Ginger is a delicious spice many of us use for cooking and baking. However, its root that we use happens to be loaded with health enhancing properties, especially potent in the fresh form over the dried spice since heat reduces the same level of effectiveness among its noteworthy components. Here are just some reasons why you may want to start including more of it into your diet due to all the benefits it offers.
To begin with, it provides exceptional benefits for those with inflammation related conditions such as arthritis to menstrual cramps. The reason for this is mainly due to its gingerol, shogaol and paradol for fighting inflammation and oxidative stress that cause a variety of diseases and pain, especially potent in the fresh form due to its major polyphenols, such as 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol.
At the same time, the benefits of ginger include help with lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol levels that can often lead to heart disease. In fact, it may help prevent the buildup of that harmful fat in arteries.
Ginger ale that is a favorite home remedy for nausea that has merit to it. However, what may surprise you is that many brands don’t actually contain ginger root. Then again, you may wonder how drinking such a ginger ale could settle the stomach. Sometimes, it can be from the bubbles from the carbonation process and not actual ginger that took care of it for you. Fresh ginger with active compounds is what can better help with morning sickness to the nausea experienced after a chemotherapy session.
Another of these ginger benefits is how its gingerol can help with steadying blood sugar to control Type 2 diabetes. The reason that gingerol manages to do this is how it keeps the glucose moving instead of collecting in the bloodstream. It also seems to soothe the muscles to be better equipped to take in the glucose.
If you’re struggling with excess weight, better blood sugar management also means that you could have an easier time with weight loss as far as ginger is concerned. Though still more studies need to be done, the research has been promising so far in how the flavor component of ginger known as the zingerones and shogaols may contribute to more calories being burned and as an appetite suppressant.
Your best bet for this purpose is to start using some fresh ginger in cooking. It is the safest option since no set amounts of ginger have been truly determined for everyone’s needs.
So many cultures have trusted the medicinal properties of ginger for years for very good reason. Ginger does have potent natural bioactive agents, mainly gingerols, shogaols and zingerone that our traditional medicine now is recognizing for many different health benefits.
