Ginger Is A Powerhouse Ingredient Your Health Will Thank You For

Are you guilty of pushing chunks of ginger to the side of your plate whenever you have a warm bowl of arroz caldo or your mom's delicious Tinola? A lot of people would agree that ginger is not exactly a mouthwatering ingredient, and as a matter of fact, it's one of those foods that you'd rather just not have altogether. It has a bitter, almost spicy taste that's hard to love, but we're here to present a case for this wonder ingredient that loves our health!

Perhaps you've been given a warm cup of salabat a couple of times in the past by your mom or your lola whenever you'd catch a cold, or maybe you simply encounter ginger in some Pinoy dishes, but you've never really considered it a staple in your kitchen. At a time such as this when the pandemic seems to be lingering on longer than we had expected, it's best to explore other ways of boosting our immunity apart from taking trusty old vitamin C tablets!

Enter: ginger, or  the humble luya for us Filipino folks. It's not the prettiest spice out there, yes, but believe us when we say you best be stocking up on this powerhouse ingredient from now on. Some of ginger's benefits include fighting germs with its antibacterial properties, calming nausea symptoms, soothing sore muscles, preventing cancer cells' growth, lowering bad cholesterol, and the timeliest of all—boosting our immune system to prevent disease! According to Healthline, it can even help with osteoarthritis, aid in digestion, help in improving brain function and protect against Alzheimer's disease! 

I personally have found an affection for ginger in my dishes. From steering clear of it when I was younger, to now chewing on ginger in soups and stews, and drinking ginger tea thrice a day, I can say ginger has become a key tool in my health practices. If you're not keen on just ginger tea or good 'ol salabat, we've rounded up a few other products you can try. From superfood powders, to flavored teas, to chews, swipe through the gallery below:

Lead photo by Юлія Вівчарик on Unsplash