In the modern world, diabetes is the scourge of all mankind. It is impossible to completely get rid of this disease today, people with diabetes need to take drugs that support normal blood sugar levels throughout their lives.
Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent) regulates sugar by controlling blood glucose levels, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and following certain diets. For such people, ginger is an ideal product for incorporation into the diet. Doctors recommend taking it in any form with mandatory monitoring of blood glucose levels.
Ginger Root for Type 2 Diabetes Patients
People who suffer from type 2 diabetes, in addition to medicines prescribed by the doctor, can additionally use the advice of alternative medicine and include ginger in their diet. Today, ginger root can be purchased in almost any store, so it is popular not only among diabetics, but also among housewives as a specific spice.
Despite the diversity of the ginger family, on our counters you can find only two of their species - black and white. There is practically no difference between them, the white root undergoes an additional cleaning procedure, and the black one gets to us in its original form.
Beneficial features
This product is also extremely useful for overweight people and is indispensable for those who carefully monitor their health.
- The benefits of ginger over other products are:
- rich in special substances - terpenes, they are important elements of organic resins. This is due to terpenes, it has its own specific taste;
- in the composition - a whole complex of amino acids, vitamins, minerals (such as methionine, leucine, potassium, magnesium, zinc, sodium, vitamins B1, B2 and C);
- with increased thrombosis, ginger root significantly improves the patient's condition due to the ability to reduce blood coagulation;
- possesses warming properties, which is why it is used for colds;
- essential oils in the composition contribute to getting rid of parasitic diseases;
- contributes to the normalization of the state of blood vessels;
- used for weight loss;
- widely used in cosmetology;
- has calming properties;
- if consumed with a pinch of dried ginger per day, you can reduce the risk of cataracts.
Did you know? Ginger has the ability to detoxify and prevent nausea, so it can be useful after drinking alcohol - drink tea with ginger to reduce a hangover.
Glycemic Root Index
The use of ginger does not cause a sharp drop in blood sugar, which gives diabetics a reason to think about its inclusion in the daily diet. When ingested, it breaks down very slowly, as it has a low glycemic index - only 15.
Does ginger lower blood sugar
You can find information on the Internet and many print media that daily use of ginger lowers blood sugar. This is a very important characteristic of the product in the eyes of diabetics, since it is very important for them to control the glycemic index in the blood.
This is true information: among other components in the root of ginger contains the substance gingerol, which beneficially affects the blood cells of myocytes. Gingerol increases the ability of myocytes to process glucose in the body even without insulin. Thanks to this, the glycemic index is significantly reduced.
Gingerbread recipes for diabetics
Doctors recommend taking ginger regularly to achieve a stable therapeutic effect. In addition, it is used as a seasoning for countless dishes. It is better to buy a solid, smooth, fiber-free, clean root.
Fresh pleasant smell suggests that the root can be bought - it is young and fresh. This article suggests options for making healthy ginger drinks for people with problems with sugar levels in the body.
Ginger tea
Regular ginger tea is the easiest way to consume this product. Prepare the root (peel, chop or grate). On a standard (200 ml) glass of hot water, take no more than 1 tsp. chopped root. If you are brewing dried ground root, then consider its high concentration and add half less. Cover the drink with a lid, soak for 10-15 minutes. Tea is ready to drink.
Ginger and Citrus Tincture
A tincture with citrus fruits will serve you as an excellent method for the prevention of colds and flu in autumn bad weather. The drink is obtained spicy, with an unusual taste, and in addition, healthy and rich in vitamins.
The ingredients you will need:
- 2 large grapefruits;
- 3 limes;
- 10-12 g of ginger;
- 500 ml of vodka.
The process of preparing this drink is simple.
Important! Make sure that citrus crusts do not leave a white pericarp, it gives bitterness, so you can spoil the drink.
For this:
- Wash and dry the citrus fruits, peel the ginger root.
- Cut off citrus zest.
- Cut the zest into small pieces, ginger into thin strips.
- Pour everything into a jar, tightly cork.
- Insist 6-7 days, shaking the container daily.
- Filter the finished tincture.
Ginger with Lemon and Honey
Fans of citrus notes in drinks will find a recipe according to which lemon is added to the drink.
