Bookmark Website  | Free Registration  | The Team
The Lounge  | Champions  | The Wire |  Schedule |  Audio  |  Arcade  |  The Top Ten  |  Historical  |  Email  |  Video

Ginger 4 Spleen - A Love Story!


For all I prefer to buy my fresh produce at a farm shop or farmers' market, I do appreciate the role that supermarkets have played in improving the variety in our diets, not to mention the convenience. Ginger, the root, is one of those foods that not too long ago, you would have to have hunted high and low for. Now it's available in every supermarket and if you are lucky enough to live in a culturally diverse area, in local convenience stores too.

In my local Waitrose, it's stocked alongside the lemongrass, coriander, garlic and chillies so you could be forgiven for thinking of it solely as just one ingredient in an oriental dish. When you consider all the wonderful properties this humble looking little root delivers, you might want to think again.

Ginger...

- Speeds up your metabolism.
- It's a warming food so grate it into juices or on salads in the winter.
- Its soothing antiseptic properties help the body handle the cold and wind.
- It's a natural remedy for morning and travel sickness. Something to do with the Gingerols
- It's great for the spleen.

Now I don't know about you, but up until about a year ago, I had absolutely no idea where the spleen was, what it did and why I should even care!

I mean, 'spleen'... it's not the most attractive of words is it? Sounds a bit nasty. But the thing is, it's really rather crucial if you want to benefit from a healthy diet. You see, for all it's a small organ, the spleen has many functions:

- #1 - It acts as a blood reservoir in times of emergency, for example, if we cut ourselves badly.

- #2 - It recycles worn out red blood cells by transforming them into iron in your blood.

- #3 - It's part of the immune system, it neutralizes unhealthy bacteria preventing colds and flus.

- #4 - It works with your stomach for the uptake of nutrients from the food we eat, so a worn out spleen means that even if you are eating healthy foods, you are not going to absorb them properly.

A tired spleen is very common indeed.

If you are prone to colds and flu the chances are your spleen is weak. Other signs that yours needs a bit of TLC would be wind, bloating and (I trust you've eaten) constantly loose and runny bowel movements ie. where no stool has formed.

Ginger is just one example of foods that nourish the spleen. Others are onions, leeks, garlic, cinnamon, fennel and anything high in chlorophyll eg. Kale and leafy greens. And try eating oats, rice or spelt for breakfast.

The main active ingredient in Ginger is thought to be a compound called gingerol, which helps to relax blood vessels and stimulate blood flow. Given that the spleen is so busy with our blood, it's no surprise that it benefits so much from ginger, which also appears to be effective in helping to lower blood pressure and reduce blood clotting (as an alternative to Aspirin).

I always have ginger in the fridge and use it in juices, salads, stir-fries, soups, marinades and dressings. My top tip - if it's just the juice you need, use a garlic press. Far less fiddly than grating it! Here's a recipe for Spinach Salad with Ginger Dressing - http://claireraikes.blogs.com/claires_blog/2005/06/spinach_salad_w.html.

Claire Raikes is a Wellbeing Coach, Speaker and Writer who 'cured' herself of a chronic, disabling and potentially life-threatening bowel condition without the use of steroids, surgery or any other traditional medical intervention. She now shares her passion for natural and vibrant health through coaching, speaking and writing about the importance and power of a truly healthy diet.

She publishes a free weekly eZine, In Essence and is compiling an eBook of Healthy Fast Food with 25% of the proceeds going to The Cancer Project, a charity set up by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and nutritionists to educate the public on the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival. If you have a recipe you would like to submit, visit http://www.LiveInEssence.com for further details. To book Claire to speak at your event, email her at Claire@LiveInEssence.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Fact Sheet: The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition
Whitehouse.gov (press release)
In 2012, the United States leveraged its presidency of the G-8 to deepen the global commitment to food security through the establishment of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. At the G-8 Summit hosted by President Obama at Camp David, ...

and more »


How does pho measure up when it comes to nutrition?
NOLA.com
Pho is one of the most popular Vietnamese menu items, often ordered as a light lunch or dinner, but is that steaming bowl of noodles really as nutritious as we think it is? Here's an up-close look at how pho measures up, and how to tweak it to make it ...

and more »


The Slatest

Courtesy of Soylent Corporation
The Slatest
A friend admitted to me recently that she'd paid $65 into the crowdfunding campaign for Soylent, the “future of nutrition.” In August, she expects to receive a week's worth of meals in the form of an unflavored beige powder. For her contribution she'll ...
Soylent Formula Coming Soon To A Mailbox Near You: Now Accepting Orders ...Medical Daily

all 5 news articles »


Daily Monitor

Under Nutrition Costs Government 1.8 Trillion Annually
AllAfrica.com
An estimated 1.8 trillion Ugandan shillings is lost annually as a result of under nutrition according to the findings of a ground breaking study on the cost of hunger launched yesterday at Imperial Royale Hotel. The study was conducted by the ...
Shs2 trillion lost to hunger, study showsDaily Monitor

all 3 news articles »


KATU

Top Agriculture Committee Dem downplays nutrition cuts in farm bill
The Hill (blog)
"While I think it's ridiculous to cut hundreds of billions of dollars out of nutrition programs as some members have called for, I also don't think it's realistic to say that we can't cut one penny from these programs," Peterson said at the start of ...
Buckle your seatbelt for the House consideration of the farm billagprofessional.com
Senate passes farm bill, stage set for debate over SNAP cutsFood Business News (registration)
Food stamps focus of farm bill debateAG Week
Oakland Press -Roll Call
all 253 news articles »


Senate, House split on food stamp junk food ban
Bangor Daily News
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine House and Senate were at odds Wednesday over a bill aimed at barring food stamp recipients from spending their state-issued benefits on soft drinks and certain snack foods. The Democratically controlled Senate on ...

and more »


Starbucks to post nutrition info at company-run stores
Detroit Free Press
Starbucks announced plans Tuesday to post calorie information for beverages on menu boards at all company-operated stores beginning June 25, ahead of a federal regulation that would require it to do so. The moves come at a time when Americans are ...



Design & Trend

Starbucks Coffee (SBUX) Will Begin Providing Nutrition Information in US Stores
StreetInsider.com (subscription)
Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) announced it will include calorie information on menu boards at all company-operated and licensed U.S. Starbucks® stores beginning June 25. The launch of menu board labeling and pastry case calorie labeling ...
Starbucks Menu Nutrition to Post Calorie Counts: Blueberry Scones No Good to ...Design & Trend
Calorie Info Now on Starbucks Menu - Analyst BlogNASDAQ
Starbucks Will Post Calorie Counts In Stores Nationwide: Which Items Are Worse ...iScienceTimes.com
DailyFinance -MENAFN.COM
all 131 news articles »


Nation's Restaurant News

Taco Bell, Starbucks appeal to diet conscious eaters
USA TODAY
Americans amass about a third of their calories from eating out — roughly twice as many as in the 1970s, says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "When people didn't eat out as much, it didn't ...
Taco Bell, Starbucks aim for the nutrition consciousNashville Business Journal
Taco Bell to test 'Power Protein' menuNation's Restaurant News
Taco Bell to test 'Power Protein' menu as part of health kickThe Republic

all 32 news articles »


Smart nutrition makes stroke risk smaller
U-T San Diego
Doctors often suggest a sensible diet and moderate exercise to combat a host of medical issues, but did you know those simple steps can decrease risk of stroke, too? You can control your risk of stroke in a variety of simple ways including starting ...


Google News


Advertisement



Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us

Copyright © 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved.