Our ginger lemonade recipe can give your healthy diet a delicious kick using cheap ingredients.
If you’re looking for ways to spice up your healthy lifestyle, add ginger extract to your usual lemonade. It makes the tasty beverage more fragrant and amplifies its health-boosting potential.
You can read on to learn more about the nutritional details or to jump straight to our version of ginger lemonade.
Is Ginger Lemonade Healthy?
Ginger lemonade benefits your body in many ways:
1. Relieves Nausea
For centuries, ginger has been an effective home remedy for nausea and morning sickness (for pregnant women). Studies show that ginger supports the release of blood-pressure-regulating hormones to calm the body and hence, relieve nausea.
2. Supports the Immune System
Gingerol and vitamin C, respectively, are major constituents of ginger and lemons. Both are antioxidants that help build a strong immune system and fight against infections.
3. Aids Fat Loss
Studies show that ginger can reduce body mass index and blood insulin levels. High insulin indications are associated with obesity.
The mechanism behind its positive effects still needs further research, but experts suspect that ginger helps the body burn more calories than usual.
4. Controls Cholesterol Levels
Not only does ginger allow you to burn belly fat more effectively, it can also help you control your cholesterol levels.
Research shows that participants saw a significant drop in their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by taking 5 grams of ginger every day. An older case in 2008 resulted in similar findings after participants took 3 grams of ginger per day and their cholesterol dropped by 10% over 45 days.
5. Helps Treat Chronic Indigestion
A cup of warm ginger water has long been a traditional (and effective) remedy for indigestion. Unlike some traditional treatments, this one has been scientifically proven.
A 2011 study found that ginger sped up the emptying of the stomach. The stomachs of participants who received ginger were cleared of food in 12.3 minutes, on average, compared to 16.1 minutes for the placebo group.
6. Reduces Risks of Cancer
Gingerol has been studied as an alternative remedy for different types of cancer. So far, though it’s not a complete cure, it has a positive effect on gastrointestinal cancers, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.
Besides these health benefits, our ginger lemonade recipe also has very little added sugar — around 20% of the USDA’s recommendation. It’s a low-calorie and low-carb beverage.
What You’ll Need for Ginger Lemonade
Lemons, sugar, ginger, water, mint leaves for garnish and ice are included, similar to our lemonade recipe. You can skip the ice if you like and use hot water to make a soothing beverage that’s perfect for cold days.
If you love tea, feel free to brew your favorite tea for use in place of hot water. The drink will wake your body right up and give you the necessary nutrients for the day.
How to Make Ginger Lemonade
Our ginger lemonade recipe requires nothing more than a few juicing and stirring steps:
Make the juices
Stir to combine and serve with ice
To obtain ginger juice, simply peel a knob of ginger with a spoon and add it to your juicer. You can also grate the ginger instead so you don’t have to use the machine, thus saving on cleaning time.
Is It Good to Drink Ginger Lemonade Every Day?
Here are a few things you should know about this drink.
1. It’s Acidic
So far, there is no evidence to suggest that acidic foods are harmful to our body’s health. However, their story is different for our teeth.
Our teeth are naturally coated by a translucent outer layer called “enamel”, which protects them from daily use like chewing foods. This layer can wear away if coming into frequent contact with acidic foods, resulting in tooth erosion.
To prevent this without having to cut down on acidic drinks, experts recommend reducing contact between our teeth and the drinks. This can be done by using a straw or simply by rinsing the mouth with warm water as soon as you finish your drink.
2. It Has Added Sugar
Our ginger lemonade (like most drinks) is sweetened with granulated sugar, which the USDA certainly doesn’t encourage us to go wild on. They say the calories from added sugar (including granulated sugar) should not exceed 10% of your day’s calories.
Therefore, although this drink only has 10 grams of sugar, it takes up about 20% of the recommended allotment. Ultimately, each person should consume less than 51.6 grams of sugar each day.
In conclusion, as long as you’re watching your sugar intake and practicing good oral hygiene, you can have this drink daily.
How to Store Ginger Lemonade
If you’re going for the iced version, you can make a large pitcher and store it in your fridge. Serve it in a glass of ice whenever you want, but try to use it up within two days.
To keep the drink for longer, you can also portion it into individual containers or Ziploc bags to toss in the freezer. It stays good for months, and when it thaws it’s already chilled without any ice.
If you prefer a hot version of the drink, measure all ingredients (except water) beforehand and refrigerate them in a bowl. When you need a hot cup of ginger lemonade, simply stir the mixture into some hot water.
See our best juice round up.
Ginger Lemonade Recipe
This ginger lemonade recipe is a more aromatic take on the traditional tangy and sweet beverage. It's also packed with health-boosting nutrients.
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 5 mins
- COURSE Beverage
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 41 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tbsplemon juice
- 2 tbspginger juice (or grated ginger)
- 3 cupswater (chilled or hot)
- 3 tbspsugar
- 2 tbspsmall mint leaves (for garnish)
- 2 cupsice (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Dissolve 3 tbsp sugar into 3 1/2 cups of water in a large pitcher. Add 3 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp ginger juice.
Fill serving glasses with ice (optional) and pour in the ginger lemonade. Garnish with baby spearmint leaves.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Founder
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer