Ginger is not just spicy, sweet and delicious. It’s also tremendously good for you. The holiday season is the perfect time to pack a punch with it in everything from the cookie tray to the cocktails.
Here’s why and how to include this efficacious superfood in your holiday festivities:
Be good to yourself
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and flu season, a nutritious immunity-boosting diet can help you take good care of your health.
With its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, ginger boasts a wide range of health benefits, making it a great ingredient to include in your winter culinary repertoire. What’s more, ginger can help counteract some of the effects of an indulgent holiday season, as it promotes digestive health and calms nausea.
Embrace its versatility
Ginger goes far beyond such holiday classics, like gingerbread houses. With a little creativity, it can be incorporated into every course of your holiday meal, adding a rare depth of flavor few other ingredients can match.
Whip up a batch of ginger-carrot soup, prepare a ginger-based salad dressing, top your roast with a ginger-gravy or simply garnish your favorite cocktail.
Go for the real stuff
To amp up the flavor and health benefits, use ingredients incorporating real ginger. Be sure to read the label. If you’re like the one-in-three ginger ale drinkers who reach for this bubbly beverage because you’re looking for a drink with actual ginger, you might be surprised to learn that most mainstream ginger ales contain almost no real ginger.
Healthy Holiday Ginger Mocktail
4 ounces zero sugar real ginger ale4 ounces sparkling waterFresh lime juicePomegranate arils
Mix the ginger ale and sparkling water. Add a spritz of lime juice, and top with pomegranate arils for seasonal crunch and a splash of color.
Winter Sangria
1 bottle of medium bodied dry red wine1 bottle ginger beer1 cup Brandy
½
cup orange liqueur
½
cup lemon juice
½
cup maple syrup1 diced appleOrange sliced into roundsBalloon wine glass with blood oranges, star anise, cloves for serving6 cinnamon sticks (garnish)
In a large carafe, add all ingredients except ginger beer and cinnamon, and let sit overnight. Serve in an ice-filled glass, top with ginger beer, and garnish with cinnamon sticks.
Recipes from Reed’s Ginger Ale.
