Bay leaf for weight loss: beneficial properties, how to use, reviews

Bay leaf accelerates metabolism and accelerates fat burning, so it is indispensable in the fight against extra pounds. Find out how to use bay leaf for weight loss, plus two ingredients that boost its benefits!

Author: Kristina Lobanovskaya, doctor, practicing nutritionist Article updated: 11/10/2020

Bay leaf is one of the most common spices, having a special aroma and a lot of useful properties. Since ancient times, green fragrant leaves have been used not only to improve the taste of food, but also for the purpose of healing, cleansing the body, and normalizing body weight. Modern experts in the field of nutrition and herbal medicine recommend using bay leaves for weight loss as an aid to help remove waste, toxins, salt deposits and excess fluid during preparation for a diet and during its adherence.

Useful properties of bay leaf for weight loss

The main benefit of the plant is due to its pronounced diuretic effect, which manifests itself when taking a decoction or infusion prepared on its basis. Consumption of the spice in small quantities, traditionally used in cooking, does not have such properties. Therefore, for the purpose of losing weight, recipes for special drinks made from bay leaves are used, containing a high concentration of its active substances. Their action allows you to very quickly remove up to 4 liters of liquid from the intercellular space simultaneously with the toxins accumulated in it.

Attention! In connection with the above properties, the use of bay leaves is most advisable before starting a diet to get rid of unnecessary substances that interfere with weight loss. It is also recommended to introduce decoctions of laurel leaves into the diet if excessive obesity is caused by excessive swelling or when the so-called “plateau” occurs, when the weight loss process stops.

The diet of modern humans contains much more salt than is required for normal functioning of the body. This leads to disturbances in the water-salt balance, the main symptoms of which are the appearance of excess weight, swelling and cellulite. In such cases, even the most strict diets do not bring results and weight loss does not occur. But by eliminating congestion with the help of such a powerful natural diuretic, you can easily start the processes necessary for losing weight.

In addition, drinks based on this spice have a number of other beneficial effects:

activate metabolism;
significantly improve digestion;
accelerate the breakdown of fats (especially in combination with ginger and cinnamon);
quenches thirst well and reduces appetite;
normalize gastrointestinal tract functions;
relieve insomnia;
reduce sugar levels;
relieve increased fatigue;
strengthen the immune system.

Another significant benefit of bay leaf is that when added, even the most bland and tasteless dietary dishes become appetizing and aromatic, which makes following a low-calorie diet much easier. In any case, losing weight with the help of this spice is only possible when combined with proper nutrition and moderate physical activity.

In addition, oil extract and laurel oil can be used externally. Inhaling the aroma of this spice helps relieve emotional and mental stress, fatigue, and increased irritability, preventing overeating due to nervousness and reducing the likelihood of diet failure. When applied to the skin, such drugs significantly improve blood circulation and activate fluid removal, which helps eliminate cellulite and reduce body volume in problem areas.

Effect of bay leaf on the body

Since most products contain more salt than the body requires, as well as preservatives and hot spices, excess fluid is retained in the body, toxins accumulate, and swelling appears. Bay leaf, which has many beneficial properties, will help you cope with them:

it is rich in vitamins B, A, PP and C, as well as microelements: iron, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese and others;
laurel is an excellent antiseptic;
has immune-strengthening properties;
perfectly removes waste and toxins;
it helps improve digestion;
lowers blood sugar levels;
relieves fatigue, helps with insomnia and calms.

Losing weight with bay leaves is possible due to the following effects of the spice:

Improved metabolism and digestion. Often, excess weight appears as a result of metabolic disorders, when beneficial substances are not absorbed by the body, and fats and carbohydrates go to problem areas.
Removal of excess intercellular fluid. Excess weight occurs due to water retention in tissues, which causes swelling, congestion, and cellulite. Thanks to the diuretic effect, excess fluid is removed without harming the body. In a short period of time, you can get rid of up to 4 liters of water.
Cleansing from impurities and toxins. A decoction of bay leaves for weight loss is useful because it removes all the dirt from the body that interferes with the normal functioning of all systems.

