Snack Attack During the Holidays?

Has the end-of-year parade of goodies started at your home or office? Make them easier to resist by cooking with this flavorful herb: saffron.

In a recent study, a compound in saffron appeared to help overweight women snack about 50 percent less. What better time than now to start nixing the munchies?

Snack Attack
In the study, some of the overweight women got their saffron from capsules. The others took placebos. And after 8 weeks, the women in the saffron group were snacking half as much as they did at the start of the study. They also felt less hungry before meals. Some even lost a couple of pounds.

Soothing Saffron

What's the secret behind saffron's snack-snuffing powers? Researchers suspect that compounds in the herb may alter levels of stress-boosting brain chemicals and help decrease anxiety and depression. And that's good news for your waistline because anxiety, stress, and depression are all common triggers for unhealthy eating. Stress triggers cravings for not-so-good-for-you foods, like treats that are high in fat and sugar. And many people calm anxiety or assuage depression with munching, too -- seeking that temporary sense of "Ahhhhh."