Bulk Herb Store

The Bottom Line

by Shoshanna Easling

February 2010

By now, most New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside—and perhaps to the bottom if your resolution was to lose weight! Maybe your approach was wrong. Dieting is usually not effective in the long run. Low calorie diets will enable you to lose weight fast, but they will also usually lower your metabolism. What’s wrong with that? Lower metabolism means your food will not burn off as fast. Your body will be expecting less calorie intake because of the diet. Then you stop your diet. As soon as you stop it, you will gain weight faster than ever before.

How can you lose it and keep it off?

Clean your colon out. Try Detox+, cayenne, aloe, ginger, garlic, psyllium seed, and other cleansing herbs. Keep everything flushed daily. Drink lots of filtered or spring water and daily take in fiber, flax seed, chia seed, oat bran, rolled oats, whole grains, and whole wheat.

Get your liver and kidneys working right. If they function properly, your body can better process foods and eliminate waste. Look to milk thistle, burdock, dandelion root, fennel, bilberry and, of course, plenty of filtered or spring water.

Accelerate your metabolism with herbs and exercise. Get your heart pumping. Exercise at least three times a week, at least 30 minutes each time. After exercising, have a big glass of an energy herb drink like green tea, ginseng, nettle, or all three mixed.

Curb your appetite. Feed your cells richly with vitamins and minerals. This is believed to reduce cravings. Try nettle, fennel, bilberry, and chia seed. Taking a teaspoon of psyllium mixed well in 8 oz. of water or juice 30 minutes before you eat will curb your appetite, making you eat less. It also helps regulate bowel movements.

Feed your cravings. If you know that you crave sweets around a certain time, plan on feeding it with something that will satisfy the craving and help you lose weight. Try a cup of hot or cold herbal tea with honey and a dab of milk. Creamy and sweet! Try spiced chai tea, green tea, jasmine green tea, or Double E Immune Booster (one of my favorites with honey and milk). Carrots are pretty sweet too!

Eat whole foods high in fiber and lean protein. This includes foods like beans, whole grains, raw nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables, wild game, and more. Stay away from processed foods. They are fat makers. You are likely to eat some processed foods but remember, even if it doesn’t seem like a lot of food, it is fat food. Things like potato chips and cookies are highly processed and highly fattening.

Highlighted Herbs:
Bilberry is known to be an anti-aging herb. It helps purify the blood, promote healthy liver and kidney function, increase circulation to the brain, reduce inflammation and pain, relieve muscle spasms, strengthen blood vessels, improve night vision, and more.

Chia seed is one of the highest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. It is a rich source of protein, antioxidants, potassium, calcium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, and copper, and it has six times more iron than spinach. Chia seeds are great in breads, granolas, mixed in smoothies, and more. Chia is great for your skin, blood sugar stability, endurance, energy, and it promotes healthy intestines.

Nettle is very high in many vitamins and minerals. From Vitamin C to silica nettle, it is one of the richest of herbs. It is also believed to curb hunger. Nettle is a wonderful diuretic that will purge your body of toxins while nourishing your cells.

Psyllium and Flax help your colon regulate and flush waste faster. Holding waste makes you gain weight. They can also be used to curb your hunger. Mixed in water or juice, they can expand up to five times in bulk. Flax is an excellent source of protein, fiber and many vitamins, stabilizing blood levels and strengthening your immune system.