Ah! The day after a night on the town, Thanksgiving dinner, a party, or whatever occasion that leaves you feeling like you need to flush the bloat and reboot your body is never fun. The great news (for you, not so much for us 😉 ) is that we’ve been there too so we are constantly coming up with great ways to help to immediately get your mind and body back on the healthy track. Some of our client’s favorite ways to get back on track is by drinking our “detox” drinks, so we just created this one! Although your body is equipped to detox and cleanse itself on its own, naturally, certain health-promoting foods and drinks, assist it in its process. And this drink does just that! Among other ingredients, it contains apple cider vinegar (ACV). After adding some ACV to our “detox” smoothies, we got hooked. And thus, another love affair (to add to our list–oy!) has begun! 🙂 In addition to starting our day by drinking a large glass of water, on days when we want an extra lift, we also have one of our refreshers like our Kale Recharge Smoothie, Sparkling Cucumber and Refresh Detoxer, or we go for one of our smoothies that use the Easiest Way To Get our Greens — or when we feel like we want a fresh start after eating foods that we don’t typically eat, we go for this Apple Cider Vinegar Mint “Detox” Drink, that we just added to our list!
Here’s how this drink works it’s magic (it assists your body in its natural detoxification process):
Flushes bloat: When either of us feel bloated, we must sound like 80 year old ladies complaining to each other 😉 . To put ourselves out of the misery of having to hear each other complain we made this bloat-busting drink. Water, in combination with potassium from the grapefruit, mint and lemon help restore normal fluid balance and flush salt-and the bloat that comes with it. And the water/fluid that you get as you drink this throughout the day keeps flushing your intestines to keep you regular and prevent unsightly gut bulges from constipation. Buh bye bloat!
Helps prevent sweet cravings: For starters, simply drinking this healthy drink takes up space in your stomach, preventing you from feeling overly hungry. When you’re hungry, it’s hard to make a rationale decision about what to eat and it’s easy to give into sweet cravings (or that candy on your co-workers desk). And although you may not realize it, as you hydrate your body with this slightly sweet and tangy elixir, it helps to carry blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout your body, energizing you so that your brain doesn’t crave a quick pick-me-up (i.e. sugar). If you often wake up craving sugar, try drinking a large glass of this first and see how you feel, if you’re like us and our clients, you’ll be pretty excited about what it does to set you back on the healthy train!
Another bonus? As is the case with most of our drinks, you’ll boost your immunity and help to prevent free radicals from damaging your cells and from causing inflammation thanks to vitamin C from the grapefruit, lemon and mint. As you stop damage and inflammation on the inside, your body can restore and recharge –you’ll be more peaceful on the inside for a healthier body!
We recommend you starting your day off right by drinking this and eating The Most Satisfying Weight Loss Breakfast. 🙂
The great ingredients in this drink (you’ve likely seen these before from our other “detox” drinks):
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has so many benefits—and you may remember it from our Rise & Shine Smoothie. Research shows that ACV may be the small edge you’re looking for to help to control your weight.
You’ve probably heard that apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight. Small amounts before a meal may help lower your blood sugar. It seems that acetic acid, the main component in vinegar, may interfere with the body’s ability to digest starch; less starch being broken down into calories in the bloodstream could mean a little less fat on your body over time.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to drink gallons of the stuff—there’s great news! It doesn’t take much vinegar—just about two teaspoons.
Although more research is needed, as long as you don’t have trouble digesting foods that are high in acid, you have nothing to lose by giving it a try!
More good news? It’s not only ACV that’s helpful since all vinegars contain acetic acid. Wine vinegars have a smoother taste (like in our Green Goddess Edamame Salad and Dressing), but even white distilled vinegar will do the trick. Just look for those with 5% acidity, which is what you’ll find in most cooking and salad vinegars. (Avoid pickling vinegars, which have a higher acid content.)
NOTE: Keep in mind that consuming too much acetic acid can hurt your throat. A tablespoon of vinegar mixed with 8 ounces of water and taken before a meal is a safe dose. Go for this delish g’mornin smoothie to get a dose of ACV (and some delicious and wholesome nutrient-packed foods!)!
A few other bonuses (we included this info for you science geeks like us, who love knowing what everything is doing for your bod! ) 🙂
Apples are a great way to get fiber, which helps to keep you feeling full and keeps your body regular.
Lemons are rich in vitamin C to help skin look its’ best– not only is vitamin C a potent antioxidant to help fight free radical damage, but it also assists in collagen formation. We love lemons and limes and really spritz them over everything! They are a great flavor sub for salt too. Pssst…careful when you open Lyssie’s fridge–a lemon (or lime) from the packed cold-zone may drop out on your toe!
• The ideal flushing food–packed with potassium and water to restore normal fluid balance and flush out any bloating salt that may be causing you to store water and puffiness.
• Great source of vitamin C
Mint We like to think of mint as a peace maker in the body It eases indigestion and calms the stomach, likely by improving the flow of bile through the stomach, which helps to speed and ease digestion. Thanks in part to it’s anti-inflammatory antioxidant rosmarinic acid, it “calms your insides” to ease the havoc inside your body!
Apple Cider Vinegar Mint “Detox” Drink
This “detox” drink has the perfect combination of “de-puffing” ingredients to keep off the bloat and make you feel svelte, light and refreshed .
Makes 3 servings
Ingredients:
24 oz. water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 apple, (we used fuji)
1/2 lemon, preferably organic as the peel is included
½ large pink grapefruit
5-6 Mint leaves
Directions:
1. Slice the apple, lemon, and cut the grapefruit into quarters.
2. Fill a large pitcher or jar with 24 ounces (3 cups) of water.
4. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and stir.
5. Then add the apple, lemon, grapefruit, and mint leaves to the water. Lightly stir the entire mixture.
6. Put the detox water in the refrigerator for at least two hours, or even let it sit over night. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
With fruit: 25 Calories, 0 g fat, 6 g carbohydrate, 0 g protein, 2 g fiber, 0 mg sodium
Without fruit: 2 Calories: 0 g fat, 0 g carbohydrate, 0 g protein, 0 g fiber, 0 mg sodium
- 24 oz. water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ apple, (we used fuji)
- ½ lemon, preferably organic as the peel is included
- ½ large pink grapefruit
- 5-6 Mint leaves
- Slice the apple, lemon, and cut the grapefruit into quarters.
- Fill a large pitcher or jar with 24 ounces (3 cups) of water.
- Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and stir.
- Then add the apple, lemon, grapefruit, and mint leaves to the water. Lightly stir the entire mixture.
- Put the detox water in the refrigerator for at least two hours, or even let it sit over night. Enjoy!