Moringa Leaves For Weight Loss

From India to Australia to South America to Africa, the edible moringa tree is gaining a foothold as a healthy food source, according to researchers at John Hopkins University. Every part of the moringa tree is edible, although the 2-foot-long green moringa leaf clusters are the most easily accessible and among the most nutritious, according to the Environmental Society of Australia. The moringa's role in weight loss efforts may be chiefly attributable to the plant’s low-fat, high-nutrient qualities that make it an acceptable, low-calorie substitute for many other foods. Moringa is also high in Vitamins B-1, B-2 and B-3, which your body needs to convert food to energy, according to the Moringa Tree of Life organization

History of Moringa
Historians trace moringa's history to at least 150 BC when ancient peoples in what is now Madagascar and the Himalayan foothills used the tree's lustrous leaves for energy and improved health. For centuries, the moringa has been alternately known as the horseradish tree, the drumstick tree, and the claifier tree. Since the 17th century, botanists and other scientists have classified and reclassified the tree as a legume, a brassica and a violet flower. Most scientific research into moringa leaves has taken place during the past half-century.

Moringa Identification
The moringa tree is believed to be native to India and the Himalayan Mountains. This fragrantly flowering tree typically stands about 25 feet high in its native regions, and may grow to 10 feet or higher in locations where it is cultivated for food or medicines. Moringa leaves are deep green, with long, edible oval leaflets. The moringa typically flowers and produces long, bean-like, edible pods when other plants have stopped producing as the dry season comes to an end and other food sources may be scarce, according to researchers at John Hopkins University. That characteristic has attracted the intense interest of scientists and organizations that are seeking solutions to world hunger and malnutrition.

Benefits of Moringa
Moringa leaves provide you with a rich array of necessary vitamins, proteins and minerals that deliver nutrients without unhealthy fats or high-calorie carbohydrates, according to researchers from John Hopkins University. Each ounce of moringa leaves provides you with more vitamin A than an ounce of carrots, more iron than an ounce of spinach, more calcium than an ounce of milk, more potassium than an ounce of bananas and more vitamin C than an orange, according to a scientific study conducted at the Trees of Life organization. The same study reported that moringa leaves contain protein quality at similar levels to whole milk and eggs, without the fat and calories.

Role In Weight Loss
Moringa leaves are low in fat and nutritious. Because they are packed with so many nutrients, they offer you a healthy alternative to eating many higher calorie foods, according to the Moringa Garden Circle. Moringa leaves provide 42 percent of the recommended daily minimum requirement for protein, and 125 percent of the recommended daily minimum requirement for calcium. The B-vitamins in moringa leaves also help you digest and convert foods to energy and may increase your metabolism, according to MoringaTreeofLife.com. Moringa leaves may be eaten raw, cooked or taken as a tea, making them a convenient food and nutrition source. Most evidence pertaining to moringa leaves and weight loss is anecdotal, however, so consult your health care professional before using moringa leaves for weight loss.

Ingestion
Moringa leaves are often eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable in places where the tree is native or cultivated, according to the Environmental Society of Australia. Crushed moringa leaves are available in a dry powder that may be stored on a shelf for years without deterioration or loss of nutrients. The powder is also packaged into gelatin capsules for use as as a food supplement. You may steep and drink moringa leaf tea daily for its low-fat, low-calorie nutritional value.