The ketogenic diet also referred to as the keto diet, is a diet that restricts carbs intake. The science behind keto is that the ketosis process will start to burn fat by consuming more protein, fat, and fewer carbs.
The keto diet is well-known for being delicious, but there is a strict food limitations just like any other diet. When I first started doing keto, I questioned everything I put in my food. Suddenly a thought popped in my mind- is ginger keto friendly?
The answer is ginger is a fantastic keto-friendly food because of its health benefits and low carb level. However, we have to use it in moderation.
Here I am going to talk about the health benefits of ginger and how we can use it in a keto diet.
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Ginger
Ginger is a flowering plant native to south-east Asia that is now available worldwide. Since ancient times ginger has been used as a food, spice, seasoning, or herbal remedy. To this day, ginger has remained one of the most used spices. Ginger is mainly used as a spice.
Ginger is also a common ingredient in medicine. A lot of research went into understanding its remedial effects, such as calming down inflammation and cramps. In several trials, ginger intake has also been shown to lower blood sugar levels.
Nutritional Facts Of Ginger
Despite having 18 grams of carbohydrates in 100 grams of fresh ginger, it is entirely Keto friendly. This is because ginger is a very potent spice, and no one will or should try to eat 100 grams of ginger in one sitting.
You only need around 1-2 inches of ginger root at a time. You would have to take an absurd amount of ginger to knock you out of your ketosis.
An average person eats one tablespoon of ginger per day. One tablespoon of fresh ginger contains,
- Total calories- 6
- Total carbohydrate- 1.2 grams
- Protein- 0 grams
- Fiber- less than 1 grams
One tablespoon of dried ginger has 18.2 calories. Although dried ginger has more calories than fresh ginger, it is still a minuscule amount—other nutrients like magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B6, niacin, etc. Ginger is also very low in Cholesterol and Sodium.
Health Benefits Of Ginger
Ginger provides a great variety of health benefits. Ginger contains elements that are good for the body, including gingerol. Gingerol can help lower inflammation, indigestion, and the chance of various chronic illnesses.
Relieves Gastric Pain
Sometimes you get a heavy, uncomfortable feeling after eating something, and nothing seems to work. You are wondering whether your body is even digesting the food properly!
What about constipation, accompanied by annoying heartburn and acidity? The struggle is real. Let me tell you that ginger can help you with this problem.
Ginger’s most common therapeutic use is relieving an upset stomach. Ginger promotes digestion, which aids in treating stomach pain, acidity, and gas.
Many studies stated that your body uses around 60% of its energy in metabolism. Therefore, effective digestion will help you gain more power.
If you can digest food quickly, you will be able to absorb the nutrients in your meals better. So, Ginger may help digestive health, metabolism, and energy levels.
Helps With Nausea
There are very few things as awful as nausea. Nobody likes to be ill and feel like vomiting anytime.
And if you do have an upset tummy, you’d do everything to have it go away. The good news is ginger can reduce nausea.
Ginger is proven to be an excellent treatment to cure nausea during pregnancy. Gingerol is the principal element in ginger, which has been employed in several regular and herbal medical fields and it is quite good at combating nausea.
Decreases Blood Pressure
Ginger is proven to lower blood pressure when combined with medication by working as a vasodilator (it widens your capillaries). This is beneficial for enhanced blood flow in the body, which reduces total blood pressure. In addition to that, ginger has potassium, an element proven by many studies to help decrease blood pressure.
Relieves Period Pain
Most women understand how severe Period cramps can be. There are many generic drugs for pain relief, but studies have found ginger may also help to lower the pain. One research found that ginger has a similar result to ibuprofen in reducing period cramps.
Helps With Inflammation
Inflammation happens regularly in healthy people from time to time. It is an innate reaction to keep the human body away from harm or disease. A prolonged case of inflammation can be severe and highly dangerous.
However, ginger can be helpful here, as it has been proven to have several anti-inflammatory properties. Many of ginger’s benefits are attributed to its active ingredients, including gingerol, shogaol, etc. If inflammation occurs more in the body due to a poor diet, ginger is an ideal approach for lowering the burning sensation.
So, if you are suffering from inflammation, ginger is a clean and natural medication to try.
Lowers Cholesterol
Ginger is a beautiful spice to reduce cholesterol. It targets low-density lipoproteins (LDL), infamous for being bad for our health.
Immunity Booster
Gingerol, the natural element of raw ginger, promotes immunity by working as an anti-fungal agent. Ginger also is very anti-inflammatory in nature and has antioxidants, a combination known for its health benefits.
These advantages help to reduce sore throats, decrease high fever, reduce infections, relieve migraines, and alleviate other issues linked with flu and cold.
Side Effects Of Ginger
Ginger is full of health benefits; however, it is not necessarily beneficial in high doses. It would be best if you kept an eye on how much ginger you are eating.
Overuse of ginger can create many health problems. If your daily ginger intake is more than 5 grams, you might experience mild side effects like heartburn, diarrhea, mild stomach pain, or burping.
Ginger can also cause excessive bleeding and is not recommended in pregnancy. People who use blood pressure pills should refrain from eating ginger.
Many cardiologists believe that a large intake of ginger heightens cardiac problems and irregular heartbeats. So be aware of these effects.
