If you had an upset stomach when you were a kid, there was one home remedy that parents, grandparents and other caregivers seemed to recommend time and time again: ginger ale. In fact, I was still turning to ginger ale for its supposed stomach-soothing properties well into adulthood, including when I was dealing with morning sickness while pregnant with my son. But does ginger ale actually have health benefits? Or is it a myth that many of us have been buying into for way too long? We talked to dietitians and a gastroenterologist to set the record straight.
Here’s how the whole thing started. Ginger ale likely became known as a stomach settler due to its association with ginger. Since ancient times, ginger root has been used as an herbal remedy to treat different gastrointestinal ailments , including nausea, diarrhea and indigestion.
And there are some studies to back this up. “Ginger root contains a special compound called gingerol that has been shown to support gastrointestinal motility , or the rate that food moves through the digestive tract,” explained Stefani Sassos , a registered dietitian and the nutrition and fitness director for the Good Housekeeping Institute . “This can provide nausea relief for a variety of conditions, essentially because it encourages food to not linger as long in the digestive tract .
” But it’s important to note that these benefits are specifically associated with actual ginger root — not just the ginger flavoring found in many so.