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3 Healthy Ways to Eat More Ginger

Ginger-585It’s no secret that I’m kind of into ginger, but recently, for some reason, my obsession has really revved up, and I want to add ginger to everything. I’m buying enough ginger root at the grocery store to draw regular comments from the checkout clerk. And believe me, none of it is going to waste.
There are lots of reasons to want to incorporate more ginger into your diet. Maybe you’re digging the health benefits, like all those awesome cancer-fighting antioxidants or, my personal favorite, the anti-inflammatory qualities. Or maybe you just really, really, really like the taste — totally fair, if you ask me. But regardless of why you want more ginger in your life, I’ve got three awesome ways to add it in.

1. Smoothies

The amount of fresh ginger I’ve been putting in my smoothies most mornings borders on the ridiculous, but, what can I say? I like a little spice. It adds some bite to a pineapple-orange-strawberry smoothie, but is a delicious (and kind of unexpected) complement to a peach-blueberry one. But probably my current favorite favorite is carrot-apple-kale with a 1.5-inch piece of ginger root tossed in (along with some coconut water, chia seeds and plain protein powder). So. Good.

2. Tea

Oh, wait. You already knew that. But yeah — even though it’s about 900 degrees outside, I’m still digging my ginger tea. Haven’t tried it yet? Even if you don’t like traditional tea, I bet you’ll love it.

3. Salad

I’ve long been big on the homemade balsamic vinaigrette, but turns out that ginger vinaigrette is just as delicious (although, admittedly, it requires a bit more planning than my typical “pour a little olive oil and balsamic in a glass, add some salt, pepper and dried basil and mix it up with a fork” dressing), and it’s got those healthy benefits.

Bonus: Cocktails!

One of my favorite cocktails ever featured freshly grated ginger along with bourbon, a bit of fresh lemon, and … I don’t know. Magic, I guess — it was at a restaurant I used to frequent up in Gainesville, and I failed to procure the recipe before moving. But, happily for me, the Internet is certainly not at a loss for ginger-fueled cocktail recipes. Just make sure you’re finding recipes that use fresh ginger, not just ginger ale or ginger beer, because, while those are delicious, well, that’s a whole other obsession!
Do you love ginger in all its forms? Believe it or not, I do not care for it pickled. At. All.Kristen

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