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I've talked about "superfoods" before, but this is one of my absolute favorites.

Not only is it delicious, but it is so great at quickly fighting ailments like digestive difficulties, heart burn, and morning sickness.

What food am I talking about?

GINGER!

Ginger is a plant that has been used by Chinese herbalists for more than 2,500 years in flavoring foods and part of natural medicines. 

So it's no surprise that it belongs in the same family of plants as turmeric, another powerful anti-inflammatory spice. 

Benefits of Ginger

• •Rebuilds a damaged gut microbiome: One of ginger's biggest "claims to fame" is its ability to quickly calm the digestive system to relieve distress and discomfort from gas pains and cramping. It also has been used to relieve nausea from motion sickness, morning sickness or the occasional "I just ate the wrong thing and it's killing my stomach!" Drinking ginger tea is a fast and effective way to regain digestive health.
• •Reduces inflammation: Ginger and turmeric have also been used in the treatment and prevention of inflammatory conditions like painful arthritis and it's a wonderful cold and flu fighter.
• •Boosts metabolism and reduces bloat: ginger root has been found to help accelerate the metabolism and assists in reducing stomach bloating by helping food digest properly.

For me, any food that will assist my digestion and keep my stomach feeling good is a food that is well worth adding to my meal plans. I also really enjoy the delicious taste of ginger and love adding it to several different recipes.

Below are 3 of my favorite ways to add ginger into my every day meal plans (yes, I do eat a little bit of ginger each day).

Ginger & Honey Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

• •2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• •2 Tbsp lime juice (you can also try it with lemon juice)
• •2 Tbsp raw honey
• •¼ tsp sea salt
• •¼ tsp ginger

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a tightly covered container, shake, and enjoy.

I like to make different salad dressings because I not only use them on salads, but I also use them on raw veggies and it's a great way to get healthy ingredients and raw veggies into my husband's and sons' diets.

Ginger Broccoli Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• •4 cups broccoli florets
• •2 tsp coconut oil
• •2 cloves garlic, minced
• •1 tsp coconut aminos
• •⅛ tsp ginger
• •1 lb grass-fed beef, cut into strips

Directions:

Steam the broccoli florets until they are cooked but still firm, approximately 5 minutes. In a skillet or wok, stir-fry broccoli in coconut oil for 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic, coconut aminos and ginger; stir-fry 1-2 minutes longer or until broccoli is crisp-tender.

Add steak and cook until browned. I've also added different vegetables like cauliflower, green beans, and/or peppers for a complete Chinese stir fry dinner.

Homemade Ginger Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• •1 lb chicken breasts
• •1 ½ large onions, diced
• •4 carrots, sliced
• •4 stalks celery, sliced
• •4 cloves garlic, peeled
• •1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• •2 sweet potatoes, diced
• •1 bay leaf
• •¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• •Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Fill a large stock pot ¾ full with water. Turn heat on to medium high. Rinse chicken breasts under cold water and place into pot. Slice carrots and celery. Dice onions. Prepare garlic and grate ginger. Cube sweet potatoes.

Add prepared ingredients to stock pot along with bay leaf, some black pepper, some sea salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes. Test chicken to be sure it's cooked through and test sweet potatoes to be sure they are fork tender.

Remove chicken breasts and cut into cubes. At this point, you may add the chicken back into the soup or reserve to the side so that you can add back however much you would like at a time. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

This soup was a staple item in my eating plan during the first few months of both of my pregnancies...delicious, satisfying, and wonderful for the digestive system.

If ginger is not a staple item in your meal plans each day, I would definitely try 1 or all of the recipes above so you can benefit from ginger's wonderful healthy properties and burn off some body fat at the same time.

Need an even easier way to get your daily dose of ginger (and my other favorite anti-inflammatory spice)?

Click here to get 2 superfoods in 1 »