It is especially useful to drink a decoction of this seasoning before starting a diet, as this allows you to get rid of harmful ballast that interferes with weight loss. This makes it easier for the body to fight subcutaneous fat deposits.

We recommend reading about cloves for weight loss. From the article you will learn about the beneficial properties of cloves, tips for using the spice, recipes with cloves, and the use of clove oil. And here is more information about hot peppers for weight loss.

Rules of application

Since bay leaf is used as a diuretic for weight loss, this should be done with caution. To prevent dehydration, you can drink the decoction for no longer than three days. Then you definitely need to take a break for 6 months.

To achieve the desired effect, you should definitely combine the decoction with a low-calorie diet. However, you cannot become a vegetarian; you are prohibited from drinking coffee and even green tea.

It is better to give preference to plain water. Increasing green vegetables and herbs, seafood, reducing total calories per day and reducing the amount of protein to less than 170 grams per day will help speed up the weight loss effect. And finally, don't drink alcohol.

In addition, the effects of the spice have a fairly strong effect on internal organs, so it is important to consider contraindications. These include:

disorders and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract in the small and large intestines;
stomach and duodenal ulcers;
Crohn's disease;
liver diseases;
urolithiasis disease:
during pregnancy and breastfeeding;
allergies and individual intolerances;
different stages of pancreatitis;
frequent bleeding;
tendency to constipation;
diabetes.

Before choosing a diet, it is best to consult a specialist and undergo a full medical examination to find out the cause of excess weight and swelling. If it does not lie in a violation of the water-salt balance, then the use of bay leaves will not have the desired effect, and may worsen the condition.

Harm

The strong diuretic effect of bay leaf-based products can become hazardous to health when consumed in large quantities. Uncontrolled consumption of these drinks is fraught with poisoning and other very serious negative consequences, including:

dehydration of the body;
removal of a significant amount of useful microelements;
the occurrence of allergic reactions;
deterioration of the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system;
bowel dysfunction with constipation;
excessive blood thinning, increased bleeding if there is a tendency to it;
development of inflammatory diseases of internal organs.

To avoid such phenomena, before taking bay leaf decoctions for weight loss, you should make sure that there are no contraindications and possible risks of side effects. In addition, you can use such drugs for no longer than 10 days and always in strict accordance with the indicated dosage.

Cinnamon and bay leaf tea can help you lose weight

Natural tea made from cinnamon and bay leaf is a popular drink, which contains trace elements that help us lose weight with health benefits.

The ingredients used to prepare it have a beneficial effect on our digestion and help cleanse our body of toxins. That is why regular consumption of this tea helps us get rid of extra pounds.

It is important to understand that we are not talking about a magic remedy that will help you lose weight, as if by magic. But drinking this drink allows you to get pretty good results.

What are the benefits of cinnamon?

Cinnamon is a popular spice that is widely used in cooking, medicine and in everyday life. It contains essential oils, antioxidants and nutrients that stimulate our metabolism . Speeding up your metabolism allows you to increase your energy expenditure, causing you to lose weight faster.

Consuming cinnamon normalizes blood glucose levels by stimulating the metabolism of sugars and using them as the main source of energy.

Cinnamon is a rich source of antioxidants and an effective diuretic . It cleanses the blood by stimulating the removal of toxins and fluids from the body.

What are the benefits of bay leaf

Bay leaf is a healing aromatic plant that has long been widely used for weight loss and the fight against excess fat.

It has a beneficial effect on our digestion , removing accumulated waste and toxins from the intestines. This protects us from the development of inflammatory processes and the occurrence of various diseases.

As already noted, bay leaf is a good diuretic . It helps us fight fluid retention in tissues. Often it is because of edema that we fail to lose weight.

Also, bay leaf protects us from stress and nervous tension , which are one of the causes of excess weight.

The microelements it contains relieve us from bloating and gas , and also improve digestion .

Thanks to bay leaf we can forget about constipation . Consuming this spice improves the intestinal absorption of nutrients from the food we eat.