You will need:
- 2 lemons;
- honey - 250 g;
- ginger root - 250 g.
Ginger root grate on a fine grater. Grind lemons (along with peel), you can use a blender. Mix ginger and lemon in a separate bowl, then add honey. Mix thoroughly again.
Choose a vessel for storage, it must be with a tightly sealed lid. The simplest option is a glass jar with a screw cap. Transfer the resulting mass into it and tightly cork. Put the jar in the refrigerator for a day. After this time, the drink is ready to drink.
Ginger Root Juice
To get juice from ginger root is a simple task, given that you do not need a large amount of it. Only 1 teaspoon is enough for one dose. Carefully remove the peel from the root, try to remove it as thin as possible.
Grate the peeled root on a grater with small cells and squeeze through cheesecloth (the remaining pulp can be used later as a seasoning for soups or salads). This amount of juice is enough for you for one meal, for the next meal it is better to cook fresh.
Important! Ginger juice in large quantities is harmful - the concentration is very large. Do not take more than 2 hours of juice per day, and in the first few days of taking it is better to limit yourself to just a few drops.
Ginger Kvass
Ginger kvass is a tasty and healthy drink, it will appeal to both children and adults, and you can use it both chilled and slightly warmed up. To prepare this original drink at home, you do not need much time or ingredients.
So, for kvass you will need:
- ginger root - 40-50 g;
- fresh lemon - 1 pc.;
- sugar sand - 180 g;
- purified water - 2 l;
- raisins - 15–20 pcs.
You will also need a pot or a wide-necked bottle for the first phase of fermentation and plastic bottles for spilling kvass.
Having prepared all the ingredients, you can begin to prepare kvass, namely:
- Peel and grate the ginger root on a fine grater.
- Wash the lemon and squeeze the juice out of it (leave the zest of half the lemon, it will come in handy).
- Pour sugar into the cooled boiled water, stir, wait until the sugar has dissolved, and pour the grated root with this water. Then pour in the lemon juice and pour the diced zest.
- Cover the pan with the semi-finished product with a thick cloth and leave it in a dark warm place for two days (one and a half will be enough in a hot room).
- After two days, strain the kvass through cheesecloth or dense tissue.
- Pour the drink into prepared bottles, having previously put in each little raisins.
- Put in the refrigerator. When the bottles begin to harden, the kvass is ready.
Video: homemade leavened ginger kvass
Ginger Powder Drink
Ground ginger, unlike fresh ginger, is more tart and burning, therefore, when preparing a drink from a powder, be careful with its dosage. You can either buy the powder in the store or prepare it yourself by drying pieces of peeled fresh ginger and grinding them.
The simplest tea recipe is as follows:
- Brew regular tea (black or green).
- Pour 1 teaspoon ground ginger into a cup.
- Infuse for 5–20 minutes, depending on how strong tea you like.
- You can add honey, lemon or other spices to the cup with the finished tea if you wish.
Important! A drink made from ginger powder immediately after brewing has a tart, refined taste, and after 1–2 hours it gives off bitterness, pungency and becomes cloudy. Consider these features of this tea.
Ginger drink with kefir
Everyone knows that kefir is a very useful product and that it is often used as the basis for diet food. However, not everyone knows that the beneficial properties of kefir can be enhanced. You can simply mix it with ginger, cinnamon and pepper.The sharp and spicy aroma of this drink can scare, even despite all the advantages. But, surprisingly, kefir in this drink is superior in taste to all other components, and cinnamon gives it a piquant aroma.
Ingredients for one serving of kefir cocktail:
- kefir fat content of not more than 1% - 200 g;
- cinnamon - 1 tsp;
- ground ginger - 1 tsp;
- red pepper - 1 pinch.
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, the drink is ready. It is advisable to make a fresh cocktail every time.
Pickled ginger
Pickled ginger - spicy, aromatic and spicy seasoning, which is perfect for fish and meat, adds a good taste in salads. It is best to cook such a seasoning at home. The recipe is completely uncomplicated, everyone will get the perfect pickled ginger.
For this you will need:
- fresh peeled ginger root - 250 g;
- salt - 1 tsp;
- sugar - 100 g;
- rice vinegar - 200 ml.
The pickling process is divided into several stages:
- Marinade. Mix sugar with vinegar, bring to a boil and leave until the liquid has cooled completely.
