The benefits of adding Ginger to your diet
Fly-in-Fly-out (FIFO) workers often face harsh and difficult working conditions. Since their shifts include long working hours (mostly 12 hours a day), they find little to no time in between their shifts to prepare themselves a whole, nourishing meal.
In addition to the physical and mental difficulties they face, enduring work for long stretches, they also face the psycho-emotional torment of being away from their families and homes. These have a far-reaching effect on their health, holistically. Surviving such arduous working conditions requires a healthy disposition. Ginger as a food item is a great way to promote general health and curtail health challenges often faced by workers.
Ginger is one of the healthiest and most delicious spices available on the planet. Ginger has a very long history of use in various forms of traditional and alternative medicine. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, ginger was one of the spices the doctors recommended to increase immunity. Gingerol is the main bioactive compound in ginger. It’s responsible for much of ginger’s medicinal properties.[1] It is often counted as a “superfood” as well.
Here are some of the great benefits the consumption of ginger brings along, and also how it can help FIFO workers in particular:
1. Treats colds/the flu
It is used to recover from a cold or the common flu widely from its native region of South-East Asia. It is a primary ingredient used in foods in the same region as well for the same purpose.
FIFO workers often work in varied climate conditions, and especially mine workers are restricted to work in confined spaces. This makes it easier for cold/flu viruses to spread. Since the facility of medical infirmary is not always available, and the overwhelming work pressure makes it inconvenient to take days off, readily available ginger can do just the trick.
2. Treats pain and inflammation
Due to long working hours, FIFO workers are often faced with issues like sore and aching muscles. Sometimes, due to lack of proper care and nutrition, it is aggravated into inflammation.
For the women working in the sector, menstrual pain also makes it extremely difficult to perform. Luckily, ginger consumption aids with all sorts of body pains and inflammations. Studies have concluded that ginger may help reduce dysmenorrhea — pain right before or during menstruation[2].
3. Improves digestion
Ginger can work wonders for digestive health. The book Healing Foods says that ginger “protects and heals the gut, hastens food movement through the gastrointestinal tract, and reduces wind, bloating, and cramps. It also awakens the taste buds and gets digestive juices flowing.”[1]
4. Helps with joint pain
Ginger has excellent antioxidant properties[2] , which help free your body of free radicals. Free radicals are essentially unstable foreign particles that cause harmful chemical reactions in your body. One of the results is joint pain. Workers stationed at extraction and mining sites are more prone to free radicals due to dust, ashes, fumes etc. Ginger consumption vitiates the oxidation in the body and reduces any joint pain caused. Workers already have to deal with a high physical burden due to long working hours and exhausting conditions.
5. Improves cardiovascular conditions
Ginger has proven to help contain blood sugar levels and Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL, ‘Bad’ cholesterol) under the safe limits. Workers can keep their hearts healthy by consuming small portions of ginger occasionally.
Ways to incorporate ginger in meals:
There are various ways that ginger can be added to our meals. The most significant advantage is the versatile usability of ginger. It can be consumed raw, cooked, powered, grinded, etc. Here are some of the best ways to include ginger into your diet:
i. Ginger Juice - Ginger can be grinded, and its juice can be extracted easily, which can then be used in various servings. Ginger juice can be used in tea/coffee/soups. The juice can be consumed by adding it to other beverages (smoothies, lemonades, etc.) or curries as a condiment.
ii. Ginger paste/shred - Ginger can also be used in a pasted or shredded form. It can be added to vegetables, pasta or anything and everything you eat. It can also be used in the marinade for any meat as well. You can also make a ginger marmalade which is very simple to prepare. You can find the recipe here. Or you could mix it with your butter[3]/spreads/nut butter(s).
iii. Raw Ginger - Ginger can be chewed raw as well, diced into small pieces. You can have it mixed with a little honey if you do not like the raw taste of the ginger. It is often consumed in parts of South Asia in raw form to cure throat infections, common cold, and cough. If not raw, you drink it partially boiled in water with some honey.
These were some convenient ways to introduce ginger into your daily consumption. It is rich in antioxidants and low on calories. It also helps in losing fat and balancing hormones in the body.
However, it has its own risks, but ginger will do wonders if consumed in the proper proportions. However, please do not go overboard with it. Excessive consumption may lead to diarrhea, digestive problems, mouth/throat irritations, heat burns, bleeding, dermatitis, cardiac and nervous problems[4].
References:
[1] Joe Leech: 11 Proven Health Benefits of Ginger, accessed at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger
[2] Jenna Fletcher: Why is ginger good for you? Accessed at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265990
[3] Sushmita Sengupta: 9 Incredible Uses And Health Benefits Of Ginger - From Digestion To Flu And Cold, accessed at: https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/9-incredible-ginger-benefits-from-digestion-to-fighting-flu-and-cold-1751065
[4] Lex Harvey: 6 science-backed health benefits of ginger and how to add it to your diet, accessed at: https://www.insider.com/ginger-benefits
[5] Tiffany La Forge: Why You Should Start Your Morning with Ginger, accessed at: https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/ginger-breakfast
[6] https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_ginger_african_ginger/drugs-condition.htm