Diets

There are several types of diets that can be combined with the intake of bay leaves, providing the most effective weight loss. Regardless of the chosen diet, during the period of its adherence, along with taking laurel drinks, several general rules should be followed:

eliminate salt consumption (you can replace it with dry crushed spices to your taste);
increase the amount of water consumed per day to 2–2.5 liters;
do not switch completely to a vegetarian diet - it is not combined with taking a decoction;
take a vitamin-mineral complex to compensate for the deficiency of beneficial microelements.

It should also be taken into account that the kilograms lost with the help of bay leaves are returned very quickly. To avoid this, after leaving the diet, you must continue to eat properly and have a fasting day once a week.

Optimal

Losing weight with bay leaves on this diet does not require compliance with a special menu or strict restrictions on the composition of products. But when compiling a diet, you must adhere to the following rules:

reduce the amount of high-calorie food as much as possible so that the energy value of the daily diet does not exceed 1500 kcal;
maintain protein intake - no less than 60 g and no more than 170 g per day;
eat more seafood, fresh herbs, leafy vegetables, dried fruits, lean meat;
give up coffee, green and black tea, and other diuretics.

In combination with this diet, you should use bay infusion or decoction, prepared and taken in accordance with one of the recipes below. The duration of compliance with this technique can be from 3 to 10 days, depending on the amount of extra pounds and the goal.

healthy

Diet and healthy lifestyle specialists have developed a special nutrition system for weight loss, the basis of which consists of:

light soups;
lean meats;
vegetables and fruits;
dairy and lactic acid products;
cereal porridge.

But the main component is laurel. During the 7 days for which the diet is designed, you need to drink 4 glasses of decoction daily.

A sample menu can be made up of the following dishes (to choose from):

breakfasts – whole grain bread with low-fat hard cheese or 0% fat cottage cheese with dried fruits;
lunches - soup with lean meat broth, boiled fish or stewed vegetables;
afternoon snacks - cottage cheese, raw or baked fruits;
dinners - porridge (buckwheat, rice, pearl barley) or boiled eggs.

All first and second courses must be prepared without salt, but with the obligatory addition of bay leaves.

Cleansing

This technique is carried out in 3 stages with a total duration of 7 days:

first stage – 3 days on vegetables;
second stage – 3 days on proteins with a minimum amount of carbohydrates;
third stage – 1 day of unloading.

During the entire period of weight loss, you should drink bay decoction - 4 glasses a day between meals.

The menu of this diet is quite strict and must be strictly followed:

first stage (days 1–3) - daily 1.5 kg of salad from vegetables taken in equal proportions - cabbage, carrots, boiled beets - with the addition of onions and a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice;
second stage (days 4–6): breakfast – 2 boiled eggs, 1 apple;
lunch – 200 g of boiled or steamed fish;
lunch – 200 g of crumbly rice porridge;
afternoon snack – 1 glass of milk 0% fat;
dinner (before 18:00) – 200 g low-fat cottage cheese;

third stage (day 7) – 1.5 liters of 0% fat kefir in equal portions throughout the day.

As a result of combining such nutrition with taking a decoction of bay leaves, a high-quality cleansing of the body occurs. The weight loss is usually 3–5 kg.

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Rules for losing weight using bay leaves

When losing weight, decoctions and infusions of bay leaves are recommended to be used in parts several times a day before meals. The recommended course lasts no more than 5 days.

With a combination of decoctions and a balanced diet, the result will be noticeable within a week. Slimming drinks based on laurel will remove excess water, and the diet will help get rid of fat deposits in the body.

In pursuit of results, do not overdo it with drinking drinks. Excess of them will not help you lose weight, but will lead to side effects.

Reviews about losing weight with spice:

Aromatherapy

For aromatherapy procedures, laurel essential oil is used, which is added to the aroma lamp (4-5 drops per 15 m²) or applied in a small amount to the corner of the pillow. The aroma of noble laurel promotes:

relieving nervous tension;
improving mood;
improving sleep quality, eliminating insomnia;
stimulation of urination.

Important! Bay oil is a fairly strong allergen, so if you are prone to allergies, it can cause unwanted side reactions. Also, an overdose of aroma can cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea. In such cases, the use of the product should be abandoned.

