Traditional Chinese medicine has a saying, “Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer.” Indeed, from the perspective of health preservation and disease prevention, eating ginger in summer has many benefits. But everything has two sides.
How to choose good ginger
When choosing ginger, it is essential to smell it carefully, look at the skin, and taste it.
Smell ginger carefully; if there’s a pungent or other peculiar smell, don’t buy it.
The skin of regular ginger is dry and yellow. The skin of ginger smoked with sulfur is “juicy” and light yellow. Common ginger should have dry and yellow skin, while ginger smoked with sulfur should have “juicy” and pale yellow skin.
Pick a small piece of ginger with your hands and taste it. It is unsuitable if the spicy taste is not strong or is weird.
Be careful when selecting and preparing ginger
Rotten ginger will produce a highly toxic substance, which can cause liver cell degeneration and necrosis and induce liver cancer and esophageal cancer.
Some people like to peel ginger when they eat ginger, which can’t give full play to the overall effect of ginger. However, fresh ginger can be shredded and divided into slices after washing.
3 benefits of eating ginger in the summertime
1. Increased appetite
In the summer, appetites can sometimes diminish because of the weather. The gingerol in ginger can stimulate the taste nerve of the tongue and the receptors on the gastric mucosa and promote gastrointestinal tract congestion and the secretion of gastric juice through nerve reflex, which can appetize and invigorate the spleen, promote digestion, and increase appetite.
2. Detoxification
In summer, people like to have cold drinks and cold dishes. But these foods are easily polluted by germs. If people eat them carelessly, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea will appear. The volatile oils in ginger have specific bactericidal and detoxifying effects.
3. Dispelling wind and cold
In summer, people prefer frozen or icy food. Over time, the spleen and stomach are prone to deficiency and cold, and symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea occur. Ginger has the effects of warming the stomach, dispelling colds, relieving pain, and helping avoid the above symptoms.
At the same time, the volatile oil of ginger can promote blood circulation. Adding some ginger to the diet can refresh the mind, dispel wind and cold, and prevent gastrointestinal infections and colds.
When to avoid eating ginger
Eating more ginger doesn’t amount to a better effect.
Scorching hot weather
The weather can be scorching hot in summer, and people are prone to have dry mouths, polydipsia, sore throat, and excessive sweating. Ginger is spicy and warm, a hot food in the traditional Chinese medicine category.
According to the traditional Chinese medicine principle of “treating hotness with coldness,” it is not suitable to eat more. Instead, add a few slices of ginger when cooking or making soup.
Yin deficiency and glowing fire
Anyone suffering from yin deficiency and hyperactivity of fire, red eyes and internal heat, or carbuncle, pneumonia, lung abscess, tuberculosis, gastric ulcer, cholecystitis, diabetes, and hemorrhoids should avoid ginger.
From the perspective of treating diseases, ginger brown sugar soup is only suitable for patients with wind-cold or cold stomachs and fever after cold exposure. Taking fresh ginger juice can cure vomiting caused by colds, but it is not ideal for other viral conditions.
In summary
In conclusion, eating ginger in summer can provide many health benefits, but being aware of its potential risks is essential. Therefore, when choosing ginger, it is necessary to smell it carefully, look at the skin, and taste it.
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