4 Naturally Cleansing Drinks You Have to Try
Make Your Own Drinks For a Nutrient Boost
Whether you need to drop that last five pounds or want to cleanse the toxins from your body, there’s a drink for you. Many whole foods, such as lemon, apple cider vinegar and romaine lettuce are rich in antioxidants, potassium and other vitamins, all of which work to reduce inflammation, water weight and more.
Drinks are easy to make and help the digestive system absorb nutrients easily. These four drinks will keep you hydrated, give your body a needed nutrient boost and keep your vital organs in their best possible health. As a bonus, you’ll feel and look great!
Green Tea
Green tea is a perfect addition to your naturally cleansing drink list because it can be found at nearly every grocery store. Its benefits are simple: green tea is rich in antioxidants. These work to reduce the oxidative stress and free radicals in our body and help reduce inflammation.
One of the most potent antioxidants in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC). This abundant antioxidant in green tea (and white tea) may boost your metabolism and allow you to burn more fat. Note: studies have been done that both support and negate this claim.
How to Benefit from Drinking Green Tea
Both “detox” branded green teas and traditional green teas are great options. If you’re choosing a special detox tea, however, check the ingredients. Natural additions like lemon grass and ginger in detox green teas help cleanse your body and liver (blocking the amount of fat stored), making them a great choice. However, some brands may sneak in “natural” sugar that you might want to avoid. Brewing hot tea has been found to preserve tea’s high level of antioxidants.
Try It: Ginger Green Tea
Ingredients:
- 1 bag green tea
- 1-2 cups water
- 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced thin (Lowers fasting blood sugar)
Directions:
- Boil water and add tea bag and ginger.
- Let steep for 3-5 minutes and drink any time of day.
Sip your way to optimal health and reap the benefits of this hot, green liquid. Go green and let it be your cup of tea!
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar, a household staple, may be just what you need to cleanse your body and curb your appetite. This vinegar is high in pectin, which expands the stomach, helping you feel full faster. It’s also high in potassium, which flushes excess sodium from the body, reducing water weight and bloating.
How to Benefit from Drinking Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Properly dilute the organic apple cider vinegar with water—1-2 tablespoons with a 16-ounce glass (or bottle) of water. You can add a small amount of honey (1-2 teaspoons) for flavor and sip throughout the day.
Bragg, one of the largest manufacturers of organic apple cider vinegar, recommends having this drink three times a day to realize its benefits. Take careful note of whether you experience any bodily changes in your stool or urine, or feel any discomfort. Remember that too much of anything can be harmful, so reserve this high dosage for short periods of intensive detoxing.
Vegetable Juice
Vegetables should be a staple of your diet, but sometimes it may seem impossible to get the recommended 2-3 servings a day. Luckily, putting your veggies through a juicer, rather than eating them whole, will not only ensure you get all the vegetables you need for the day, but will also help you cleanse your body and store less fat.
A daily green smoothie can kick off a chain-reaction of lifestyle changes that reduce or eliminate the factors that exacerbate disease, and may even reverse some conditions in certain individuals.
The key is to focus on green vegetables, such as spinach, cucumber, celery and green apple. These won’t spike your blood sugar and insulin levels like sweet vegetables (beets or carrots) do. When your blood sugar spikes, and you don’t have a way to burn the sugar—which turns to carbohydrates when digested and not used immediately—that sugar eventually stores as fat. Green vegetables help you avoid this dilemma.
How to Benefit from Drinking Vegetable Juice
Make sure that your juice is at least 1/3 green vegetables—you can add some sweeter vegetables or a small amount (1/2 cup) of fruit for sweetness.
If you’re not sure which greens to go with, romaine lettuce is always a good option, says Dr. Ben Kim, but don’t hesitate to change it up with kale, spinach, collard greens, etc. for variety.
Try It: Green Detoxing Machine
Ingredients:
- 2 celery stalks (celery is a diuretic)
- 1 cup romaine lettuce
- 1/2 small cucumber
- 1/4 green apple, sliced
Directions:
- Add each item to your juicer for a delicious, detoxing beverage that ill help you reduce fat storage. Feel free to switch out the romaine lettuce for another leafy green vegetable if you prefer.
Lemon Water
Water is a natural detoxifier, helping to flush sodium and toxins out of your body on a regular basis. Add lemon and you have a fat-burning, detoxing beverage that you can sip on every single day.
Lemons are high in potassium, the mineral that helps flush excess sodium out of your body, reducing bloat and water weight. Lemons are also high in vitamin C. While this doesn’t directly correlate to fat loss, it indirectly helps you achieve your weight loss goals: vitamin C supports your adrenal glands, helping you to better handle stress. Stress often causes weight gain, so improving your reaction to stress can also curb potential weight gain.
How to Benefit from Drinking Lemon Water
You can drink lemon water once or twice a day, with 1/4-1/2 of a lemon, freshly squeezed. To get more from your drink, add a small amount of 100 percent cranberry juice or 100 percent grapefruit juice, both of which provide similar benefits—detoxification.
Whether you want to get rid of a few last pounds or simply cleanse your body, these drinks will help revive you from the inside. Sip on green tea, lemon water, vegetable juice and organic apple cider vinegar to reduce inflammation, detox your body, speed up your metabolism and help you feel great at the same time.
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