John Myers
Ginger shots from the supermarket are trendy. The small bottles should strengthen the immune system and protect the cells – at least that’s what the label says. But do the shots keep what they promise?
Alcohol-free “shots” are called shots, small bottles with juices that are supposed to give you strength and strengthen your immune system. There is a large selection of ready-made shots in the supermarket: from very small bottles of 60 milliliters to the size of juice bottles.
Most ready-made shots contain ginger or turmeric, some also contain ingredients such as berries or beetroot. The shots are labeled with different advertising messages: sometimes a “short shot” should cover the daily requirement of vitamin C, sometimes protect the cells, provide a lot of vitamin D, iron, and omega-3, or just be good for our immune system.
What is actually in the little bottles?
Even if ginger or turmeric is written in large letters on the label, a look at the lists of ingredients shows that the proportion contained in most shots is rather small and is only between four and around 30 percent. The following applies to all lists of ingredients: what is first on the list is also the most.
The main ingredients in most shots are apple juice, orange juice, or a mix of different juices. And the bottles from the supermarket are quite expensive: a shot costs between 1 and 3.50 euros. Extrapolated to one liter, this results in a sum of 30 to 50 euros.
Contains ginger, turmeric, and sugar
Lots of sugar: The fruit juices contained have a high fructose content. In addition, many ready-made shots contain agave syrup. The bottom line is that there is a relatively large amount of sugar in these bottles. Therefore, they should only be drunk in small amounts.
Ginger-healing spiciness: The fact that the proportion of ginger in most ginger shots is relatively low is particularly unfortunate because ginger is an effective medicinal plant. Due to its pungent substances, gingerols, ginger helps with migraine headaches, inflammation, nausea, and vomiting. In order to achieve an anti-nausea effect, however, a larger amount of ginger is required than is contained in most commercial shots. In such cases, naturopaths often recommend extracts in the form of tablets or capsules.
Turmeric, the coloring component of curry powder, also belongs to the ginger family. Turmeric stimulates the production of digestive juices and is considered helpful against constipation and a feeling of fullness.
Beetroot and raspberries
Beetroot and Raspberries: Beetroot juice is high in nitrate. From this, our body first makes nitrite and then nitric oxide, which relaxes and widens our blood vessels. For example, beetroot juice can temporarily lower high blood pressure. Studies have shown that the vessels are dilated so effectively that muscles and organs are better supplied with oxygen. Competitive athletes could run faster after a glass of beetroot juice. But for this doping effect, you need more than the usual shot, at least 200 milliliters. Beetroot also contains betanin, a natural plant pigment. It is one of the anthocyanins that protect our cells. Raspberries also contain plenty of anthocyanins.
Good additions to beetroot and raspberries are carrots, flaxseed oil, and lime juice.
Homemade shots have an advantage
Anyone who makes shots with the ingredients mentioned themselves usually saves money and can determine the proportion of healthy ingredients such as ginger or turmeric themselves. If you don’t have time for this, you should at least make sure that the finished shot contains as much ginger and as little fructose as possible.
