Lemon water this…Lemon water that…We get it, lemon water is great for you. And that is true, but what about ginger water or tea? Where’s the love for this beneficial beverage? There are SO many benefits that come with drinking ginger water every day.
To make ginger tea, add grated or sliced raw ginger to boiling water. Let it steep for at least 10 minutes and then strain. The flavor can be adjusted depending on how strong you want it to be. Ginger water is often credited as a treatment for digestive discomfort, but ginger may hold the key to numerous health benefits.
Let’s dig a little deeper into some of those amazing benefits of this special elixir.
Ginger Can Help Halt Nausea
The classic use of ginger water that is still practiced today. Throughout history, this magical root has been used around the world as a way to relieve nausea. Most commonly, it was used to prevent seasickness. Today, ginger is used as a treatment for nausea and vomiting associated with a lot of conditions, such as chemotherapy and pregnancy.
A study published in July 2012 notes that daily ginger consumption significantly reduced severe chemotherapy-induced nausea in cancer patients.
It May Relieve Period Pain
There are countless home remedies that claim to help give relief to symptoms during that time of the month, but ginger water has a little more substance behind it. During a randomized clinical trial published in Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics in 2015, ginger helped reduce menstrual cramp pain.
Additional research suggests that ginger is more effective at relieving pain that a placebo when taken during the first three or four days of your cycle. The thought behind this is that ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties may work similarly to a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil.
Looking for more ways to ease period pain?
Here are some medically proven methods….
Weight Loss Promotion
Ginger won’t melt belly fat or torch calories (sorry), but it’s still worth sipping if you enjoy the taste and are looking for a more flavorful alternative to plain water. Ginger water is not a weight loss elixir in that it doesn’t directly impact metabolism. That’s where green and black teas come in because of their caffeine.
The real benefit is drinking ginger water instead of ginger ale or other sugary beverages (super-sweet iced tea, gingerbread-flavored latte, etc.). Ginger water has almost zero calories and helps with your hydration, which are two pretty important factors if you’re trying to lose weight.
Reduced Risk of Chronic Disease
Ginger contains high amounts of phytonutrients, like many vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Phytonutrients are antioxidant-like compounds that may help counteract chronic inflammation. This a physiological state where your cells remain in high alert due to a past threat. This isn’t always a bad response mechanism, but it can, on occasion, get hyperactive. Unchecked, this can lead to arthritis and cancer over time.
Phytonutrients like the ones in ginger may reduce the inflammatory response of your body’s cells and protect them from DNA damage.
May Help Balance Blood Sugar
No, sugary ginger beer won’t help you here; however, raw ginger can help to improve blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, patients that consumed at least 3 grams of powdered ginger per day recorded improved blood sugar levels compared to a placebo.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects
As I mentioned earlier above, drinking ginger water or tea may help decrease inflammation. It also helps joint swelling and pain experienced from osteoarthritis and rheumatism. Journal of Medicinal Food published an article in the summer of 2005 noting that scientists over the last 25 years have found evidence supporting ginger’s amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Scientists have had a long-held belief in the powerful anti-inflammatory benefits contained within this awesome root.
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