The Holidays is a time to indulge in your food cravings and enjoy the sumptuous meals prepared on the table. It is also that time of the year when the food we eat goes to our waistline, and we frantically start setting up goals to lose weight by the New Year. The good thing is there are a lot of options on how to shed those extra pounds. Exercise and a healthy diet are the important ones with the latter involving the consumption of proper vitamins.
Losing weight is not just about popping pills that promise to shed off those extra fats off your waistline. You have to be cautious of what you put in your mouth since it can have long-term effects on your body. In this instance, taking slimming pills can have adverse reactions like palpitations and insomnia.
However, experts recommend taking Vitamin D if you plan to lose weight the healthy way. This vitamin not only aids in the growth of strong bones and teeth helps boost immunity and facilitates the absorption of phosphorus and calcium. It also promotes good metabolism.
Monica Mizzi, editor-in-chief of wellness site WellMe, says Vitamin D is surprisingly a fat burner. She credits numerous studies that show taking an adequate amount of this vitamin and incorporating it into your dietary supplements does wonder for your waistline.
One such study involves 400 overweight and obese people who were all vitamin D deficient. They were given Vitamin D supplements, and the result was amazing.
"When the control group was given vitamin D supplements, they lost waistline weight."
So how does Vitamin D aid in weight loss? Studies show that it reduces the formation of fat cells and suppresses its storage in the body. Thus, it reduces fat accumulation. It also increases the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays a role in controlling your appetite. Finally, Vitamin D increases the testosterone level in the body, which helps burn more calories and reduce body fat.
Of course, it is common knowledge that a person can get Vitamin D from daily sun exposure for at least 5-30 minutes. This does not do anything to weight loss though and may be insufficient. Experts say that this can even be unhealthy.
Dietitians recommend taking Vitamin D supplements instead of exposing yourself to the sun, which can be harmful to the skin. The supplements also help you meet the recommended 600 IU (15 mcg) daily amount of Vitamin D.
