Check out some great recipes for homemade detox water with fruits, veggies and other healthy flavors to make your H2O a little less boring!
Homemade detox waters are really a dream come true. I get bored easily, and of course I want the best quality in my food and beverages, so when it comes to my morning detox routine, I like to mix it up. Prepare them the night before or on the spot, detox waters are great for glowing skin, a flat tummy, satisfying bowel movements and of course rising out of bed with that glad-to-be-alive feeling! So much healthier than anything pre-mixed.
Of course you need good ingredients. As always, for detox, organic is always best! You don’t want those pesticides causing a film. Use filtered or spring water. I use all these but just in case, I always have some tap water evaporating on the counter for 24 hours to evaporate the chlorine. Some basic benefits of detox waters:
1) Drinking water first thing in the morning is a key to longevity, flushes out the system after the 8 hours sleep where the body was working hard to heal and repair itself. Hot water is better than room temp. While it’s not recommended to detox with cold, I cant help but drink some fruit waters on a hot day.
2) Bitters cause the liver to make bile, which gets sent to the gall bladder to break down fats, cholesterol and ease bowel movements.
3) A bitter flavor early in the morning also wakes you up, even without caffeine. Coffee and green tea are both bitters, they are both liver detox, however some coffee has so much caffeine it might actually stress the liver. Plus, if you add sugar and dairy to the coffee, it is no longer bitter, is it?
4) Promoting your body’s daily eliminations of wastes is great for the complexion, the tummy, the colon as well as metabolism.
5) Add a bitter flavor to you day can send signals to your brain that reduces cravings for sugar and other sweet drinks.
So here are some other amazing detox waters to perk you up, improve regularity and flush you out.
Here are my top faves but you could combine most any detoxifying ingredients in water for a healthy detox!
1. Hot lemon water— boil water as if you are making tea. Squeeze fresh lemon into the water at the end so not to destroy the vitamin C antioxidants. If you’re lemon is organic then soak the slice in the water as you drink and eat the whole rind at the end. That’s what I do to get extra medicine from your drink. The peel is actually high in anti-allergy citrus flavonoids, essential oils and fiber.
2. Turn a plain hot lemon water into a hot spicy mama by tossing these things in at the end:
*a dash of cayenne pepper
*a black pepper clove
*a ginger slice
*a turmeric slice
Detox waters can help warm you up on cold days, and they make a great-tasting natural long tonic, too.
3. Methi water. Overnight soak 5 almonds, 1 peppercorns and 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in 16 oz of water. This Ayurvedic weight loss drink great for relieving water retention, controlling blood sugar and boosting metabolism. Post partum magic.
4. Bitter water. The water you’ve had sitting out so to remove the chlorine. Have a glass with some local or Angostura bitters– the herb gentian is the most bitter herb on the planet and a wonderful cholagogue, which means it rids the body of cholesterol. Don’t save bitters for the bar. Turn them into virgin cocktails, add to seltzer and especially to dress up plain water.
5. Apple cider water. Unfiltered, cold-pressed. My Dad used to put it in our orange juice when we had sore throats. Cuts the mucous generated from the orange juice that’s for sure. These days I add a plash of it to room temperature water. Great for weight loss, low stomach acid, H Pylori and water retention.
6. Dandelion and chicory root coffee substitute. As easy as making instant coffee, this bitter bev even tastes like the real thing with its roasted flavor. Other grain coffees on the market may or may not be healthy for you, depending on the way the grains were treated and your own health status. For instance don’t take Postum if you’re sensitive to gluten. I have been known to drink mugs and mugs of Inka.
5. Sangria water. Most detox waters focus on the liver but a kidney flush is also a refreshing summer drink. This drink is so good it’s worth making a pitcher. Add 1 quart of water, 3 apple slices, 2 sprigs mint, 5 juniper seeds and 3 cucumber slices. That’s some gourmet water. Kids will love it too!
Just because you put fruit into water, doesn’t mean it’s detoxifying – so let me know what other combos you’ve come up with. I’ll test them out!