Keto Diet And Its Basics
A keto diet involves restricting carbohydrate intake, which helps your body enter a metabolic phase. In the metabolic step, your body fat will be used for energy rather than carbohydrates, which allows you to lose weight. Furthermore, this diet lowers blood sugar and insulin levels to maintain your body healthy.
Your food should be 70-75% healthy fats, 15-20% proteins, 5-10% carbs, and fibers. In the Keto diet, you will have to cut down total carbohydrates from 30 grams per day to practically 0 grams. This will put your body into ketosis, which will use fat for energy instead of carbs.
You can add any spicy seasonings to flavor your food, so you don’t have to question things like is ginger keto friendly? This is an incredible diet for people with diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
What Makes Ginger Keto Friendly?
Despite being one of the most flavorful diets, Keto has a very strict food options. Because it’s a low-carb diet, almost anything with carbs is out of the question.
People are shocked to know that many foods that are seemingly keto-friendly are actually not allowed. That can lead to questioning every ingredient, including seasonings.
As a staple in recipes, ginger is also asked about its keto status. So, is ginger keto friendly?
The answer is yes. Ginger is absolutely a keto-friendly ingredient. Not only is ginger keto-friendly, but it also provides a variety of scientifically proven medicinal benefits. Though everything with ginger in it may not be keto-friendly, freshly grated ginger is relatively low carb for the quantity used in foods or drinks, which is perfect for this diet.
Also, many obesity-related illnesses like diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure can be managed with regular ginger intake and medicine. It can also lower your appetite; therefore, you will eat less and lose excess weight. So, there is no doubt that ginger is highly keto-friendly.
Keto Friendly Recipes With Ginger
Ginger can be used in almost every food possible. Here I am including some fun ways to incorporate ginger into your ketogenic diet.
Ginger Tea
One of the most popular ways to have ginger is through teas. Ginger teas can also calm your stomach.
You can make a keto-friendly ginger tea without adding sugar or honey. For extra benefit, add turmeric.
To make keto-friendly ginger turmeric tea, boil 150 ml water, add 3-4 ginger slices and 1-2 slices of turmeric, and slowly boil that for two minutes.
You can also make ginger lemon tea. Ginger and lemon pair wonderfully, and their soothing effects are good for you in the ketosis stage of your diet.
Just add ginger to boiling water. After two minutes, add one teaspoon of tea.
Turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. 2 minutes later, strain the mixture into a cup, add 2-3 drops of lemon juice, and then enjoy!
Aside from easing the digestion process, some people find that this combination increases their energy levels.
Sesame Ginger Salad
This recipe is very keto-friendly as it is low in carbs, uses a variety of leafy greens, and very filling. It’s packed with romaine lettuce, cabbage, carrots, edamame, sliced almonds, and mandarin oranges, and you can add any protein of your choice.
To prepare the salad dressing, use rice vinegar, low sodium tamari (soy sauce substitute), sesame oil, grated ginger, agave, grated garlic, and toasted sesame seeds, and mix it all thoroughly. Toss in the chopped vegetables and the protein. This salad tastes best if you make the marinade early and place it in the refrigerator.
Ginger Lime Marinade
This ginger lime marinade with sesame oil works wonders in chicken and beef. It makes the meat more tender and gives it a deep and complex flavor. This perfectly complements any other keto-friendly dish with an Asian twist.
To make this marinade, take 1-inch grated ginger, three cloves of minced garlic, two teaspoons sesame oil, two teaspoons lime juice, two teaspoons tamari, and one teaspoon agave. Mix them and marinate your choice of meat for 3-4 hours. After that, you can grill or cook it in a pan.
This dish is delicious on its own, or you can pair it with a simple salad. This certainly will make your dinner a hit.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is ginger low in carbs?
Yes, ginger is very low in carbs. One tablespoon of fresh ginger contains 6Â calories, and dried ginger is 18.2 calories. Although dried ginger is higher in calories, you need very little of it.
2. Can I have pickled ginger on a keto diet?
No, you can’t unless you make it yourself at home. Ready-made pickled ginger uses rice vinegar and sugar mixture to marinade the pickles, which is not keto-friendly.
3. How much ginger should I eat daily?
You can safely eat between 3-5 grams of ginger daily for health benefits.
4. Does ginger help to lose weight?
Ginger contains antioxidants and increases metabolism. It promotes your body to maintain a healthy weight. Ginger paired with a proper diet and exercise can help to lose weight.
5. Is ginger fibrous?
No, ginger has very little fiber. 50 grams of ginger has only 1 gram of fiber.
6. Is ginger beer keto-friendly?
No, ginger beer is not keto-friendly, as most ginger beer uses sugar in their recipes.
7. Are there any harmful effects of ginger?
Although ginger is a healthy food, too much of it can lead to heartburn, diarrhea, or acidity.
8. Can ginger reduce constipation?
Yes, ginger root helps to improve poor digestion and reduce constipation.
Final Thoughts
Ginger is not just a keto-friendly spice, but it has also long been used as a medication for nausea, blood pressure control, and digestive relief. So, if you still have the question ‘is ginger keto friendly?’ in your mind, remember the multitude of benefits it has to offer.
Cooking with ginger saves you from adding extra sugars and salts to your recipes while adding no obvious carbohydrates. Don’t be afraid to begin including fresh ginger into your keto diet plan and gain the advantages of ginger for your health. So, enjoy the flavors of this spice, and stop worrying about breaking ketosis.
