Tagged with 'ginger'

There are many natural, nutrition-related remedies to reduce bad inflammation, and here are some of our favorites.

Fresh ginger or turmeric make this watermelon smoothie recipe a super trendy and ridiculously healthy drink! Nutritionally, this fresh drink provides 57% daily value vitamin C and 35% daily value vitamin A.

Look for fresh turmeric in natural food stores, near its similar-looking relative, fresh ginger. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler. You can swap 1 Tbsp. finely grated fresh for 1 tsp. dried and vice versa.

Ingredients

4 cups watermelon chunks, seeded

½ cup water

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

3 Tablespoons coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger

3 Tablespoons coarsely chopped peeled fresh turmeric or 1 teaspoon ground

4 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon extra-virgin coconut oil

Pinch of ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute.

Serves 2: about 1½ cups each

Talk about refreshing! Enjoy! 

Cal 169 / Fat 3g (Sat 2g) / Carbs 38g / Total Sugars 31g (Added 12g) / Protein 2g / Fiber 2g / Sodium 7mg / Potassium 433mg

Recipe courtesy of Eating Well magazine.

Ginger has been used for over 2,000 years in Traditional Chinese Medicine for a variety of ailments, such as upset stomach, diarrhea and nausea.

I’m jumping on the pumpkin everything bandwagon this Fall season, and here's another delicious way to incorporate it into your life.

The nutrition in this recipe is great for supporting your immune system and reducing inflammation. It also contains a lot of heart healthy fat.

Pumpkin spice granola is full of immune-boosting antioxidants! Pumpkin is known for being packed with beta-carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A not only maintains a healthy immune system overall, it also keeps mucous membranes in top form. The Vitamin E in the sunflower seeds is also a powerful antioxidant and plays an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. 

The ginger and cinnamon in the pumpkin pie spice pack a nutrition punch. Cinnamon is studied for its numerous health benefits, including helping blood glucose levels. Ginger is high in antioxidants and known to reduce inflammation. 

Ingredients

½ cup sunflower seeds  

½ cup pumpkin seeds   

2 Tablespoons chia seeds   

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes

1/3 cup coconut oil  

½ cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (to stay Paleo, use non-imitation vanilla or vanilla bean powder)

1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or ½ teaspoon each ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt  

½ cup dried apples or dried mangos (chopped into pieces), dried cranberries, or goji berries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Combine the seeds and coconut flakes in a large bowl.

3. Melt the coconut oil over low heat in a small saucepan. When coconut oil is melted, remove from the heat and add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, and sea salt and whisk together until smooth.

4. Pour the spiced pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix until well coated.

5. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Spread the granola evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes.

6. Stir every 15 minutes or so to be sure the granola is cooking evenly and not burning. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool completely.

7. Once cool add the dried fruit and transfer to an airtight container until ready to serve. 

Enjoy this delicious, Paleo-friendly recipe!

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Recipe courtesy of Natural Grocers Healthy and Delicious Recipes.

If where you live is anything like Bend, Oregon right now, it’s oozing with the feeling of Fall. Pleasant days, chilly nights, and best of all, the colors! The leaves on the Aspens, Maples, and Oaks are red, orange, golden, and hazelnut--intermingled between all the wonderful evergreens, it’s a bright and beautiful sight!   

This weather also lends itself any excuse to eat everything pumpkin---granola, bread, ice cream, soup, and any other pumpkin laced food! Pumpkin’s such a guiltless pleasure--low in calories and fat, high in vitamins and phytochemicals--making it even more enjoyable. 

The nutrition in this recipe is great for supporting your immune system and reducing inflammation. 

Pumpkin and butternut squash are famous for being packed with beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant which provides your body a huge immunity boost! Beta-carotene is converted to Vitamin A in your body, and Vitamin A not only maintains healthy immunity overall, it also keeps mucous membranes in top form.   

Another perk, the ginger in the recipe is a powerful spice, high in antioxidants and known to reduce inflammation. 

