Weight-management kitchen
Cumin Water (Jeera Water)
Please read: These are everyday recipes and drinks that fit a balanced eating pattern. No food, drink or supplement here causes weight loss on its own, and we make no promise of any result. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, take medicine (such as diabetes or blood-pressure medicine) or have a medical condition.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 10 fl oz (300 ml) water
- Optional: a squeeze of lemon
Step by step
- Lightly toast the seeds in a dry pan for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add water and simmer 5 minutes (or soak overnight).
- Strain and drink warm.
Traditional and historical use
Jeera water is a traditional Indian after-meal drink, and cumin is named in Isaiah 28:27 and among the herbs tithed in Matthew 23:23.
“For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.”
What modern research says
A few small clinical trials have looked at cumin and body weight, but they are small and short, and the evidence is not strong enough to draw conclusions.
Safety notes
- Food amounts are generally safe.
- Large amounts may lower blood sugar; ask your doctor if you take diabetes medicine.