Detox water recipescan be a great way for you to be healthier and stay hydrated. Itcan help you lose weight, get a break from artificially flavoured beverages or boost your immune system. And needless to say, water will keep you hydrated and naturally flush away toxins from your system just by itself as well.
What are toxins?
Toxins are basically externally acquired or internally grown harmful substances that find their way into our bodies. They interrupt our immune systems, short circuit our metabolism, and generally worsen our overall well being.
External toxins include things like dust and allergens. They float around in the air and enter our system when we breathe them in. Food that is sprayed with pesticides bring with it the pesticide residue when we eat it. Pollution from cars and trucks creates volatile organic particles (or VOC’s) in the air that we breath in. Coal fired power plants are amongst the worst emitters of fine pollutants.
Internal toxins are more biological, having bacteria or viruses that can affect our health in many different ways as well.
Does detox work?
Fad diets are not the way to go. Our bodies naturally work to detoxify themselves. When we eat well, stay hydrated and have fibre, fruit, vegetables and herbs, we can see the benefits of detoxing the easy way. Using a detox juices or smoothies full of sugar and eating an unbalanced diet to get quick results will lead to disappointment and potential damage.
A balanced long term approach to detoxing is the way to go.
How can I flush out toxins from my body?
How can you naturally reduce the impact of toxins on our health? The answer to that is more than any one magical solution. We have to look at a few things:
1. Try to reduce the amount of toxins you ingest
From eating healthier, to trying to live in a cleaner and healthier environment, taking in less bad is the first place to start.
2. Keep your fibre intake up
A lot of the toxins we eat end up in our colon, which is like the waste collector in our body. Having a healthy intake of fibre on a daily basis, around 30 to 40 grams, help keep the colon clear and the toxins moving out of our bodies.
3. Reduce your intake ofadded sugars
While juices are a good source of hydration, many juices are laden with natural and added sugars. Their intake should be managed so that your overall sugar and calories are not hurting your health rather than help it.
4. Drink enough water
Drink 2 litres (roughly 64 oz) of water daily. The amount you drink will depend on your overall build and weight. 2 litres per day is for a person that weights around 72 KG, or 160 lbs. If you weigh more you should take in more water. See the water intake infographic here for recommended water intake amounts.
5. Exercise at least 3 days a week.
It can be hard to find the time to go to the gym, but making small changes in your life can help. Park at the end of the parking lot and walk longer, take additional steps when you can, take the stairs and not the elevator, ride your bike to work or take a walk in the park. All these things can help you stay healthy.
Water detox recipes
A pitcher like the BALIworks best for detox water as you can make more at a a time. Refrigerate the detox waters for 2-3 hours for full infusion before serving. You can easily keep topping your fruit infusions up as you go throughout your day.
1. Cucumber mint detox water
Mint: Adds a touch of sweetness without the sugar to your water, and it also helps settle your stomach and aids in digestion as well.
Lemon or lime: Help to cleanse and dealkalize the body. They can help curb hunger pangs and control appetite – reducing your trips to the fridge and pantry between meals. That can help with weight loss.
Cucumber: Adding the cucumber to your water makes for excellent rehydration as it contains nearly 95% water, is low calorie,and cucumbers contain anti-inflammatory properties and vitamin B as well. The cucumber skin is also a source of vitamin C.
Mix them up, using a generous amount of fruits chopped up for full flavor infusion.
2. Strawberry lemon detox water
Lemonor lime: helps to cleanse and dealkalize the body.Lemons are also said to curb hunger pangs and control appetite – reducing your trips to the fridge and pantry between meals.
Strawberry: Strawberries area superfood! Nutrient-rich and packed with antioxidants (like vitamin C), strawberries offer a wide range of health benefits, some of which may surprise you.One serving of strawberries contains 51.5 mg of vitamin C—about half of your daily requirement. This vitamin and antioxidant rich fruit is said to improve skin tone and give you younger looking skin as well.
Slice up the strawberries, about 3/4 of a cup for a litre of water. Add in the juice of 1/2 medium lemon, and add in the rest of the lemon sliced up into the water as well. Some honey to taste will give you a rounded sweetness to taste.
3. Pineapple mint detox water
Pineapple: Pineapples contain a high amount of Vitamin C. They can help with immune system support, bone strength, eye health, and also help with some anti inflammatory effects.
Mint: It’s a well known digestive aid, and helps with bloating, gas and acidity. Mint tea is often made to give to people who have digestive issues.
Slice up the pineapple into long and thin slices, about3/4 of a cup worth for a litre of water.Crush in a few mint leaves to taste, and add a few more for slow infusion.
The trick with pineapple is that it needs a longer time to infuse since its a very dense and meaty fruit. Its best left overnight in the fridge for full flavors in the water.
4. Lemon detox water
Lemons: They contain Vitamin C, minerals like Potassium and also flavinoids that are known to have antioxidant properties, similar to tea. Some studies have also said that lemons help fight the formation of kidney stones. The acids in the lemon water also help to slow the digestion process, with helps to better absorb the nutrients in your meal. This slower rate of digestion helps reduce sugar level spikes in your blood stream moderating the insulin spikes as well.
Simply add in 1 lemon, cut into some slices into atall drinking glass. If making a pitcher slice and add in 1 lemon per 10 to 12 oz of water and allow it to infuse for 1 hour. You can also use lemon juice, but the fresh squeezed does taste much better.
What is your favourite detox water recipe? Let us know in the comments.
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