Mankind has used spices for thousands of years to make meals more attractive and appetizing. What would chicken paprikash be without paprika? What would spaghetti sauce be without a hint of basil? How could you offer tacos without chili powder? And a cinnamon bun without cinnamon would be an abomination!
And now to add to the glory of spice, medical expert Dr. Melina Jampolis is researching the use of spices for the safe and permanent loss of weight.
The good doctor has degrees in internal medicine and is board-certified as a physician for nutrition treatment in the U.S. Her area of special expertise is using the mechanics and chemistry of nutrition for the loss of weight. She also is investigating how nutrition impacts the prevention of disease and how nutrition can also play a role in the prevention of certain illnesses. She is convinced that a major part of successful weight loss concerns diet and lifestyle choices.
Dr. Melina has introduced her patients to a new way to use nutrition to win the ‘battle of the bulge.’ Called SpiceFit, it is definitely NOT some trendy fad of a diet. Instead, the doctor has taken her expertise in advancing healthy lifestyle and nutritional choices that include some zesty supplements — in other words, all natural and organic spices! In workshops and articles she is proving to laymen and laywomen that spices can be an integral part of weight reduction.
Of course, Dr. Melina’s use of herbs and spices for a healthier life is not a new concept by any means. Long ago the ancients in both the Western and Eastern worlds were aware of some of the therapeutic properties of the bulbs, roots, bark, leaves, and seeds of many different kinds of plants. In India the Ayurvedic practitioners of medicine use turmeric for upset stomachs. The Chinese physicians during the Ming Dynasty kept their patients from contracting colds and flu by having them sniff a pungent bag of crushed garlic. And our own forefathers knew that a drop of clove oil on an aching tooth would bring instant and fragrant relief.
So there’s no doubt that spices and herbs can have good effects on the human body. What Dr. Melina has done is taken this ancient wisdom and combined it with her own research and knowledge to produce a supplement in capsule form that includes the essence of the major weight-reducing herbs and spices known to medical science today.
What initially got her excited about the possibilities of using spice for weight reduction was a challenging patient she had six year ago. She says that the patient had tried many different diet regimens over the past several months to lose weight but hadn’t lost an ounce. Dr. Melina had heard interesting things about the spice capsaicin from cayenne peppers, so, somewhat in desperation, she prescribed a standard daily dose for the patient. Within two weeks that patient had slimmed down by four pounds, simply by adding the capsaicin.
Her supplement SpiceFIt is due to hit the market soon, and only then will consumer reviews tell the world whether or not Dr. Melina’s faith in a spice-filled diet can actually bring down the weight of those who follow her nutritional plan carefully. Until then, why not do what Dr. Melina is doing right now? She’s experimenting with Ceylon cinnamon, using it in everything from her morning coffee to her fruit smoothies. She claims it give her an extra buzz, not unlike caffeine, but without any of caffeine’s harmful side effects. And, she adds, it tastes delicious!
