ingredients of the week: lemon, ginger and honey

as mentioned in my last post, i'm sick. and this is not the time to get sick! why can't my immune system just work?! well, i will let you know that soup made me feel a lot better, but nothing can make me feel better than a mug of my special get-well tea. it's not any weird tasting natural medicine with all sorts of strange ingredients, most of you have probably made it at some point.

so for this ingredient of the week, i'm actually breaking it down into three sections for the ingredients in my magical tea: lemon, ginger and honey. each ingredient has it's own unique medicinal qualities, and when combined can relieve literally any cold and flu symptoms you have!

first up!

so let's start with lemons. first off, the smell just puts you in a better mood. refreshing, light, happy, calming - exactly what you need when your world is insane! the most important thing to know about lemons (and limes, for that matter) is that they are full of anti-cancer and antioxidant compounds which are vital to keep a strong immune system. lemons are particularly high in vitamin c, which acts to neutralize any free radicals in the body and prevent them from damaging your healthy cells. specifically, vitamin c has shown to greatly reduce painful swelling and inflammation in the body, and can greatly help reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

number two in the trio

next on the list: ginger. i love cooking with ginger because it's a bit spicy and instantly makes the whole kitchen smell good! ginger is really helpful for relieving any gastrointestinal issues such as upset stomachs, dizziness, nausea, vomiting (especially with morning and motion sickness) and all that nice stuff. like lemons, ginger also has strong anti-cancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that are extremely potent. when it comes to the flu, it helps with relieving throat pain, congestion, fever and chills, increases circulation and can even cure headaches. a compound in ginger also stimulates healthy sweating (yeah, it sounds gross) that detoxifies the body. it's the ultimate cold fighter!

greek honey with mixed nuts

i save the best (and my favourite) for last, honey. it's been used for over 2500 years by mankind, it is an important part of many different traditional medicines (such as ayurveda), and scientists are still researching into it's benefits! honey by far, is the best natural remedy for curing sore throats and suppressing a cough. hands down. it has many antimicrobial properties which help to soothe the raw tissues on the back of your throat. at the same time, honey boosts your immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells due to it's high amount of antioxidants. honey is a natural sweetner, and is a high source of vitamin c, calcium and iron. compare that to processed sugar, which has zip. use honey instead! weirdly, honey also has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, so it can be used as an antiseptic. this seems strange, but it's even used after surgeries! i probably wouldn't stick it on my skin, but i guess if you're out of polysporin, haha?

ingredients for a healthy you

what you need:
slice of lemon
1 or 2 small pieces of fresh ginger root
1 tbsp organic honey (i use greek honey)

step 1:
put water in a kettle and begin to boil. in the mean time, chop of your pieces of ginger and trim off the skin. plop in the bottom of your mug.
step 2:
squirt your honey on top of the pieces of ginger.

like so...

step 3: 
put your slice of lemon on top of the honey and ginger, and once water has boiled, pour directly on top. stir with a spoon to mix the honey in with the water. drink up!

TA DA! now you know how to make my special tea. feel better!

another really tasty option for feeling better is to add a piece of ginger in a mug with honey and then steep a bag of tazo zen green tea with it. the tea is really light and refreshing, with lemongrass and spearmint leaves and goes perfectly with the ginger.