Enjoy!

Ginger Pumpkin Butternut Squash Soup

vegan, makes about 6 cups

1 cup canned organic pumpkin (or use fresh roasted if you have on hand)
4 cups butternut squash cubes
1 Tbsp ginger powder
1/3 cup grade B maple syrup
2 Tbsp vegan buttery spread (add more for a richer, more buttery soup)
1/2 tsp pink sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 leaves fresh sage, torn
1/2 cup+ plain soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)

To Make:

1.  Add 4 cups of water to a large pot. Bring to boil. Add in butternut squash cubes and a pinch of salt. Boil until squash is tender - but not falling apart.
2.  Drain the squash and add to a Vitamix or high speed blender. Add in the pumpkin, spices, and all the remaining ingredients. For the soy, start with 1/2 cup and keep adding until your soup reaches your desired thickness.
3.  Blend. Serve immediately - warm. Or you can simmer on the stove until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh sage leaves.]

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Recipe courtesy of lunchboxbunch.com

The cooler days of fall are coming.  For some people, that’s a welcome relief.  But for asthma sufferers, not so much.  Cold air and even a small change in temperature can tighten lungs and make you short of breath.

The wheezing…coughing…asthma is just plain uncomfortable.  Not to mention deadly.

Twenty-five million people have asthma or reactive airway disease.  Asthma drugs help dilate bronchial tubes when they narrow and swell.  But the drugs are dangerous and have some scary side effects.  Some asthma meds have reported to reduce your adrenal functioning, decrease your bone density, and even create fungal infections in your mouth (1).

Stopping inflammation in the lungs and relaxing the smooth muscle tissue of the bronchial tubes is key to reducing mucus and breathing better.

This fragrant spice eases inflammation and opens up your airways…

GINGER

That’s serious stuff, but so are ginger’s antioxidant compounds, of which there are hundreds.  Two of the most studied are gingerols and a phytonutrient called 6-shagaol.

Gingerols and 6-shagaol

Gingerols reduce inflammation and oxidative stress by blocking certain enzymes.  This lowers mucus production in the lungs (2).

6-shagaol is said to be one of the components in ginger that give it the pungent flavor.  This compound dissolves the proteins that cause bronchial tubes to constrict (3).

Enjoy Ginger!

Indian, Asian, and Arabic cultures have benefited from the healing properties of ginger for centuries.  You can add it to almost anything as flavor.  Cut it up and add it to chicken, salads, stir-fries, soups, or tea.  You can also eat it dried.

Because ginger is so high in antioxidants, asthma is just one of the inflammation-based diseases it fights.  You can’t go wrong with adding it to your diet on a regular basis just to decrease overall inflammation.

If you have asthma, ginger will help you open your airways, breathe easier, and loosen up that tight feeling in your chest.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

1.  http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_serevent_diskus.pdf

2.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/

3.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23065130

Article courtesy of The Institute for Natural Healing, posted September 29, 2013, and found here. 

Several years ago an important medical discovery was made about asthma---some inflammation is present in the bronchial tubes of people with asthma even when the person feels well and when their breathing is normal.  The cause of this chronic inflammation is not known, but the persistent or chronic presence of the inflammation is probably what makes the bronchial tubes capable of narrowing abnormally.  There is now an emphasis on the importance of reducing inflammation of the bronchial tubes to control or prevent attacks.

Reducing inflammation is critical because extended inflammation damages tissues, including the lung tissue.

Here are some key nutrients to consider for controlling inflammation:

• Ginger or Turmeric are known for their anti-inflammatory properties so eat up!

• Include Nuts and Seeds (peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds) regularly.  They are one of the best sources of Vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant, protecting cells from damage.

• Oranges and Grapefruit are loaded with Vitamin C, another potent antioxidant to protect cells from damage.  Vitamin C is one of the key antioxidant vitamins abundant in the extracellular fluid lining the lungs.

