Ginger

Food · Pantry & Condiment · Food, Typed Supps

A spice, not a food — read the table knowing a teaspoon weighs under two grams.

Stage by stage

Intake (Heat receptors fire): Gingerols and shogaols activate TRPV1, the receptor that also responds to capsaicin and to warmth.
Stomach (Emptying accelerated): Ginger modestly speeds gastric emptying — the most plausible basis for its use against nausea.
Absorption (Absorbed and conjugated): Absorbed in the small intestine, then rapidly glucuronidated and sulfated.
Effect and clearance (Short-lived, dose-tracking): Free compound concentrations fall within hours; there is no accumulation.

Time to effect

Under an hour: Any prokinetic or anti-nausea effect appears within about 30 to 60 minutes and does not persist.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

Not scored: the satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings, and nobody eats a 240 kcal serving of this. The question does not apply rather than the answer being unknown.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Gingerol and shogaol
Potassium
Non-heme iron

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 334
Protein: 9g
Carbohydrate: 57.5g
of which sugars: 3.4g
Fat: 4.2g
of which saturated: 2.2g
Fibre: 14.1g
Sodium: 27mg

Food vs. supplement

The gap is unusually wide here. Nausea trials use around 1g/day of dried ginger; a teaspoon in a curry supplies a fraction of that. If the effect is the goal, the dose is the supplement's, not the spice rack's.

Kitchen tip

Ground ginger is not concentrated fresh ginger. Drying converts gingerol to shogaol, which is hotter and less bright — substitute with that in mind.

Common myth

“Ground ginger is an excellent source of iron and potassium.” In reality: Only per 100g, which nobody consumes. A teaspoon weighs under two grams and contributes about 0.36mg of iron — and it is non-heme iron, absorbed at a low rate at that.