Drink. Cleanse. Heal. Repeat.
It's easy to find ourselves sick, stressed, tired, and with a belly full of decadent treats this time of year. The holiday hustle and bustle and indulgence often leaves our bodies feeling heavy, sluggish, run-down, and susceptible to colds and flus. So if your body is craving a re-boot, this tonic is for you. It’s also just an excellent overall wellness elixir to incorporate into your routine.
This daily healing tonic is loaded with turmeric, apple cider vinegar, lemon, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper... and lots of hydration (1 liter of water). All of these components are packed with health-boosting potential to replenish, alkalize, and detox your system.
People often wait until the New Year to start some sort of health-related goal, but why not start now? It's only a glass (ok, large jar) a day.
Here's what this daily tonic can do for you:
I'm constantly raving about turmeric because its benefits are mind-blowing. Having turmeric in this drink helps reduce inflammation in the body, all while strengthening immunity and neutralizing harmful free-radicals that attack our DNA. It also helps boost cognitive function and can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, in addition to improving blood circulation and pressure. You can read more about the health benefits of turmeric in my other post.
Because apple cider vinegar is fermented, it's packed with prebiotics that help support the immune system, regulate blood sugar levels, and lower cholesterol. One of the most unique benefits of ACV is that it can heal a lot of gut issues by fighting off bad bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and regulate gastric (stomach) acid production. ACV can tremendously help those suffering with gut issues like candida overgrowth and acid reflux.
Adding lemon to this mixture is great for balancing your body's pH and alkalizing your blood. Having an alkaline environment in your body is optimal, since disease can only grow in an acidic environment. Clean up and alkalize and watch how your body heals. Additionally, warm lemon water keeps your digestion moving and is a potent liver cleanser, as it flushes out toxins. If you struggle with eczema, psoriasis, or acne, you most likely have an over-loaded or sluggish liver. By routinely drinking this tonic every day, it can help your skin heal too.
The cayenne pepper in this drink helps improve lymphatic circulation by draining out lymph nodes. It also boosts the metabolism, fights off viruses and infection, relieves sinus congestion, and detoxifies the body. Like lemon, it drives toxins out of the liver and even neutralizes acidity in the body.
Having maple syrup as a light sweetener for this tonic is delicious but also adds even more health benefits. Maple syrup is full of immune-boosting antioxidants, and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese – all of which help build strong cells, including our red blood cells. It also contains b-vitamins which support nerve, muscle, and brain functioning.
I recommend having this warming drink throughout the morning/early in the day. Morning is a great time to drink it because it helps get your system moving. Not to mention, your body is dehydrated after fasting for 8 hours. Hydrating in the morning is crucial if you want to feel good and have a productive day. When I don't properly hydrate in the morning, I don't feel well at all and my head gets foggy and achy.
On average, we should aim to drink 2.5 liters of water every day, give or take. This tonic is 1 liter, so it's getting you almost halfway there.
I genuinely look forward to drinking this every day. I like to describe it as being refreshing, warming, and nourishing with a hint of sweet citrus. But to those not used to it, it may take a little getting used to. So feel free to take it slow with the apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and cayenne pepper in the beginning!
INGREDIENTS (1 serving)
32 oz or 1 liter warm water
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or just a pinch if you're sensitive to spice)
1 pinch black pepper (helps your body absorb the active ingredient in turmeric)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat water in a kettle about halfway, or until it reaches a warm but not hot temperature.
Add all ingredients into a large glass (I prefer mason jars since they're big and are easy to take on the go if needed).
Mix well and enjoy! The spices like to settle so I recommend using a metal straw or spoon to continuously stir it up when that happens.
Drinking this tonic is like giving your insides a deep tissue massage, ringing out all the nasties floating around. But remember to sip on it gradually rather than gulping it down too fast, so your body has time to absorb the liquid and assimilate the nutrients. Feel free to screw on a lid and take it with you if need be!
Lots of love,
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