There are legends about this plant. Alexander the Great conquered an entire island in the Indian Ocean (Socotra) for its sake to heal the wounds of his warriors. It is attributed with the most miraculous properties, ranging from aphrodisiac to immunomodulator. So it’s no surprise that nutritionists suggest using aloe for weight loss, as its effect on metabolism and digestion proves effective in this matter too.
Weight Loss Mechanism
Aloe began to be recommended for weight loss, based on its complex effect on the organism:
- launches the fat burning process;
- has a mild laxative effect;
- has detoxification properties;
- speeds up metabolism regardless of age;
- improves digestion;
- lowers blood sugar level.
All these processes, triggered in the organism by regular and correct use of the juice, gel or extract of Aloe vera (the other name of the plant), lead to weight loss. However, there is a fly in the ointment in this barrel of honey – it enhances appetite.
Benefits
When losing weight with the help of aloe, one can get many pleasant bonuses, as it has a healing effect on the organism:
- eliminates constipation;
- reduces pain and inflammatory processes in gastritis, enterocolitis, gastroenteritis and stomach ulcer;
- facilitates breathing and eliminates apnea and dyspnea in bronchial asthma and tuberculosis;
- prevents the development of eye diseases: blepharitis, keratitis, conjunctivitis;
- boosts immunity;
- accelerates recovery in exacerbation of infections;
- softens cough and removes mucus from the lungs;
- cleanses facial skin from acne and pimples;
- is prescribed to eliminate “women’s” problems in the field of gynecology.
The plant owes its useful properties to its chemical composition, which contains sterols, pectins, phytoncides, enzymes, catechins, vitamins, polysaccharides, organic acids and other bioactive substances that normalize the organism’s functioning.
Contraindications
These are:
- pregnancy (aloe may provoke miscarriage);
- lactation;
- heavy menstruation, uterine bleeding;
- insomnia;
- inflammation of the brain;
- cardiovascular system abnormalities;
- hemorrhoids;
- diabetes;
- kidney, liver and bladder diseases;
- age under 14;
- allergy.
Recommendations
How to make aloe juice at home?
- Only the plant that is not younger than 3 years old has healing properties.
- It cannot be watered 2-3 days before harvesting.
- Cut the 5-6 most juicy lower leaves with scissors or a sharp knife.
- Wash in warm boiled water. Wipe with a dry cloth.
- Roll up in two layers of gauze, place on a saucer and put on the top shelf of the refrigerator for 2 weeks. This is necessary for the formation of useful substances in the leaves.
- Cut each leaf along one of the sides.
- Use a teaspoon to remove the green jelly-like substance – this is the very gel that needs to be used to prepare home remedies.
- Place it in a thick-walled glass jar, close it tightly and put it in the refrigerator.
- Use it within 3 days.
If you do not have two weeks to keep the leaves in the refrigerator, just pass them through a meat grinder, squeeze and get the juice that can be used in the same way as the gel.
How to prepare a weight-loss product?
There are different recipes that will be given below. In them, the effect of aloe is enhanced by auxiliary fat-burning and metabolic ingredients. However there are classics as well – 2 simple recipes that require no additional components.
Recipe No. 1. Drink the gel or juice obtained from the leaves, 1 teaspoonful twice a day: a quarter of an hour before dinner and directly before bedtime. Drink plenty of water. Keep in mind that the taste will be very bitter.
Recipe No. 2. 1 teaspoon of gel (juice) – 100 ml of water at room temperature. Stir thoroughly. Drink down at once. The intake regimen is the same as in the previous recipe.
It is better to use gel pure (according to the first recipe) and dilute the juice with water (according to the second).
When is the best time to drink it?
The laxative effect of aloe is mild; after its use bowel movement should be expected in 7-8 hours. Therefore, if the goal is weight loss by cleansing the organism, it is better to take it before bedtime.
However, there is one nuance here, too. Aloe vera has a slight tonic effect on the central nervous system. Therefore, people suffering from neuroses, depressions, emotionally excitable and unbalanced ones may not fall asleep if they take it directly before bedtime. If there are such problems, it is advisable to do this in the first half of the day. Another way out is to add the juice or gel to calming herbal infusions.
Each recipe and instructions for preparations should indicate how to take a particular product, because the intake regimen can be completely different. It depends on additional components.
How long to take it?
Any product, be it an аптеka preparation or a folk recipe, should not be taken for more than 2 weeks. The extract of this plant relaxes the functioning of the digestive tract too much. And this entails the “lazy bowel” syndrome, when after the end of the course the stomach will not be able to process food on its own, as it will be waiting for support from outside. As a result, there will be pain in the abdominal area, discomfort and constipation will return. But this is not even the most dangerous thing.
According to the latest research, it is this syndrome that is one of the causes of the development of tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. Given such serious consequences of active use of aloe, it is strongly recommended to consult a specialist beforehand.
In addition, there are known cases when aloe vera juice caused poisoning. Symptoms of such a condition:
- griping in the abdomen;
- severe, incessant diarrhea;
- nausea, vomiting;
- dizziness;
- extreme thirst;
- limb tremor.
The result of poisoning or overdose can be such serious health problems as intestinal inflammation and hemorrhagic nephritis.
Is it necessary to follow a diet at the same time?
If you simply take aloe, without changing anything in your diet and lifestyle, you will not achieve great successes in losing weight. Perhaps in the first few days you will lose a couple of pounds due to detox, but after the bowels are cleansed, the weight will come to a standstill. To help it continue to decrease, it is necessary to limit the daily calorie intake. As one of the properties of the plant is to trigger metabolism, it is good to support it with fractional and balanced nutrition. If you succeed in implementing this in practice, a diet will not be necessary. On the contrary, it will only do harm, because it decelerates metabolic processes.
Additional tips
Find out in advance how your organism will react to aloe vera. Start to use it from minimal doses, gradually increasing to the recommended volume if there are no side effects.
Finish the intake course in the same way – gradually decreasing the dosage to accustom the gastrointestinal tract to the fact that it should no longer rely on external support.
In order to fully restore the functioning of the stomach and normalize the intestinal microflora after such weight loss, nutritionists recommend taking a course of probiotics.
Parallel exercises or simply increased motor activity will definitely improve the results.
We recommend: Effective exercises for weight loss at home.
The juice and gel prepared at home are quite
