Christmas is coming up and almost every bakery offers a delicious seasonal snack – crisp and delicious gingerbread cookies. If you’ve waited all year to finally try them, we have good news for you.
Gingerbread cookies contain lots of healthy spices like cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, and if you enjoy them in moderation, they can really benefit your health in so many surprising ways.
We always crave delicious gingerbread cookies during the holidays. And we decided to find out how the spices in them can help you eat for better health.
Health Benefits of Gingerbread
It Might Ease Menstrual Cramps
Besides being simply delicious, gingerbread cookies can serve as a natural way to relieve painful menstrual cramps. The cinnamon in gingerbread has been shown to relieve period pain and other unpleasant symptoms of menstruation, such as nausea and fatigue.
Gingerbread cookies also contain ginger, which can be very effective against menstrual cramps when taken early in your period.
It May Help Your Liver Work Better
It’s hard not to overeat tasty gingerbread, but when you enjoy it in moderate amounts, certain compounds can benefit your health. Clove, for example, is another gingerbread herb that can ease liver pain.
It contains eugenol which promotes liver function and helps reduce the signs of fatty liver disease.
It Might Help With Indigestion
If you have ever had upper stomach discomfort, you may be suffering from indigestion. This unpleasant condition can be caused by a number of things, one of which is delayed emptying of the stomach.
Ginger has been shown to speed up this process and can help ease symptoms of an upset stomach.
It May Benefit Your Skin
People who eat cinnamon regularly are less likely to have premature aging of their skin. Because it contains many antioxidants, cinnamon protects the skin against harmful free radicals that damage skin cells and cause the skin to lose its elasticity.
There are many ways to incorporate cinnamon into your diet, and eating gingerbread cookies during the holidays is one of them.
It Might Improve Brain Function
In addition to keeping your skin smoother longer, antioxidants can also help your brain stay younger. Oxidative stress and constant inflammation can accelerate the brain’s aging process and are believed to be among the leading causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
Ginger has been shown to improve memory and brain function and protect brain cells from age-related decline.
It’s Good For Your Bones
Cloves give gingerbread its warm, slightly spicy flavor, and in addition to being delicious, this healthy herb has powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
It can reduce the risk of arthritis, and because it is rich in the mineral manganese, it helps the body control enzymes that repair bones.
Do you like gingerbread cookies? Would you rather cook them yourself or buy them at the supermarket?
