Aloe Vera juice benefits for weight loss
The succulent Aloe Vera plant has long been known to have healing, soothing and rejuvenating properties.
As far back as 6,000 years ago, Egyptians were already making use of the health benefits of aloe vera to treat all kinds of ailments. Cleopatra herself used aloe gel as part of her beauty regimen.
Today, we’ll show you how aloe vera juice benefits can help you reach your weight loss goals.
Aloe Vera juice is great for your digestive system
Poor digestion and constipation can cause bloating and abdominal pain in the short term, which can be quite a hassle, but the long term effects are even worse: constipation can cause your body to retain waste material and toxins and is a risk factor for developing colon cancer and a host of other diseases.
Aloin, a compound found in Aloe Vera plants, is used as an ingredient in many over-the-counter laxatives. It is known to cleanse and detoxify the digestive tract, while being a remedy for everything from acid reflux to irritable bowel syndrome.
By improving your digestion, aloe can help you eliminate waste products more efficiently so that you feel lighter and more energetic!
Aloe vera juice can prevent weight gain
We’ve already mentioned that aloe vera juice benefits and smooths out your digestive process. This has a secondary effect in the prevention of weight gain because the food you eat spends less time sitting in your gut.
If you have type 2 diabetes, aloe vera pulp extract is beneficial in regulating your blood sugar while you lose those extra pounds.
In one study, researchers gave pulp extract from aloe vera leaves to mice who had diabetes (yes, apparently mice can have diabetes too). Blood sugar levels decreased in the mice with type 2 diabetes, showing that aloe vera could be beneficial for people with the disease.(1)
For this particular case, you would only need to juice the tough outer covering of the aloe leaves while leaving out the gel (since the gel actually raised blood sugar levels in the diabetic mice).
If you’re looking to shed a few pounds and get healthier in the process, adding aloe vera to your juicing regimen can help you get there.
Here are some precautions in using aloe vera juice for weight loss
Just because aloe is good for you doesn’t mean you should drink several glasses of the stuff each day. Since it’s such a potent plant, just a little bit of aloe goes a long way.
Abusing aloe vera juice can cause side effects like depletion of potassium through diarrhoea It can also cause some nasty stomach cramps and dehydration if you aren’t careful.
How do you make Aloe Vera juice at home? (2)
Trim a few leaves from a mature aloe vera plant. Wash the leave thoroughly and cut the leaves in half. When you cut the leaves you’ll notice that the inside looks like gel. Remove the outer skin, then put the gelatin-like substance through your juicer or blender.
The recommended amount is just 1 to 2 teaspoons a day. It’s better if you mix the aloe juice with other kinds of fruit or vegetable juices, since aloe vera juice can taste a little bitter.
Reference:
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11268118
(2) http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/how-to-make-aloe-vera-juice-at-home
Image by: Powerhouse Museum
