Hey, What They Do World, ChefJoy here to wake you up, because I know most likely you are sleep on ginger. I love ginger, it is a wonderful and versatile spice, it is big in Asian cuisine especially Chinese and Indian, I know you are probably used to having it in your stir-fries and curries. You can even find ginger in desserts, such as gingerbread cookies and my favorite ginger snaps; it is even found in drinks like sodas and juices, but you most likely know all of that. That’s cool, because I am not here to talk too much about the culinary uses of this great spice, I am here to express the wonderful medicinal homeopathic side of this wonderful root. Now before I continue, I just want to be clear I am no dietitian, nutritionist or shaman just fed a few people with many varied dietary needs, taken a nutrition class and occasionally read things pertaining to nutrition (although reading it a lot more these days) so still do you own researcher and don’t make any medical decisions without talking to your doctor. With that out the way I can start to sing the praise of this “Great Spice”.
A few years ago, I started taking a ginger shot almost every day and it has been amazing. It is a wonderful way to start the day. When I’m home I make a couple and portion them out for the week and store in the fridge, so that first thing in the morning when I open my eyes and hit snooze on my alarm I stubble to the kitchen and take a ginger shot to start the day. I will be completely honest it’s a spicy way to start your day, ginger shots are pretty strong, especially if you do it right. As I take my shot I can feel it going doing my throat and chest then landing in my stomach which at times does feel a little weird but you will get uses to it, I’ll also admit morning breath and ginger shots aren’t the best combination, but is really worth it. If you are wondering why I like to start my day with a non-acholic “Fireball” shot it is because I know of a few of the benefits that the mighty root spice, ginger provides. Ginger is a wonderful assistant to your digestive system, it can help with flatulence (gas), nausea and even morning sickness among a bunch of other health benefits. I first got introduced to ginger shots about three years ago when I was at this hippy health style restaurant, they had ginger shots and wheatgrass (also tried wheatgrass and it taste exactly like it sounds, I’m not a fan) among others. I was already a little familiar with health shots and how they were supposed to help detox and or add nutrients to your body in different ways. Since I was curious and already a fan of ginger, I decided to try it.
I order one ginger shot and it came with a slice of pineapple as a chaser which I thought was weird, at first, but was cool with it because I love pineapple. So, they hand me my shot and slice of pineapple, I then throw back my shot like I did back in my drinking days and once it hit my tongue and the back of my throat I immediately knew why they gave the slice of pineapple as you would have a slice of lime for your shot of tequila. Although it was strong and burned a little going down (you feel that spice) I instantly felt it work when it hit my stomach, it made it rumble a little bit, but it also gave me some relief. My stomach soon started to get rid of that bloated feeling, unfortunately I got a little gassy (but I was soon by myself so, only me suffered) and I just slowly felt better about my morning. After that first shot, I decided to google how to make them at home and found out it is super easy (I have a video that shows how to make one in my video library). Also, I came across other spices and juices you can add it for extra health benefits, such as turmeric to help detox the liver or cayenne pepper which can aid in metabolism, or you can add lemon or lime juice which contains vitamin C and other helpful components just to name a few additives.
Now I know having a ginger shot is not for everyone even with a slice of fruit to help chase it with but there are other ways to consume ginger and still receive the benefits. For one you can drink it like I mentioned earlier you can have a ginger beer or juice but be careful with those because many have way too much sugar. But on the other hand, you can enjoy ginger tea, you can use tea bag from the store or for a more potent product just boil and steep a couple of pieces of ginger for a few minutes then drink while hot or modernly warm. If the taste is a little too intense, I recommend using a little honey or agave to help sweet just a little you don’t want it to overpower your tea or deplete some of the benefits. I was big on the tea up until I found out about ginger shots which I find to be more convenient, also I don’t have to drink as much to get the benefits and shots work faster. I mainly focused on the benefits ginger gave to your digestive system because frankly, that’s what first brought attention to the benefits of ginger to me. But with just a little more research I found out ginger is also good for a lot of other things as well. It can muscle soreness and pain, it is an anti-inflammatory aid and can even help with lowering your blood sugar. A friend of mine was telling me how he added ginger to his diet to helped aid in lower his blood sugar, after stumbling across ginger kombucha. He was pre-diabetic and taking a pill to help control it, he decided to change his diet and started working out a little. He soon became a fan of ginger kombucha, he expressed how he came across it by accident, while looking for a low sugar or sugar free beverages, he then came across kombucha and has been throwing them back since. He also told me how learning about how ginger could help lower blood sugar that it made him enjoy it even more which is why kept with it till this day. In addition, you can add it to your food in order to receive the health benefits, you can have some ginger jam with your morning toast or biscuit like its suggested in this article “8 Simple Ways to Fire up your Breakfast”.
Another benefit of ginger we can all utilize now is its ability to help strengthen your immune system. We all can use an immune boost and we are all a little more concerned and mindful of our immune health since this recent “COVID Punishment” we have been on recently. Also, for those who are not a fan and just can’t take the taste of ginger you can try ginger pills, you can take them like you would any other daily vitamin. It was nice to find out all these extra health bonuses in addition to the one I original sought after, now I feel even better about starting the day off the ginger way and just having it part of my regular diet. Now I’m trying to say this is some super food cure all just spreading the word and singing the praises of this great root. Hopeful I sparked your interest in this wonderful root and hopeful you will look to up your ginger intake, go head and add some root spice in your life while giving your health a little boost.
Here is a helpful article about some other ginger health benefits that may interest you more in ginger’s healthy side, “11 Proven Health Benefits of Ginger”.
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