Ginger is one of the healthiest spices on the planet and has a very long history of use in various forms of traditional and alternative medicine. It’s loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body and brain.
It can be used in many different forms, fresh and dried, as powder and ginger oil, and in capsules and lozenges and has many proven health benefits.
Pain relief
Ginger can help to reduce inflammation and ease the discomfort of muscular pain. This makes it a popular natural remedy to help manage symptoms of illnesses such as arthritis and ease cramping in sports injuries.
Helps digestion
Ginger has been proven to relieve gastrointestinal irritation and can help to move food from the stomach to the small intestine for digestion and absorption. A cup of ginger tea post-meal can help calm bloating and gas.
Lowers cholesterol
Research shows that ginger activates an enzyme that increases your body's use of cholesterol and lowers it. The ginger can be taken in the form of supplements or cooked in meals.
Calms nausea
Ginger release enzymes into the stomach which can reduce symptoms of sickness and has been proven to be very effective for morning sickness. Chewing raw ginger or drinking fresh ginger tea has been proven to reduce the feeling of nausea.
Ginger is full of antioxidants
Phytonutrients are the cell-protecting properties of ginger which can help to prevent cell damage and strengthen immunity in the body.
Wholistica shared her delicious healthy recipe for Vegan Ginger Cookies with us for a great way to incorporate this culinary spice into your diet.
SERVING: 15 cookies
TIME: 20 - 30 minutes
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 and a half tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
- A quarter teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of canola oil (can also substitute for rapeseed, coconut, olive)
- 1/4 cup soy milk
METHOD:
1) Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon into a bowl and mix and set aside
2) Add the sugar, milk, oil into another bowl and mix well also. Once mixed add in the rest of the ingredients from step 1 and whisk all together. The mixture will remain quite wet.
3) Have a baking tray ready with greased paper ready for the cookies to be baked. Now the mixture is ready, make small balls (about 1 teaspoon in size), and add to the tray. You can use a spoon to gently flatten the cookies out and as an optional extra you can sprinkle each cookie with sugar. My batch made around 15 , but yours may be a little more or less
4) Place on the top shelf of your oven at 180 Celsius and bake for around 10 minutes, check cookies are golden slightly but do not burn. adjust cooking time accordingly to your preference and you are all done. Either eat straight away or store in an airtight jar to keep fresh