Sometimes it seems that reducing stubborn abdominal fat is a full-time job. And who has time for it? In our busy lives filled with multiple tasks and brain skills, simply being able to devote time to exercise can be a real challenge. And that’s not to mention the effort it takes to research proper nutrition, find and learn new recipes, and cook most meals from scratch.
Of course, all this work represents a time well spent as excess abdominal fat has been linked to such fearsome diseases as cancer, heart disease and dementia. In other words, if you don’t take the time to manage your health, you could lose it when you least expect it.
However, we are not here to embarrass you, but to make your life easier. We have a recipe to share with you that can really help you burn abdominal fat while you sleep! Your diet and activity level in general are also important when you’re trying to have a thin waist and a strong heart, but doing these two things with another vital piece of the wellness puzzle, sleeping properly, can really give you a boost.
Stay with us until the end to see the recipe. First, we’ll break down the reasons why each individual item is so effective, and you can use the information to customize the recipe to your own goals. Wait until you see ingredient #6. We bet it will surprise you how much it can help you!
1. Water
More water is the starting point for virtually all health problems, including weight loss. On the one hand, drinking more water makes you feel full with less food. But even better, drinking water has been shown to increase the amount of calories burned for an entire hour after drinking it.
Cold water, especially, seems to stimulate a 25% increase in resting body spending, or calories burned without doing anything. In fact, increasing your daily water intake to more than 1 liter could result in an additional loss of 4.4 pounds of weight over a year.
2. Cucumber
According to recent research, eating a diet rich in foods that contain a lot of water but too few calories can be an effective strategy to start losing weight. Cucumbers fit perfectly. One cup contains only 16 calories, but lots of water and fiber.
Cucumber can also stimulate metabolism and contains a good amount of vitamin C, which helps burn fat at the cellular level. Finally, cucumber is a natural diuretic, so you won’t retain excess water weight from all the liquid you’re getting.
3. Lemon
Lemon water is a pretty important trend in weight loss, but studies show that it really only works when used to replace other drinks that can stimulate weight gain, such as soft drinks, juices or heavily sweetened coffee.
Still, lemon adds a tasty flavor to the drinks and makes them tastier. And it contains vitamin C to help burn fat and, like cucumber, is a mild diuretic that reduces swelling.
4. Ginger
Ginger is not only delicious, but it can also help control appetite through the regulation of blood sugar and serum cholesterol. When our blood sugar level drops, the cravings that lead us to eat snacks and overeat increase. Including ginger in our pre-bed liquefied recipe prepares you for a good diet the next day when you wake up.
Ginger is also excellent for suppressing the stress hormone, cortisol, which is related to fat storage. It disrupts the vicious cycle that craving for sweets when you’re feeling stressed, and then stores all that extra fat around your center because of the cortisol that made you feel stressed in the first place!
5. Parsley or coriander
Parsley and coriander are related herbs of the family Apiaceae and are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They help with bloating, nausea, stress, indigestion, gas and cramps. Basically, adding one or the other of these herbs to your drink before bedtime keeps your system calm while burning fat.
Coriander is also known to improve nutrient absorption and stimulate circulation. However, it has a much stronger flavor than parsley, and some people just can’t stand it. With confidence you can use either of these two herbs you prefer, for this recipe.
6. Aloe Vera Juice
Aloe vera juice is included in this recipe because it is a mild natural laxative. We don’t recommend relying on a laxative of any kind for weight loss, but the recipe we’re going to share with you contains a good amount of fiber. When you increase your fiber intake, you may experience constipation and bloating as your body adapts.
Since bloating and constipation only make you feel heavier, we want to counteract the side effects of extra fiber. Just be sure to buy the aloe vera juice that is made with the whole leaf, instead of the one that is only made with the slug part in the middle, which will not contain the laxative effect you need.
The recipe
It’s time to make this magical shake before you go to sleep.
ingredients:
- 1/2 glass of water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cucumber
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- A fist of coriander or parsley.
- 1 tablespoon aloe vera juice
Preparation: it is very easy, simply add all the ingredients to your blender and mix until it is soft.
The recipe as we have provided it is very basic. You can adjust the portions with all confidence as you wish. If you don’t like the taste of the drink, add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it.
If you can’t take it all at once, you can cover and store this drink in the refrigerator overnight. You can take it in the morning if you want, or the next night. After 24 hours, it is better to make a fresh drink.
