Sunday Health Hack No. 10 – Simply put ginger in (almost) every beverage you consume.
The science hasn’t determined which “form” is best, so I use them all – fresh pressed ginger juice (from the farmers market) in my lemon water (~ one teaspoon). I always put a couple of freshly cut ginger slices (from the root) in my teas. And I use ginger powder as a “back-up” if I run out of one of the two.
And apart from the beverages I use it (the powder) as a spice, eg. for my “(non) chicken curry”, combining it with Turmeric (Sunday Health Hack No. 7) which synergetically accelerates the health benefits of each.
The known history of ginger dates back about 5.000 years. Its native home is debated but its medicinal and spiritual uses were first documented in Southeast Asia, India and China.
Like many other spices, ginger was once a costly commodity. In the colonial prime time, a pound of ginger was traded in Europe for (the price of) one cow!
Ginger is a flowering plant and belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, closely related to turmeric or cardamom. And the ginger as we know it is the rhizome, the horizontal underground plant stem, also called “creeping rootstalk”.
Ginger has a very long history of use in various forms of traditional and alternative medicine, as it is claimed to be among the healthiest spices on the planet. It’s been used as an herbal medicine to cure a variety of ailments, like treating indigestion, reducing nausea, helping to fight the flu and common cold, decreasing menstrual pain, eliminating heart disease risk factors, lowering blood pressure, promoting liver health, inhibiting oxidative stress (a form of cellular aging), to name a few of its benefits.
The unique fragrance and flavour of ginger come from its natural oils, the most important of which is gingerol. Gingerol is the main bioactive compound in ginger. It’s responsible for much of ginger’s medicinal properties, due to its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
This is also why it’s not such a good idea to consume lots of ginger ale or ginger beer now, as they are not only loaded with sugar but there is no gingerol in it, just the “ginger flavour”.
But besides all these above mentioned health benefits, which should be reason enough for you to incorporate ginger in your daily (beverage) routine, today I want to focus on ginger’s outstanding positive effect as a “fat-burner”.
Ginger (the gingerol) is a “vasodilator”, meaning it increases the diameter of small arteries and enhances the circulation of the blood. This leads to an (slight but crucial) increase in body temperature, called the thermogenic effect, which promotes metabolism and burns (much) more calories.
Ginger also stimulates the metabolism, which additionally increases the burn-rate of calories.
Ginger optimizes the carbohydrate digestion and insulin secretion, thus keeping the blood sugar levels in check, inhibiting the storage of fat.
Ginger reduces hunger pangs and the urge to “snack”. Meaning, keeping away “undesired” calories in the first place.
And many of the above mentioned other benefits contribute to a nice higher (fat) burn-rate too, like a strong liver working now under full steam.
Of course, whether ginger really is able to burn some extra fat depends on many other factors too, such as diet or exercise. Ginger won’t help if you callously sprinkle some on your processed supermarket pizza while binge-watching Netflix on the couch.
Nevertheless, for good reason ginger has become an important ingredient in many modern “industry fat-burning” supplements today. But please go for the “organic original”. And put some ginger powder in your gym drink too.
Tip – I buy ginger powder in a “bulk”. Most Indian shops do have (organic) ginger powder in 500gr or 1.000gr bags. Or I order it online directly from a trusted source like Azafran (in Germany).
https://bit.ly/3JyUDC2
Emphasizing once again, that I have no relation and no affiliation with this company. But people keep on asking for recommendations, and I don’t want to let them buy some any junk.
Funny sidenote: There is no scientific explanation yet but ginger not only reduces body weight in general but has also got an attractive (in the truest sense of the word) positive effect on the waist-hip ratio. Meaning, ginger doesn’t just burn fat away anywhere but particular in the “preferential zone” :-).
Extra-Hack: Many might already have heard of Green Tea as another efficient natural fat-burning “supplement”. So, if you combine the two and put some (organic) ginger slices in your cup of green tea, you “triple” the effect (1+1=3).
Maybe not Roger but certainly all Ginger, Yours Andreas
Sunday Hack Quote
Yesterday I was smart, so I wanted to change the world.
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.
Rumi
Sunday Hack Music
For a better imagination, this is how “Ginger” works in your body. 🙂