Ginger: Delicious and Good for You Too!

If you like gingerbread, ginger snaps, or spiced desserts containing ginger, you'll be pleased to discover that all those little indulgences may be contributing significantly to your overall health! While you might enjoy ginger anyway because it's such a delicious addition to meat, vegetable, rice, and noodle dishes, you may want to add it to your menu even more frequently once you find out all that this remarkable little plant has to offer!

Known to the scientific community as Zingiber officinale, ginger is the gnarly, brown-skinned root of the ginger plant, which comes in many colors and varieties. Ginger is riddled with healthful vitamins and minerals including potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, and vitamin B6. In root form, ginger contains about 19 calories per ounce, so it's an extremely good way to add texture and flavor to your favorite recipes. What makes ginger so healthy?

It alleviates stomachache and motion sickness:
Ginger does powerful work in your digestive tract, and has been known to alleviate gas and upset stomach, as well as calming the symptoms of motion sickness. Ginger is a safe, natural way to get rid of your motion sickness, and is excellent for small children and pregnant women who would prefer a natural cure.

It fights some cancers:
According to WHFoods, Ginger has been shown to inhibit the growth of ovarian and colorectal cancer cells. Preliminary studies with mice and the chemicals found in ginger have lead to promising speculations about this pungent spice, and more research is on the way to determine the full extent of ginger's cancer-curing properties.

It eases the sniffles and the flu:
Great for winter with its warming kick of spice, ginger has long been touted as a natural cure for colds and the flu because of its spicy, sinus-clearing flavor, and it's natural immune-boosting chemicals. You can take advantage of these properties by adding sliced or ground ginger to a hot beverage, like tea, or by taking a homeopathic ginger supplement.

So, where can you find it?
Ginger is easy to find, and is almost always available fresh and whole in your grocery store's produce section. When purchased this way, ginger can be sliced, shredded, or grated, and added to your favorite recipe.

If you're intimidated by whole ginger, then check out your grocery store's spice section. Here you'll likely discover dried, ground ginger, which is perfect for spice-based desserts and for adding a hassle-free kick of ginger to any dish.

Recently, I have seen tubes of ginger in paste form near the herbs in my supermarket's produce section. This is a great solution if you want the full flavor of fresh ginger, without the hassle of chopping or shredding.

Ginger also comes in crystallized form, which can usually be found in the spice or baking section of the grocery store. Treated with and covered in sugar, crystallized ginger makes a sweet, spicy treat all on its own, or can be used to make delightful ginger cookies. Crystallized ginger is my preferred method for relieving seasickness, because it's easy to carry and easy to take when needed.