The Amazing Health Benefits of Cumin Powder | Helps in Losing weight and More
Did you know that apart from adding to the taste and flavour of your food, cumin powder can also do wonders in helping you lose weight?
Cumin powder is an integral spice in almost every kitchen in India and most parts of the world.
For centuries jeera powder has been lauded not only for enhancing the taste of food, but also for its various health and medicinal benefits.
Though cumin is primarily used in curries and vegetables, there are many snacks and drinks which use the beneficial spice as well.
The use of cumin powder is much more prevalent in India than many other cultures.
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The commonly used variety of cumin is a brownish-yellow colour, although you can also sometimes find black cumin, green cumin, and white cumin. |
Health Benefits of Cumin Powder
There are many health benefits of cumin, as stated above. Here we list a few of them for you.
Helps in Weight Loss
Among the many cumin health benefits, one of the most common is the use of jeera water for weight loss. If your metabolism is slow, your body will not be able to use up the carbohydrates and fats that you consume. Drinking jeera water helps boost the metabolic rate.
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Health Tip Soak a spoonful of cumin seeds in water overnight. The colour of the water will change to light yellow by the morning. Boil the water and drink it while it's warm. |
Improves Digestion
The most common medicinal use of cumin powder is for improving digestion. Cumin stimulates the digestive enzymes which lead to faster digestion of food.
Cumin also releases bile from the liver, which helps digest fats and certain other nutrients in the gut.
Improves Heart Health
In clinical studies*, cumin is shown to have a positive effect on heart health.
According to a study, the participants reported a 10% decrease in the levels of oxidised LDL (bad cholesterol) after taking cumin extract for 45 days.
On the other hand, in another study,* a group of 88 women took three grams of cumin with yoghurt twice a day for three months. Their good cholesterol level (HDL) went up compared to those who had yoghurt without cumin.
Anti Inflammatory
Various test tube studies* have shown that there are several components of cumin that may have anti-inflammatory effects.
The compounds present in several spices, including cumin, are known to reduce the levels of a key inflammation marker.
However, more evidence is required, and studies are on to confirm the anti-inflammation effects of jeera.
Other Benefits
Cumin contains Cuminaldehyde, a bioactive compound that helps in maintaining blood sugar levels.
Concentrated cumin supplement improved several early indicators of diabetes in overweight individuals in one of the studies.
The study* also showed that cumin contains components that counter some of the long-term effects of diabetes that cause damage to the body and various organs.
*The studies mentioned in the points above were conducted by the National Institute of Health and are available in the US National Library of Medicine.
Origin and History of Cumin Powder
With its origins traced to the Mediterranean, cumin is now among the favourite spices, all over the world.
For centuries this beneficial spice has been used by people for various purposes.
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As per legend, the ancient Egyptians used it in the mummification processes. Of course, they also used it in their cuisine.
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Even today, from Indian curries to West Asian cuisines to South American broth, cumin makes its presence felt in food across the globe.
Cumin seeds come from a flowering plant called Cuminum Cyminum. The plant is a member of the parsley family.
Harvested by hand, the cumin seeds are small, boat-shaped and rough in texture. They are roasted and then ground to make cumin powder.
So you can use cumin powder in your dishes, make drinks with jeera powder or have cumin water for weight loss, all of this while you enjoy the cumin health benefits.
Are there any innovative drinks and vegetarian recipes using cumin that you would like to share with us? Please do so in the comments section, and three best recipes will win a discount code from store.jainfarmfresh.com.