• Add Spinach to your day to boost your intake of Magnesium.  Magnesium’s role in decreasing bronchospasm has been investigated in both acute and chronic asthma.

• Get some sun or take your daily dose of Vitamin D, especially in the winter months.  Consider having your vitamin D3 blood levels measured to determine your current Vitamin D status.  Your levels should be about 50 nmol/L.

• Take a potent probiotic, such as ProBiota 12.  Potent probiotics increase T regulatory cells which are critical in balancing an overactive immune system.  These are designed to get at the root of inflammation and quench it.

• Fish are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3 fatty acids limit leukotrienes, which trigger contractions in the smooth muscles lining the bronchioles, which ultimately reduces inflammation.

• Avoiding dairy products and gluten are likely very solid recommendations as they are commonly inflammatory.

• Eliminate environmental triggers and exposures, targeting the air we breathe.  Obtain an air purifier for your home, and reduce your exposure to other things such as scented fabrics, chemicals found in carpets, new clothing, dry cleaning, etc.  If you are looking for an air purifier to eliminate smells and volatile compounds, consider the T300 or the A375UV Alen Air Purifiers.

Bottom Line:  The goal of successful asthma care is to prevent the symptoms of asthma from developing rather than having to relieve them with medications once they occur.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RD

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

It's fairly common to experience some type of inflammation in some part of your body on a fairly regular basis, even if you don't realize it, such as what happens during exercise. As it turns out, there are some natural remedies for helping, and it may just take some small tweaks in your diet!

Potato salad is a summertime classic, but with all that mayonnaise, it’s not exactly what the doctor ordered for overall health! 

Swap your mayonnaise-laden, white potato salad for this colorful and nutritious recipe, which features sweet potatoes, a lively citrus dressing, and vitamin-rich spinach. 

The sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene...they have more beta-carotene (a whopping 25,000 IU in one baked sweet potat with skin), vitamin C, folate, calcium and manganese than white spuds.  Another plus...even the seasonings in this recipe have nutritional benefits.

Ginger and turmeric have anti-inflammatory properties, while cinnamon helps control blood sugar. 

If you have leftovers, just heat in the microwave to warm the sweet potatoes and wilt the spinach for an appealing side dish.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion

3 Tbsp sliced almonds

1 lb. sweet potatoes (1 large or 2 small), peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks (2 ¾ cups)

¼ cup fresh orange juice

4 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp honey

½ tsp minced garlic (1 clove)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp salt, or to taste

1/8 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups baby spinach, washed and dried

Directions:

1.  Place the peeled, sliced onion in a medium bowl and cover with ice water.  Let soak for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring them once or twice before draining and using them in your recipe.

Tip: 

2.  Toast almonds:  spread almonds in a small baking pan; toast in 350-degree oven 10 to 15 minutes.  Let cool.

3.  Meanwhile, place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan.  Cover with water and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes or just until tender but still firm.  Drain.

4.  While sweet potatoes are cooking, whisk orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, salt and pepper in large bowl.  Whisk in oil.  Reserve 3 tablespoons of this dressing for spinach.

5.  Add hot sweet potatoes to dressing in bowl.  Drain onions and add to sweet potatoes; toss gently with rubber spatula to mix.  Toss spinach with reserved 3 tablespoons dressing in a large bowl.  Mound spinach on 4 plates.  Top with sweet potato salad and sprinkle with toasted almonds.  Serve warm. 

Yield:  4 servings (3/4 cup sweet potato salad and 1 cup spinach salad).

Per Serving:  Calories: 210.  Total fat: 9 grams.  Saturated fat: 1 gram.  Cholesterol: 0 milligrams. Sodium: 220 milligrams. Carbohydrate: 33 grams.  Fiber: 5 grams.  Sugars: 8 grams.  Protein: 3 grams.  Vitamin A: 350% DV.  Vitamin C: 45% DV.

Enjoy!

 Kelly Harrington, MS, RD

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Recipe courtesy of Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter.  June 2013.