Let’s make these ginger shots to boost our immune system, fight inflammation, and feel our best this winter.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Our entire body is made of complex systems that work without you commanding them. We have our immune system, but also your respiratory, digestive, reproductive, nervous systems, etc. You do not need to think about it for them to work. You are a miracle.
But sometimes our systems get tired. And that’s why we need to take care of them, sometimes even give them a little boost.
You know that during winter, we’re not getting as much vitamin D as we should. We are also exposed to lots of bacteria and viruses going around. We’re inside more often and not breathing in fresh air. We eat comfort and / or heavy foods that are not always great for us. Maybe Christmas was heavy on our stomach and liver.
All this to say, we need an immune system boost !
We can do that by eating foods that are anti-inflammatory. For more on you immune system, check out The link Between Your Gut and Your Immune System.
Ginger Shots
A great anti-inflammatory food is ginger. You can easily add it soups and curries, stews and sauces. But now, you can even drink it straight in a shot.
I’m sure you will have seen it in health shops or trendy cafe, where they sell them a fortune. Well, you can also make your own for a week, and pay only a portion of the price.
I make these in a blender because I can’t be asked to use the juicer, it’s a pain to clean. I am lazy, so I do the following instead.
All you need is:
- 1 ginger root (with several branches)
- 2 lemons
- 1 lime
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Filtered water
Method
Peel your ginger roots, lemons and lime. Put all the ingredients in a high speed blender, and cover them with the filtered water. And blend on high for about thirty seconds.
Pour the liquid in a jug via a sieve, to retain all the fibre of the ginger and citrus. You might need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your jug and sieve. Mine are quite small so I pour a small amount at a time, until it looks like it will overflow.
With a teaspoon, stir through the liquid and fibre, and the juice filters through the sieve. Once you have extracted all the juice you could, set aside the fibre of the ginger and citrus (it should be quite dry).
And start again, until you’ve worked through all the juice from the blender.
Pour the liquid from the jug into a glass container, ideally a bottle (I use recycled ones from store-bought juices), and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. The batch should be big enough for you to share with a loved one.
Every morning, you can drink one of these and feel the energy kick in straight away, because it is strong !
For more ginger recipe, check out this Soy & Ginger Salmon Recipe, and the Perfect Way to Make Your Soup.
