Raisins For Weight Loss: Do They Help?

For ages, our elders have encouraged us to consume raisins as part of a healthy diet. These dried grapes are extremely rich in their nutrient profile, becoming an important part of our diet. But can you trust raisins for weight loss? It is true that raisins can help manage a range of nutritional deficiencies. However, it is also true that they are very rich in calories. In that case, are raisins good for weight loss when you are trying to cut down your calorie consumption? Let us find out.

The Truth About Raisins for Weight Loss 

If you are working towards losing weight faster, then raisins may benefit you in many ways. However, you need to be careful about how many raisins you consume each day and how you include them in your diet to enjoy the benefits of kismis for weight loss. The main benefits of raisins for weight loss are as follows: 

1. Suppressing Appetite 

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to following a diet for weight loss is food cravings. As you reduce the number of calories in your diet drastically, it is natural for you to feel hunger pangs. Most often, this results in binging on fat and sugar-rich foods, defeating the entire purpose of your diet. 

There are two benefits of adding raisins to your diet with respect to your appetite. First, the leptin content in raisins is very useful in suppressing appetite. Not just that, it also improves thermogenesis within the body, killing fat cells faster. This is one of the biggest raisins benefits for weight loss. 

Second, raisins are the best option for you to satiate your sweet tooth. They are rich in natural sugar and have a very pleasant sweet and sour taste. Eating a few raisins when you feel that urge to consume something sweet is the best option. While raisins are rich in calories, they are relatively lesser in calorie count when compared to most sweet foods which have refined sugars that we end up having when we have these cravings. 

2. Improved Digestion 

Most individuals who are unable to lose weight quickly blame it on their slow metabolic rate. When digestion and metabolism are poor, the result is higher fat deposits. Any food that goes undigested is either eliminated or stored as fat within the body and with lower metabolism, the latter is most likely to happen. 

Now, how are raisins good for weight loss? Every 100 gm serving of raisins consists of 3-4.5 grams of dietary fiber. This improves the movement of foods in the digestive tract and aids the absorption of most nutrients. Raisins have high content of soluble fiber that play the role of prebiotics, improving the gut flora significantly. This is one of the most important contributing factors to weight loss. Raisins increase the consumption of dietary fiber which helps flush out toxins or any unwanted, undigested foods from the body easily. 

3. Higher Energy Levels 

If you are trying to lose weight, then a good workout routine is a must. However, if you are just starting out, you may get tired too early. This makes your training sessions ineffective. Coping with fatigue helps you workout for a longer period and also increases the intensity steadily. 

Raisins are the best pre-workout snacks as they are energy-dense. They consist of natural sugars like fructose and glucose. These sugars are converted into energy quickly, giving you the fuel that you need for a good workout. The harder you train, the faster you will burn all the fat stored in your body. 

Consuming Raisins the Right Way

According to experts, there are some effective ways of using raisins for weight loss: 

1. Soak some raisins in water every night and eat them the next morning. This is better than eating raisins raw as soaked ones are easier for your body to digest. 
2. Boil some raisins in water. Once it cools down, consume the raisin water. This helps you lose weight and also hydrates your body. 
3. Add some raisins to salads to give them a tangy and sweet taste. 
4. Consuming a few raisins with your breakfast every morning is the best way to start your day with an energy boost. 
5. Use raisins as a sweetener in your health drinks and beverages. This not only makes your drinks healthy but also adds a wonderful texture to them. 

Side-Effects of Raisins

There are some precautions that you need to take when consuming kismis for weight loss. You need to regulate the amount that you consume each day. Make sure you do not eat more than 20 a day for the following reasons: 

1. In large quantities, the high fiber content of raisins can have negative effects on your digestive tract. It can cause excessive  flatulence, and even reduce nutrient absorption.
2. A large number of sugars in these raisins may lead to increased blood sugar levels in the body 
3. Eating more raisins than the recommended amount can pump in more calories into the body, causing weight gain. 
4. In some people, raisins may also trigger allergic reactions. If you experience vomiting, abdominal pain, congestion, wheezing, or rashes on your skin when you consume raisins, consult a doctor immediately. 

Conclusion 

Using raisins for weight loss is a great idea, provided you moderate the consumption. You need to make sure that you use the recommended amount each day to get the maximum benefits of raisins. 

Besides helping you with weight loss, raisins also load you up with nutrients like iron, boron, and calcium that are vital for better health and metabolism. The antioxidant properties of raisins help flush out any unwanted toxins from the body. This dried fruit also keeps your immune system strong, gives you more energy, and helps you feel healthier overall. 

Raisins are also extremely versatile. This makes it easy to include them in your weight loss diet. Add them to salads, use a concentrate on your toast, or just sprinkle some on your breakfast cereal for better taste and assured weight loss benefits.