The benefits of ginger for health are mainly assist in weight loss, speeding up the metabolism, and relax the gastrointestinal system, preventing nausea and vomiting. However, ginger also acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, helping to prevent diseases such as colon and rectal cancer and ulcers in the stomach.
Ginger is a root that can be used in teas or shavings that can be added to water, juices, yogurts or salads. Listed below are 6 benefits of this food.
1. Assist in weight loss
Ginger helps in weight loss because it acts by speeding up the metabolism and stimulating the burning of body fat. The compounds 6-gingerol and 8-gingerol, present in this root, act to increase the production of heat and sweat, which also helps in the weight loss and the prevention of the weight gain.
2. Combat heartburn and intestinal gas
Ginger is widely used to combat heartburn and intestinal gas and should be consumed mainly in the form of tea to obtain this benefit. This tea is made at the rate of 1 tablespoon of ginger for every 1 cup of water, and ideally 4 cups of tea should be ingested throughout the day to improve intestinal symptoms.
3. Acting as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
Ginger has antioxidant action in the body, acting in the prevention of diseases like flu, colds, cancer and premature aging. In addition, it also has anti-inflammatory action, improving the symptoms of arthritis, muscle pain and respiratory diseases such as cough, asthma and bronchitis.
4. Improve nausea and vomiting
Ginger helps reduce nausea and vomiting that often occur during pregnancy, chemotherapy treatments or the first few days after surgeries. The improvement of these symptoms is obtained after about 4 days of consumption of 0.5 g ginger, which is equivalent to about ½ teaspoon of ginger shavings that should be taken preferably in the morning.
5. Protect the stomach from ulcers
Ginger helps protect the stomach against ulcers because it helps in fighting H. pylori bacteria, the main cause of gastritis and stomach ulcers. In addition, ginger also prevents the onset of stomach cancer, which in most cases is linked to changes in cells caused by the ulcer. See the symptoms of gastritis caused by H. pylori.
6. Prevent colon and rectal cancer
Ginger also works on the prevention of colon-rectal cancer, because it has a substance called 6-gingerol, which prevents the development and proliferation of cancer cells in this region of the intestine.
Learn how to use ginger to lose weight at:
- Ginger Tea to Lose Weight
- Ginger juice to speed up metabolism
