Health & Life

Eating ginger with or without the skin: Which is better? Many people are unaware of the answer.

Ginger is an indispensable spice in many dishes. In addition to stimulating the taste buds, ginger also has a beneficial effect on health.

Administrator

12 January, 2024

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Should you eat ginger with or without the skin?

Ginger is a commonly used spice that almost every household has. Ginger is used to remove the smell of food and to add flavor to many dishes. When preparing ginger, many people have the habit of peeling the skin and then cooking it, while others leave the skin on and cook it as is. So which way is correct? Is it better to eat ginger with or without the skin?

In fact, ginger skin is edible. It is not toxic. In most cases, we can eat ginger skin. Ginger skin contains more fiber when compared to the remaining parts of the ginger root.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the flesh of ginger is warm and pungent, while the skin of ginger is naturally cool and has a strong spicy taste, which helps with diuresis and reducing swelling. The skin and flesh of ginger are considered two parts that complement each other like a pair of yin and yang, with the ability to balance the medicinal properties. Therefore, eating ginger with the skin can provide many health benefits, especially for people with edema, constipation, and bad breath.

In most cases, eating ginger with the skin will have positive effects on health. However, traditional medicine still recommends that some people peel off the ginger skin before eating. These cases include:

– People with a cold: When you have a cold, you should eat peeled ginger to preserve its warm properties, which helps relieve the cold quickly.

– People with liver and stomach diseases: Since ginger skin has a cooling nature, eating it can cause discomfort to the digestive system, so it is better for these individuals to eat ginger without the skin.

– People with excess yin and fire, tuberculosis, gastric ulcers, gallbladder inflammation, diabetes, hemorrhoids, acne, etc. should not consume ginger too frequently.

– When cooking seafood, it is better to use peeled ginger because the skin has a strong spicy taste that can affect the flavor of the dish.

Other considerations when eating ginger

– Do not eat spoiled ginger

You should choose intact ginger roots, avoiding eating ginger that is crushed or rotten. A study by the US FDA showed that spoiled ginger contains safrole, which can cause liver cancer. If you see ginger that is soft, mushy, or oozing water, do not eat it.

– Do not eat ginger at night

You can drink ginger tea or chew a slice of ginger in the morning to enhance your health, promote blood circulation, improve digestion, and boost your immune system. However, it is advisable to limit the consumption of ginger at night because this spice can cause the body to heat up, affecting sleep.

– Do not use sprouted ginger

When you see ginger sprouting, you should not continue to use it. Cooking sprouted ginger can produce sulfur, which can damage the liver.