Determined To Succeed

Happy Saturday, my friends. I am so glad to be awake. No, there wasn’t some burned-up Freddy Krueger dude coming after me with a razor-sharp claw glove and really bad red/green Macy’s sweater. No, just every now and then the labyrinth that is my brain takes my thoughts and dreams down strange, completely weird paths especially when I sleep – especially if I go to bed feeling “full.”

Last night I had a remembrance, what I like to call a dream based on actual memories. I know this is gonna be gross but I dreamed about having food poisoning. You heard me – food poisoning. When I was a kid, I had food poisoning three times, twice from the same restaurant. I know, I know – fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Anyhow, those instances (and the one that involved some wicked-bad stuffing left out overnight) taught me one thing – ginger ale can help cure what ails you. Even though my dream was weird (NO ONE had a ginger ale. Wawa, 7-11, grocery stores, fast food restaurants – no one.) I woke up not thinking about weight loss, per se, but thinking about the restorative powers of some foods including this golden, fizzy, bubbly liquid and why it really helps our tummies.

Ginger ale was first created in Ireland in the 1850s but wasn’t available in North America until the 1890s, when John McLaughlin, a Canadian, started producing it for his soda shop. This early soda eventually became the best of the bunch – Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Ginger ale is made from the juice of the ginger root, which has been used for centuries as a natural cure-all for all types of health conditions. It can effectively reduce the symptoms of digestive tract infections, morning sickness, upset stomachs, and flatulence (oh, excuse me). Ginger naturally soothes and settles the stomach. For some people, flat ginger ale, with all of the bubbles stirred out, is even more effective for upset stomachs than carbonated ginger ale.

There are three ways ginger helps make a person feel better. First, it dilates, or enlarges, the blood vessels, reducing inflammation, headaches, and providing a warming sensation. Second, through antioxidants, ginger removes irritants from the digestive tract, reducing nausea in addition to the effects above. Third, it blocks serotonin receptors, further reducing nausea and other feelings of discomfort.

These benefits are available through drinking ginger ale, but if you really need relief, you would better off reaching for actual ginger. Ginger root can be bought fresh in many grocery stores, and then brought home and chopped up to be added to food. Dried ginger can also be added into foods, or mixed into drinks. Ginger root capsules, available at many pharmacies, can also be a way to get the full benefits of ginger. Ginger tea, which can be a welcome change on a cold morning when you need something to help with an upset stomach or other ailment, is a very popular option. The heat and steam from the hot tea makes it especially useful for sore throats, sinus infections, and other respiratory infections.

Ginger root may also have a positive effect on certain heart conditions, as it has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and thin blood. Ginger ale can also be an effective weight loss tool, although it shouldn’t be heavily relied on because it is still soda.

There is no substitute for the soothing, and even restorative, properties of ginger ale when you’re feeling sick. Although ginger ale should not be taken as an alternative for actual medical care, it’s great way to treat the symptoms of many minor illnesses. Ginger ale is also one of the few remedies that, when enjoyed in moderation, has almost no negative side effects (except for the calories, of course).

I wish I could tell you why I had that remembrance. My dinner last night was good and didn’t make me feel ill at all. It was weird, and as you guys well know, I am weird to begin with hence a blog about ginger ale. Hell, maybe there is the whole going-out-to-drink-because-it’s-Saturday-and-bars-have-ginger-ale tie-in?

Damn, even I think that’s weak and pretty thin. Oh well.