This hot and pungent root can be used fresh or dried and has been cultivated since ancient times. In Ayurvedic medicine, ginger is known as the ‘universal medicine’ and it’s not difficult to see why. The root and its essential oils have traditionally been used to calm the digestive system and treat rheumatic conditions, nausea and respiratory tract infections, and modern research can confirm many of these uses.

Clinical studies indicate that ginger reduces nausea and vomiting after operations, during pregnancy and in motion sickness. Its anti-emetic (anti-vomiting) properties are thought to be due to two powerful phytochemicals: gingerol, which give ginger its hot and spicy flavour, and shogaol. Together, these stimulate the flow of gastric secretions, bile and saliva as well as improving peristalsis and intestinal muscle tone – all of which improve digestion.

 

Animal studies confirm that gingerol has anti-inflammatory and pain-killing properties, and a recent human trial found that using extracts of ginger to treat arthritic knee pain and immobility was significantly more effective than a placebo. Ginger has potent antioxidant properties, too, while its gingerol component is a known anti-carcinogen that reduces the activity in the body of nuclear transcription factor kappaB (NF kappaB). NF kappaB is linked with a variety of inflammatory diseases, including arthritis, heart disease, allergies, diabetes, MS, osteoporosis, psoriasis and cancer. Preliminary animal studies suggest that gingerol may inhibit the growth of human colorectal cancer.

 

One placebo-controlled study found that ginger extract can also help to reduce abnormal blood clotting in people with atherosclerosis (which can restrict blood flow and potentially lead to thrombosis) and recent animal research highlighted its ability to lower blood pressure. It also has an antibacterial effect against the bacteria responsible for respiratory infections, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Ginger may even be able to protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Nutritionally, dried ginger is a good source of iron, with one tablespoon (5.4g) providing 7% of a man’s and 4% of a woman’s RNI and an excellent one for manganese, with one tablespoon meeting up to an impressive 143% of daily needs. Manganese is an essential co-factor in the potent antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as being important for bone health. Fresh ginger also contains good amounts of copper and epidemiological evidence suggests that high levels of SOD are linked to lower risks of cancer. Never mind ‘knock down ginger’ – it’s more like ‘pick me up ginger’!

Top Ginger Tips

Fresh or dried? For maximum flavour ginger is most often used fresh. The dried form is more potent than the fresh root, so you need less. Dried ginger tends to be used more in baking.

Preparing: Using it in cooking isn’t as daunting as you may think – simply peel off the outer skin and slice, chop or grate according to the recipe. If grating, squeeze the juice out of the woody pulp and discard what’s left behind. If you keep it in the freezer, you can grate it direct from frozen – ideal when making curries. There’s no need to peel.

Storing: Fresh ginger should keep for up to a couple of weeks in the fridge, but it’s best to wrap it to prevent it from drying out or becoming mouldy. Ginger also freezes well, either whole or grated into ice cube trays. Jars of grated or finely chopped ginger are a useful storecupboard standby when you’re out of the fresh.

Eating: The great news is that it doesn’t matter how you eat ginger – fresh, ground, dried, infused – include it in your everyday cooking and you’ll still reap the health benefits. Because of its origins, ginger is perhaps at its best in spicy Asian dishes, but also blends well with sweet and fruity ingredients such as lemon, pineapple and honey. 
If you have morning sickness or suffer from travel sickness, try nibbling on a piece of stem ginger.

Drinking: For something different, try a warming ginger tea: grate 1cm of fresh ginger into a warmed cup, add boiling water and leave to stand for 5-10 minutes. Strain off the grated ginger, add a little honey and freshly squeezed lemon to taste, and sip slowly. Blend a splash of aromatic ginger juice with apples, carrots and orange for a revitalising smoothie.

(Ginger is also available in supplement for those who do not like the taste or need a stronger version, the one I use in the clinic is called Ginger Forte – see the Resources Page).

Oats are a cereal and come from the grass family.  Oats are sold in a number of different ways and the name can vary depending on the country.  Porridge oats in the UK is known as oatmeal in America, but in the UK oatmeal is ground oats. 

Oats are mainly carbohydrate but they contain higher levels of both protein and fat than other cereals.  The protein from oats is said to nearly equal to that of soya which has been shown by the World Health Organisation to equal meat, milk and egg protein.  Oats  provide good amounts of zinc, magnesium, calcium, iron, and the Bvitamins, B1, B2 and B6. 

 

One of the main benefits of oats is that they are a good source of insoluble fibre which has been shown to lower cholesterol.  Oat bran is believed to lower LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol.  In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 allowed a health claim to be made on foods containing soluble fibre from oats stating that fibre from oats in conjunction with a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. 

 

The other benefit is that they have a low glycemic index which means that they hit the bloodstream slowly so that can help to keep blood sugar levels stable. 

 

Oats are quite versatile and only they are often eaten as porridge can also be used to make cookies, oatcakes and flapjacks.  Oat flakes are a good base cereal for both granola and muesli.  Oats can also be made into oat milk which is used as a non-dairy alternative to milk. 

‘Eat your carrots – they’ll help you to see in the dark,’ parents have urged their children for generations. And it’s no old wives’ tale; carrots are the one of the highest vegetable sources of vitamin A and its precursors alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, all potent antioxidants which are essential for good vision. Both alpha- and beta-carotene are converted to vitamin A in the liver, and the retina can then convert vitamin A into ‘visual purple’, or rhodopsin, which enables us to see in the dark.

Vitamin A’s powerful antioxidant capabilities also enable it to neutralise free radicals that could otherwise damage the lens or the blood supply to the eye.

Two large studies have linked diets high in vitamin A with better eye health. In an eight-year study of over 50,000 nurses, researchers found that those with the highest intakes of vitamin A cut their risk of developing cataracts by almost 40%1 – and just two small carrots (weighing 100g in total) can provide 602mcg, which is 86% of a man’s and 100% of a woman’s daily vitamin A requirements. Another large study indicated that eating three or more daily servings of fresh fruit and vegetables, such as carrots, can also reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration by 36%, compared to those who consume less than 1.5 fruit servings per day.

 

Studies also suggest that a diet rich in high-carotenoid foods such as carrots is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.  Research has also shown that low blood levels of beta-carotene increase the risk of cancer of the breast, lung, stomach, prostate, colon, ovary, and cervix.

 

Alpha- and beta-carotenes from carrots have also been shown to enhance immune function, and as carrots are also rich in vitamin C which plays an important role in wound healing and immunity eating a carrot a day could certainly help keep the doctor away.