- Cutting. Peel the ginger, rub it with salt, leave it under the lid for 6-8 hours.
- Rinse further under running water and cut into such thin strips as you can (the thinner the better).
- Blanching. Throw sliced strips into boiling water, put on a small fire and boil for 5 minutes. Discard on a sieve, sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- Pour the ginger into the cooled marinade.
- Exposure Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least a day, only after that you can eat the dish.
Video: pickled ginger root
Candied Ginger
Candied ginger - pieces of ginger, boiled and dried. They are added to pastries, to jams, used as decoration for cakes, or just drink tea with them.
How to cook:
- Cut the peeled root into pieces of arbitrary shape, fill with water and cook for 1 hour.
- Tilt to a sieve to get rid of excess fluid.
- From sugar (200 g) and water make syrup, add slices of root to it.
- Cook another 1 hour.
- Stir the syrup constantly so that the pieces are evenly coated with it.
- Once the slices are clear, remove them from the syrup.
- To make candied fruits dry faster, place them on a baking sheet and dry in the oven for 30 minutes. at + 40 ° С.
- Sprinkle the candied fruit with powdered sugar, transfer to a glass container with a tight lid.
Candied fruits are stored for 3-4 months in the refrigerator.
Video: candied ginger
Gingerbread cookies
The taste of gingerbread cookies has long been a reminder to each of us of Christmas and the New Year holidays, so if you suddenly wanted to create a festive mood for yourself, try baking delicious homemade gingerbread cookies right in your kitchen.
To prepare them you will need:
- honey - 250 g;
- butter (fat content 82.5%) - 250 g;
- sugar - 400 g;
- flour - 850 g;
- eggs - 4 pcs.;
- 1 h. Soda without a slide;
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger;
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Did you know? The second name for ginger is the horned root. This was the name of the plant more than 5,000 thousand years ago. In addition to this name, there are more exotic ones - a golden warrior, a samurai sword.
The dough must be prepared in advance, it should lie in the refrigerator for at least 8-12 hours. Ready dough is stored perfectly in the refrigerator without damage (up to 2 months).
Cooking
- Put the honey and spices in a stewpan with a thick bottom and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- After boiling honey, remove the stewpan from the heat, add butter to it, mix.
- Leave the honey to cool.
- Beat eggs with sugar, they should turn white and increase in volume.
- When the honey has cooled to a pleasantly warm, gently, thin stream, pour eggs into it. The mass must be carefully mixed, trying not to violate its airiness.
- Next, add flour and soda to this mixture, also stirring gently.
- The finished dough should turn out to be liquidy, place it in the refrigerator, as mentioned above.
- After taking out the dough, roll it out on a powdery surface.
- The thickness of the dough is depending on the size of the figures, ideally 3-5 mm.
- After rolling, cut out the shapes you need with the help of molds, placing them as close to each other as possible.
- Transfer the cut figures to a baking sheet covered with parchment, leave free space between them, as they will increase in size.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven preheated to + 170 ° С, bake gingerbread cookies for 12-15 minutes, make sure that the edges do not brown.
- Cool ready-made gingerbread cookies on a flat surface.
- If desired, the cooled gingerbread can be decorated with glaze.
Ready gingerbread sometimes sometimes wraps the edges up. Then on a still warm product should put a board and do not remove it until it cools completely.
Video: a simple gingerbread cookie recipe
Daily dose
With all the useful properties of this product, it is worth remembering that its overdose can harm the human body. Children should not be given it at all until two years of age, and later with caution, and not for medicinal purposes, but as a seasoning, since allergic reactions or side effects can occur. Adults also should not get involved in this product, it is recommended to consume a total of not more than 4 g of dry ginger per day.
Adverse reactions and contraindications for the use of ginger in diabetes
Among the contraindications for taking ginger root, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the stomach and intestines, individual intolerance of the plant, fever caused by colds should be highlighted.
If it seems to you that there is no danger, before you start taking the product, it is still better to consult your doctor. He will select the appropriate dosage for you, given your use of this plant.
The most common adverse reaction when using the product is hypoglycemia - a decrease in blood sugar to critically low numbers, leading to death in the absence of therapy, so be extremely careful when using this plant.