Ginger and Seasonal Wellness

The ancient Indians believed ginger could help improve memory, calm the stomach, and enhance sexual performance. These days, ginger is also believed to reduce "bad" cholesterol, stabilize blood glucose levels, and, because of its anti-inflammatory properties, reduce the risk of heart disease and arthritis. Due to its purported ability to treat so many maladies, it's fair to say that ginger is a root for all seasons. In this post, the team at Rocky Mountain Soda looks at the potential seasonal benefits of including ginger in your diet.

The Seasonal Benefits of Ginger by the Team at Rocky Mountain Soda

We're going to start with winter because that's when most of us spend long days barricaded inside our homes against the wintry onslaught. Being locked up for long periods like that is not good for the body, mind, or spirit, but ginger can help.

Your Winter Defense: The Power of Ginger

Ginger has long been known for its ability to warm the body internally, and traditional healers have used it for thousands of years to help reduce the symptoms of colds and flu. It is also believed to bolster the immune system, which is really important because when everyone spends long periods together in enclosed spaces, germs propagate at an alarming rate.

So come wintertime, shave some ginger into your favorite tea while it's steeping and top it off with a bit of fresh lemon juice. If it's too late and a cold has already gotten the better of you, add some ginger to your homemade chicken soup to help hasten your recovery.

Breathe Easier This Spring with Ginger

When the winter weather finally breaks, it's time to break out the Rocky Mountain Soda while you do a bit of spring cleaning. Unfortunately, it's also the time when seasonal allergies are at their worst. Virtually every plant in existence is sending pollen, spores, and other materials into the air, which is enough to send many people rushing to the pharmacy for antihistamines and other allergy meds.

But before you reach for the allergy med, consider having some of the aforementioned ginger-infused tea or if you need a little extra relaxation, you can try a Ginger Rogers Cocktail made with homemade ginger syrup. Recent scientific research indicates that ginger may be nearly as effective as some of the most popular anti-allergy medications in relieving allergy symptoms. As a bit of icing on the ginger cake, it also produces fewer side effects than most allergy meds.

How Ginger Helps with Summer Overindulgence

No one gets sick in the summertime, do they? While it's generally true that colds and flu are less prevalent during the summer, other health issues are largely the result of activities unique to summertime. In this case, we're talking about things like overeating at summer cookouts or eating strange dishes while traveling the world.

One of the original uses for ginger was to help reduce indigestion and bloating caused by overeating or by eating foods not part of someone's normal diet. So, you can approach ginger use during the summer in two ways. You can add it to some of those summer cookout dishes, or, if you've overindulged, you can add ginger juice to a refreshing beverage to help reduce bloating and indigestion. You can also help minimize the degree of your upset stomach by drinking our Rocky Mountain Soda instead of a half-dozen brewskis.

Ease Into Fall: Ginger for Comfort and Relief

As we transition from summer to autumn, the air gets colder and damper, and many people begin to feel stiffness and aching in their joints that is not there during the peak summer months. Aching and stiffness are often the result of inflammation, so ginger, with its well-known anti-inflammatory properties, should be part of your autumnal diet. Ginger also has a calming effect on the nerves, which can help you relax if you're feeling put off by aches and pains.

As is the case during the wintertime, the fall is a great time to add ginger to some of your favorite hot meals to warm you up and produce the aforementioned anti-inflammatory benefits. So, sprinkle some in your tea, add it to your favorite soup, or even add some to your pasta sauce. You'll enjoy both a unique and compelling taste sensation and less stiffness and pain.

The Bottom Line

We'd love to say that you'll enjoy all the health benefits we described above by drinking our Extra Spicy Ginger Beer, but the truth is that to enjoy ginger's benefits, you'll need to pick up some ginger root, ginger juice, or ginger powder and add it to your soups, burgers, tea, and other foods and drinks. Still, it's a good idea to keep plenty of our Rocky Mountain Soda on hand for BBQs, holiday parties, and lazy days at the beach.