When it comes to doing the right thing nutritionally, we often fall short of our goals, and one cause is simple: a lot of the stuff that is “great for your health” tastes really bad. We all want to melt some belly fat off, but when the drink tastes unpleasant, we are going to have a heck of a time making and keeping healthy habits.
Detox drinks can be a powerful tool in our dietary arsenal, supporting our health by providing our bodies with the vitamins, minerals and beneficial properties of the fruits and veggies we’ve infused them with. With a good fruit infusing pitcher, or even just a mason jar and cheesecloth, you can make your own detox drinks that actually taste better than you would think.
Detox Drinks Support Immune Health And Help Control Extra Belly Fat
Normalizing our blood sugar, controlling our hunger, and sometimes passing along appetite reducing benefits from the fruits infused in them, detox drinks may help balance out all that extra stress-induced cortisol.
How To Make Detox Drinks, And Make Them Taste Good
Defend Your Health explains that with a fruit infusing pitcher or water bottle, making your own detox drinks is easy. Just follow these steps.
- Place your ingredients in your fruit infusing pitcher or water bottle.
- Fill it halfway with ice and then pour water in all the way to the top
- After roughly an hour, it’s ready to drink.
- Put it in your refrigerator. You can refill it two or three times before you need to start over with new ingredients.
3 Delicious Detox Drinks You Can Make At Home
1. Original Apple Cinnamon Day Spa Detox Water
Ingredients:
- One apple (thinly sliced) [no seeds]
- One cinnamon stick
You don’t want to use the ground or powdered cinnamon because it won’t dissolve in the water as well.
According to Medical News Today, apples have been linked to improving neurological health, and are high in Vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, Phytonutrients, and minerals such as calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Linked with cinnamon, this water packs a punch. According to Dr. Axe, cinnamon has “special phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidants are isolated.” Axe calls this brown powerhouse, “one of the most beneficial spices on earth, giving it antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, immunity-boosting, cancer and heart disease-protecting abilities.”
2. Skinny Detox Cucumber Water
- One glass
- Water and ice
- Fill roughly about three-quarters of the glass (you can use the same proportions in a larger container, to make more of the water)
- Pour lemon, lime, grapefruit, cucumber and mint till the drink is full
- Ideally, use the following:
- Two full slices of lemon
- Once slice of grapefruit,
- Two small slices of lime
- Three slices of cucumber
- Six mint leaves
- Finally, stir and then left sit for five minutes
- Ideally, use the following:
The scent of cucumber alone is considered calming, the World’s Healthiest Foods website reports. But they are also, “an excellent source of vitamin K and molybdenum,” pantothenic acid, but there is more: “copper, potassium, manganese, vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, biotin and vitamin B1.” Not to mention the nail promoting silica. Added to lemon, (vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, and protein, flavonoids; antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties.
According to The Farming Portal, “Studies conducted at the American Urological Association highlight the fact that lemonade or lemon juice can eliminate the occurrence of kidney stones by forming urinary citrate, which prevents the formation of crystals.” That’s an awful lot of goodness.
3. Lime and Aloe Water
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp of gel of the aloe vera kind
- One lime
Lime, much like the lemon above, is a citrus powerhouse. Lime is good for: “weight loss, improved digestion,” not to mention decreases in symptoms of respiratory and urinary disorders (always follow your doctor’s advice and take prescribed medications). Lime has been used to treat things like scurvy, peptic ulcers, and gums. It also aids in skin care and eye care.
Aloe, well known for its medicinal benefits, is one of nature’s miracle plants. You do not need to use aloe vera gel, it comes in liquid form, available at health food retailers and even Wal*Mart. The taste of aloe vera in detox water really isn’t bad, it is subtle and very earthy. When mixed with ice cold apple juice, or a strong citrus flavor like lime, Aloe Vera is not only pleasantly neutral tasting, it is highly beneficial for you.
Detox drinks aren’t panaceas, they won’t cure all cancer, and they aren’t going to suddenly correct major health issues. But knowing what goodness you could be putting into your body, why not try? Good, healthy habits are important to keep us feeling energetic, healthy and satisfied.