Healthy Foods: Gingerly approaching the topic of…ginger!

Okay, so there’s no need to cautiously approach ginger as a topic. It’s not like arsenic in rice or eggs causing strokes, but it does make for a cute title, dontcha think?
According to folklore, ginger comes straight from the Garden of Eden.
I’m not sure about that, but ginger is one of those warm flavors that makes me think of fall. As a child, I remember dunking warm gingersnap cookies in a cold glass of milk for a comforting treat. As an expectant mother, ginger was a godsend with putting morning sickness at bay. When I travel, I know a cup of ginger tea will help protect my tummy against turbulence. And when it comes to dinner, I love grating ginger into my veggie sautees to spice them up. Good stuff, ginger, and it’s a staple in my house.
So besides it being a tasty addition to a stir fry or a basis for a cookie, let’s chat about the health benefits one gains from ginger.
Gastronomical relief. That’s a fancy way of saying that eating ginger has been shown to help you *toot* or basically, eliminate gassiness. Maybe I should add a PSA here and suggest that you not eat too much ginger before leaving the house!
Anti-nausea. Pregnant women the world over reach for ginger when it comes to helping get rid of morning sickness. It’s not only effective but it’s also completely safe to take while expecting. Ginger helps prevent vomiting for lots of reasons. In fact, some studies show ginger to be more effective than Dramamine in reducing symptoms of motion sickness. All it takes is one or two 1/2-inch slices of fresh ginger in a cup of hot water to settle your stomach.
Warming. Ginger has been proven effective against cold sweats.
Anti-inflammatory. If you suffer from joint pain, arthritis, or muscular discomfort, try to consume some ginger on a regular basis. It contains potent gingerols, and anti-inflammatory compounds that may alleviate your symptoms just as well as conventional drugs would. Some arthritis sufferers only need to take in a 1/4-inch slice of fresh ginger a day to get relief from pain.
Immunity booster. Ginger can help you get a good sweat on to combat colds and flus. Sweat those toxins out! In a recent study, German researchers have discovered that sweat itself has germ-fighting power that can help get rid of infections!
Cancer prevention. Ginger may slow down the progression of colon cancer and it can be powerful in the fight against ovarian cancer. Ginger powder has actually been shown to kill ovarian cancer cells when it was applied.
Heartburn extinguisher. Drink some ginger tea to cure heartburn.
Migraine relief. Ginger might help migraine sufferers because it can stop inflammation within blood vessels and it can also keep evil prostaglandins from causing pain.
Ginger has been used to treat tendinitis, menstrual cramps, chronic fatigue, cataracts, bursitis, angina, depression, erectile difficulties (there ya go, fellas!), infertility, sciatica, and the list goes on and on and on!
Here’s a little bonus tip for you. Freeze your ginger root for easy grating!
What do you consider the ultimate way to get your ginger in? Tell us here!

PS–You can receive delicious menus (complete with shopping lists!) using ginger delivered right to your email inbox by subscribing to Dinner Answers today!