Massage

Rubbing laurel oil or oil extract into the skin improves blood circulation and accelerates blood flow, which makes it a useful component of any anti-cellulite mixtures. It should be taken into account that etherol is added in small quantities (a few drops per procedure), and the oil extract can be used in its pure form.

In addition, both products are used to enrich body care products. This greatly increases their effectiveness and provides additional properties, in particular for combating cellulite and preventing sagging skin after losing weight.

Rules for using bay leaves

Since bay leaf is added to dishes in small quantities, it does not have the above properties in this case. Various decoctions are prepared from this plant (both in pure form and with other components) - with a higher concentration of this spice.

Interesting! Even the smell of bay leaves reduces appetite and has a positive effect on the nervous system. Therefore, you can simply add it to any tightly closed container and inhale this aroma throughout the day.

Bay leaves are recommended to complement fasting days, diets and proper nutrition. It also helps combat the plateau effect - when weight suddenly stops falling, even if you continue to adhere to a strict diet. But if your diet contains a lot of food waste, weight loss will not be as effective (bay leaf cleanses the body, but you immediately clog it again).

Since such drinks have a diuretic effect, you must replenish the fluid balance in your body by drinking 1.5-2 liters of water per day. Otherwise, the body will begin to store water, which will cause swelling.

In each recipe you will find instructions on dosage and time of administration. However, it is not recommended to consume such drinks for longer than 7 days (otherwise, along with urine, the body will begin to lose vitamins, minerals and other necessary microelements). This weight loss course can be repeated after a month. According to reviews from those losing weight, with the help of bay leaf decoctions you can get rid of 3-4 kg of excess weight - and this in just a week!

It is also necessary to know the cases in which taking such drinks for weight loss is contraindicated. Among them: pregnancy and lactation, peptic ulcers, intestinal and gastrointestinal diseases, kidney and genitourinary diseases.

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Recipes

There are many recipes and recommendations on how to lose weight using bay leaves. The main drink intended for oral administration is a decoction of this plant material. In addition, to increase the effectiveness of weight loss, you can drink bay tea with the addition of other beneficial components. Most often, bay is combined with ginger, black pepper and cinnamon, since these spices help accelerate fat burning and activate metabolism, which, along with the cleansing effect of bay leaf, ensures the fastest possible weight loss.

Decoction

To prepare drinks, it is recommended to use proven recipes and appropriate dosage regimens. You can prepare a healthy decoction in the following ways:

Boil 3 bay leaves in 300 ml of water for 5 minutes, then pour everything into a thermos and leave for 4 hours. Filter and take 1 tbsp. l. 15 minutes before meals 3-4 times a day.
Grind 20 g of laurel, pour in 1 liter of boiling water, heat in a water bath for about half an hour. Cool, filter and take 1 tbsp. l. 20 minutes before each meal.
To prepare a decoction with cinnamon, steam 5 bay leaves and 1 cinnamon stick in 1 liter of boiling water, put on low heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool, strain and take 200 ml once a day on an empty stomach.

To enhance the effect of bay decoctions on weight loss, you can add ginger powder or ground black pepper to each of them in a ratio of 1:15 to the main raw material.

Infusion

Preparing an infusion is easier, but takes more time. Pour 30 crushed bay leaves into a thermos, add 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 8–10 hours (preferably overnight). You need to drink this tea every hour in small sips, distributing the resulting volume over 3 days.

If the diet continues longer, a new infusion should be prepared. But it is impossible to increase the proportions so that the tea lasts for more days, since it cannot be stored for a long time.

Oil extract

You can prepare bay oil tincture for external use yourself using any cold-pressed vegetable oil. There are 2 recipes for this:

hot method - pour 10 g of powdered laurel into 1 glass of oil, leave covered for 1 month, then bring to a boil in a water bath, cool and filter;
cold method - pour 30 g of powdered bay leaf with 1 glass of oil, leave in a sealed container in a warm, dark place for 1 week, filter.

The resulting extract should be stored in a container that does not allow sunlight to pass through, in a dark, dry place.

