refreshed. Buchu, an indigenous mountain herb that grows in the southern Cape, helps to ease indigestion and balance your whole system; it also flushes out the urinary tract and prevents water retention and bloating.

Tulsi tea & green tea: Tulsi is an Ayurvedic Indian herb known for its therapeutic powers; it promotes healthy digestion and regulates the metabolism, helping with sustainable weight management. Green tea contains a substance called EGCG, which reduces the amount of fat your body absorbs. It also stimulates the metabolism and reduces cravings. Together, these two nutrient-rich teas make a powerful fat-fighting blend!

Slimming green tea: Made with a blend of green tea leaves, gingko biloba, gegen, wolfberry and cassia seeds, this herbal tea is a great weight loss aid. The green tea, gegen and wolfberry stimulate the metabolism, while cassia prevents constipation and gingko boosts energy levels and mental focus.

Kombucha with green tea: Kombucha is a much-loved natural refreshment; a fermented drink made with a blend of tea and living cultures. Kombucha is rich in probiotics and enzymes, which stimulate your metabolic rate and improve your digestion. Made with antioxidant-rich green tea, this kombucha blend makes a really refreshing weight loss tonic.

White tea: Sipping on white tea can help you cut down on those extra calories and kilos; it helps to prevent the formation of new fat cells, and encourages your body to break down fats more efficiently.

3. Supplements & Vitamins

A Vogel Helix Slim: These natural slimming drops are made with a tincture of Helianthus tuberosus – the Jerusalem artichoke, which is part of the sunflower family. This botanical tincture keeps blood sugar levels stable, which effectively reduces hunger pangs and sugar cravings. It also helps to bulk up waste and improve the regularity of bowel movements.

Nat Sulph tissue salts: Sodium sulphate (Nat Sulph) tissue salts are the ideal remedy for water retention. It helps your body to excrete excess fluid, reducing bloating and helping to diminish the appearance of cellulite. Nat Sulph also promotes a healthy lymphatic system and liver.

Acai berry cleanse: Acai berries are a health-giving, fat-busting superfruit; these tasty berries are known for their high antioxidant content, plus they suppress the appetite and aid with weight loss. This powerful, gentle 2-week acai cleanse formula will improve your digestion and banish bloating, leaving you with a clean digestive tract and a flatter tummy.

Green coffee bean capsules: A very popular natural weight loss supplement, made using coffee beans in their raw, unroasted (“green”) state. These raw beans are packed with chlorogenic acid, which makes your body burn fat more efficiently, and slows down the process of turning sugar into glucose. This award-winning green coffee bean supplement has a 45% chlorogenic acid content.

Raspberry ketone: This is a recent natural weight loss discovery that’s becoming increasingly popular. Raspberry ketone is an aromatic compound found in raspberries and other berries; it helps to regulate your metabolism and encourages the more effective breakdown of fats. This natural daily supplement gives you a pure, potent dose of real raspberry ketone – an impressive 800mg per serving.

Stabilised rice bran supplement: Rice bran contains a naturally high amount of filling fibre, and helps to lower your body’s absorption of cholesterol. This makes it a handy supplement for managing your weight and keeping your appetite in check. Rice bran also boasts over 100 antioxidants, and a rich omega 3 and 6 content, which makes it a powerful anti-ageing ally.

Viridian Organic Weight Management Plan: This is a selection of 4 natural supplements known for their weight loss benefits.

a) Green Tea; boosts metabolism and reduces fat synthesis.
b) Soul Food Greens; a blend of sea vegetables and grasses that promote healthy digestion, alkalise the body and boost energy levels.
c) Mineral Complex; contains nettle leaf, horsetail and sea greens to help you maintain a healthy body weight while getting all the nutrients you need.
d) Nopal; a cactus extract that reduces cholesterol, stabilises blood sugar, improves digestion and relieves constipation.

Green tea leaf: This potent organic supplement boosts your metabolism, and dissolves excess triglycerides (which would otherwise be turned into fat). It also gives you an antioxidant boost and stimulates the activity of your body’s detoxing enzymes. Each Viridian green tea leaf capsule gives you a 500mg dose of fat-fighting green tea.

Calcium: This essential mineral is best-known for building healthy bones and teeth – but did you know calcium aids weight loss as well? Calcium helps to regulate the way your body breaks down and stores fat – and fat cells with higher levels of calcium are shown to burn more fat. Take this pure liquid calcium supplement daily to make sure your healthy slimming regime is getting the right mineral support.

Ecklonia cava: This seaweed supplement is recognised as a really effective weight loss ally; there are 3 ways that Ecklonia cava extract will help you keep in shape:

a) Fat loss; reduces fat synthesis and storage, helping your body to use more energy.
b) Muscle gain; promotes the formation of healthy growth hormone levels, which encourage muscle gain.
c) Weight control; inhibits the enzyme DGAT, which is involved in fat synthesis. Helps ot combat weight gain and obesity.

4. Bath & Body

French red clay: This blissful mineral bath soak detoxifies your whole system; red clay stimulates the circulation, drains the lymphatic system and prevents water retention, all of which promotes healthy weight loss.

Bentonite clay: This is a powerful detoxing and healing clay. Drinking a bentonite clay supplement regularly will help to ease all sorts of digestive issues, preventing constipation, bloating and gas. It also soaks up toxins, heavy metals and chemicals as it passes through your system.

Himalayan coarse salt: There are 3 ways this mineral-dense salt can help with weight management.

a) Dissolve a cupful in your bath for a detoxing soak; it will draw out all those nasty toxins and work wonders on fluid retention.
b) Use as a replacement for ordinary table salt; a small amount sprinkled over your meals will reduce cravings, plus it will balance pH and blood sugar levels, which helps with healthy weight management.
c) Dissolve a teaspoon of this salt in a glass of filtered water overnight, and drink it in the morning as a cleansing, balancing tonic.