If you’re looking for a regular energy hit full of antioxidants and vitamins, swap out your usual cup of caffeine for a nutritious ginger and cayenne shot.
Ginger is typically renowned for its ability to transform a savoury dish, but this spicy root is also full of nutrients and bioactive compounds that are beneficial for both your body, mind and wellbeing. Paired with the active ingredient capsaicin found in cayenne, capsaicin’s powerful antioxidant properties work synchronously with the benefits of ginger to create an energising shot designed to kickstart your day or give you a boost of energy whenever you need it most.
If you haven’t hopped on the ginger train just yet, taking a ginger and cayenne shot each morning is an incredible aid to any healthy diet. Whilst you’re able to get enough vitamins and antioxidants from healthy foods if you’re eating a well, properly balanced diet, taking a specially-formulated shot can offer up more nutritional benefits combined in just one shot alone. Research suggests that ingesting powerful active ingredients such as ginger in its liquid form, is one of the most effective and efficient ways to ensure you’re reaping all of the nutritional benefits ginger has to offer.
At the Turmeric Co, we recognise the need for quick, accessible nutrition, which is why we work closely with some of the UK’s leading nutrition experts to create a specially-formulated collection of healthy shots, each infused with some of nature's most powerful active ingredients. Through taking a healthy shot made with carefully-selected ingredients, you’re able to increase your level of absorption and reap the benefits of both ginger and cayenne’s medicinal properties.
We believe our delicious shot recipes should be accessible to everyone, so we have done our best to help you recreate one of our favourite ingredient combinations, for a fiery kick of energy.
But first, let’s get into the ingredients.
Ginger
Ginger has a long-standing tradition of being a popular active ingredient amongst doctors and nutritionists, due to its natural oils that contain the bioactive compound gingerol. This potent, anti-inflammatory compound is widely used in medicinal practice to help arthritis, reduce inflammation and alleviate sickness, as well as being known to improve brain function and lower blood sugar levels. To make the most of all the nutritional benefits ginger has to offer, its best practice to juice and blend the fresh ginger root, to be sure to ingest ginger's natural oils. When sourcing ginger for this recipe, we recommended opting for the fresh ginger root as opposed to the dried, powdered form. This will allow you to make the most of the gingerol compound that holds most of the roots nutritional benefits and unique taste.
Cayenne
Cayenne pepper not only packs a powerful hit of flavour, but also boasts an extensive list of nutritional benefits thanks to its key active ingredient, capsaicin. Like ginger, cayenne is renowned for reducing inflammation and aiding various ailments as the capsaicin’s antioxidant properties include vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene and more. Cayenne is widely used to help reduce hunger levels and boost metabolism, a recent study found that consuming cayenne pepper in a meal increased core body temperatures, which would, in turn, burn more calories. Whilst cayenne has its own nutritional benefits and a long list of vitamins and minerals, this hot spice works harmoniously with ginger to help this shot recipe pack a punch.
Lemon
Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which are key antioxidants that can help to improve collagen, digestion and more. In just one 58g lemon alone, there’s around 30 milligrams of vitamin C. Due to this naturally high vitamin content, the lemon in this recipe acts a powerful, zesty antioxidant working to counterbalance the spicy ginger flavour, all whilst cleansing the digestive system and balancing your bodies natural pH level. Evidence suggests that Vitamin C is known to also help the body produce extra collagen, which contributes to the integrity of the skin. This hydrating, citrus fruit offers up a great number of valuable antioxidants, whilst providing a tart, refreshing taste.
Turmeric
From the same root family as cayenne, turmeric has been proven to be one of nature’s most potent, active ingredients. Used widely amongst medical practitioners for years, the active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, has countless health benefits, which we’ve previously discussed in our ‘Can a spice lead to better health?’ blog. Though turmeric can be purchased in multiple forms, much like ginger, we recommend sourcing fresh, raw turmeric for this recipe to ensure you’re able to reap the full benefits of turmeric's key active ingredients.
