It can be hard, when you’re getting bombarded with new health advice weekly, to know what’s real and what’s a gimmick. We hear foods are good, then bad, then good again. We hear about cleanses, diets and new workouts.

We’re against cleanses, as a general rule, unless a doctor is supervising you. They can be unhealthy and potentially dangerous. Miracle cures are generally not real or something that can help in the short-term but do nothing beneficial over time. Any time we see an article that says, “Eat this one food everyday as a cure!” we don’t click on it.

But, we are interested in little changes we can make to our diet or habits. They may, in the long run, turn out to be less effective than thought, but — as long as they aren’t dangerous — we think we have nothing to lose by trying out a new trend.

This year, we’ve seen a big trend of ginger water. Ginger’s ability to fight an upset stomach is well known. But there’s, “plenty of research that points to the health benefits of ginger as well; studies have shown that it’s an anti-inflammatory food and acts as an antioxidant in the body,” says nutritionist Kelly LeVeque. There is proof that ginger can aid osteoarthritis, assist cognition, dramatically lower blood sugar and levels of bad cholesterol and even decrease the risk of cancer.

Raw ginger is best and can be added as a spice to food at the end of cooking. Having it fresh, grated and thrown into a drink can be very refreshing. However, many people love it in tea and turmeric lattes. Obviously, in the long run, having it steeped as tea, or cooked into a meal, is much better than not consuming it at all.

It’s effortless to incorporate ginger into your diet. If you don’t like preparing it, you can buy ginger in jars at the supermarket: grated, diced, as a paste and more. Or, it’s available as a powder. Some companies sell bottled drinks that are just ginger and water, ginger and sugar or, even worse: ginger, water, sugar and an unknown amount of additives. Why buy a bottle of something you can make in a flash in your own kitchen?

Additionally, ginger may help you lose weight. Small studies have shown that it aided weight loss. While more research is needed, it could be a perk. Moreover, adding extra glasses of water to your day may make you feel fuller, which may boost weight loss without your making a conscious effort. A straightforward way to aid your blood sugar, cholesterol levels and overall health may be to just add ginger to water that you’re infusing with other fruit! Try it for yourself. If it doesn’t do anything, you’ll still be refreshed.