How to drink decoction, tea

There are several types of brewing methods. Recipes with bay leaves for weight loss can be the following:

Tincture in a thermos. Pour two or three leaves into a glass of water and boil for several minutes. Afterwards, the broth is poured into a thermos and kept for 3 - 4 hours. The drink should be strained and drunk a tablespoon each time 10 minutes before meals.
You can brew tea with bay leaf for weight loss directly in a thermos. To do this, take a handful of raw materials and pour boiling water over them. The mixture is infused for 10 - 12 hours. Take a sip before meals three times a day.
Cinnamon and bay leaf go well together in a drink. Place both ingredients in boiling water (1 liter) and cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Cinnamon can be put in the form of a stick or powder. The mixture must be cooled, strained and divided into 4 parts. Each should be drunk before meals in the next three days.

Contraindications

The active substances in drinks made from bay leaves have a rather intense effect on many internal organs and systems, so their use for the purpose of losing weight should be avoided in the following conditions:

inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract;
gastric ulcer of any stage;
liver failure;
Crohn's disease;
disruption of the excretory system;
the presence of stones in the kidneys and bladder;
pregnancy and breastfeeding.

In cases where the causes of swelling are not known, before drinking bay leaf for weight loss, you must undergo an examination and consult a doctor. If swelling is not a consequence of an imbalance in water-salt balance, but appears due to hormonal imbalance, the presence of chronic diseases or cardiovascular pathologies, then the use of bay decoction can significantly worsen the state of health.

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Bay leaf and its magical properties

Bay leaves can be found in any housewife’s kitchen – it adds aroma and piquant spice to our culinary creations. But few people think about its healing properties and benefits - but ordinary laurel works wonders for our body and even helps us lose weight!

This spice contains a large amount of fiber (fiber acts like a sponge and cleanses our body), essential oils and tannins. In addition, this spice contains a wide group of vitamins (A, B, C and PP), as well as many minerals - calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc.

So, bay leaf:

starts the process of lipolysis (breakdown of fats);
eliminates swelling and acts as a diuretic - it rids the body of stagnant fluid and removes it along with urine;
At the same time, it removes excess salt and breakdown products from the body - waste, toxins;
has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract and stimulates metabolism;
eliminates the feeling of hunger;
normalizes blood sugar levels;
strengthens the immune system, has an anti-inflammatory effect;
cleanses the skin.

Reviews and results of losing weight

Evgenia, 35 years old, Voronezh

Due to my tendency to be overweight, I constantly have to struggle with excess weight - as soon as I give in a little slack, I immediately gain several kilograms. I try to use natural remedies, mainly herbal teas, so as not to harm my health. But most of them cause severe side effects or do not help at all. Once on a forum I read a topic about bay leaves for weight loss - reviews from those losing weight and the results obtained were quite impressive. I decided to try taking this decoction, because the raw materials themselves are very accessible and cost a penny. Of course, I switched to proper nutrition, because I understand that without giving up high-calorie foods, no weight loss is possible. I also signed up for a dance studio and started dancing 2 times a week. I drink the decoction for 1 week, then take a break for 3 weeks and take it again for 1 week. In 2 months, 11 kg were lost, swelling disappeared, cellulite decreased significantly, and lightness appeared in the body. I think, in addition to weight loss, there was a high-quality cleansing of the body, which gave such wonderful results.

Olga, 29 years old, Smolensk

I was advised to drink tea with bay leaves to cleanse joints and remove salts. I took it in strict accordance with the recipe - in small sips for 3 days, since the infusion was very concentrated. I cannot say with certainty that the salts were removed and the joints were cleaned, since I did not feel any changes. But I received a pleasant bonus - I lost 4 kg, although I couldn’t get rid of it with any diets. Therefore, I believe that this spice really promotes weight loss. But its effect is very individual, and its effectiveness probably depends on the reasons for gaining excess weight.

Nina, 40 years old, Balakovo

My experience of losing weight with bay leaf decoction is very unpleasant. Although I used proven recipes and did not exceed the dosage. But literally on the second day after starting treatment, I felt very bad - nausea, dizziness, abdominal pain. I had to stop drinking the drink and just continue to follow the diet. But I must say that even without additional funds, you can successfully lose several kilograms in a week if you limit the caloric content of your diet and increase physical activity.