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.

---

How Essential Fatty Acids Improve Your Brain Power and Mental Health

What is your brain made ofOver 50% of your brain... Read More

The Best Way to Consume Vitamin C

Eating orange mean absorbing vitamin C to our body, is... Read More

Olive Oil -Not Just for Popeye

Archeological records indicate that man has cultivated the olive tree... Read More

Cholesterol Does Not Cause Heart Disease

Cholesterol is an essential building block of every cell in... Read More

The Versatility of Actinase Protein Complex

The ingredients list found on the back or side panel... Read More

A Background to Dietary Fiber

Fiber is the part of the plant that is resistant... Read More

The Importance of Nutrition and Lifestyle

Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to... Read More

Nutrition and Exercise Tips to Walk Away From Death

Recently yet another super-heavyweight Iron Immortal died from a heart... Read More

How to Pick a Trainer ?

Quick Overview- I think the most important thing for people... Read More

Sugar Lovers Beware

It would be fair to assume that almost everyone on... Read More

Pineapples: The Healing Fruit Of The Tropics (Includes A Recipe For Pina-Banana Orange Smoothie)

For a natural and tasty way to improve your health... Read More

Relieve PMS with the Food Diet Changes

Almost every woman suffers with premenstrual syndrome at one time... Read More

The Many Benefits of Green Tea Extract

The Benefits of Green Tea Extract: Anti-Aging, Anti-Cancer, Weight Control... Read More

Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil -- Why Is It Different?

A flood of scientific evidence about fish oil points to... Read More

Small Changes Yield Big Benefits

You can start today - right now, even - on... Read More

Put a Zing in your Step with Ginger!

Zingiber officinale has been held in the highest regard by... Read More

Physical Health is Attainable Through Proper Nutrition and Exercise

Obesity is epidemic in this country for both children and... Read More

The Power of Capsulized Foods

For most people, the concept of capsulized food? usually conjures... Read More

Enzymes and Raw Food ? Can You Cheat Time and Stay Young for Longer?

I'm going to be a bit radical here, but know... Read More

The coq10 Benefit

Coq10 is also known as Coenzyme Q10.This co q10 is... Read More

Most of Us Talk and Think About Nutrition and Exercise as a Distant Activity to be Started Some Day!

If you do not take time to stand back at... Read More

Nutrition Know-how: Seven Simple Ways to Eat Healthier (with Strawberry Orange Sorbet Recipe)

The key to better health is learning the difference between... Read More

The Benefits Of Drinking Herbal Teas

Herbal teas have long been known to have medicinal benefits... Read More

Three Cheers for Heart Healthy Oils!

You may have noticed an ever-expanding choice of oils at... Read More

How to Help Your Picky Eater

One of the most common questions I am asked is... Read More