Health and Fitness Tip #53 - Lemons - How to use them to rid the toxins

Lemons are one of nature’s best sources of vitamin C, which provides a variety of health benefits for the body. Vitamin C aids in cellular detoxification and contains enzymes that assist with metabolic and organ function. It also clears waste from the digestive tract and enhances immune health. Vitamin C is necessary for the production of certain hormones and even enhances energy levels.

Because lemons contain very little fructose (fruit sugar), they’re also very easy to digest and do not cause bloating. In fact, lemons can actually reduce bloating because they are a natural diuretic and contain so many natural enzymes. Drinking lemon water is essentially the simplest way to take advantage of this fruit’s benefits.

 

 

Easy ways to use lemons to detox the body

Make a superfood tonic

If you’re tired of plain lemon water, make a cleansing tonic with lemons, honey, cayenne, water and apple cider vinegar. Here’s how to make it:

• Pour four ounces of cold filtered water into a glass jar, add two or three cubes of ice, the juice from one lemon, a 1/2 teaspoon of honey, a tiny dash of cayenne pepper, and one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
  This tonic has a variety of benefits: the vitamin C in the lemon juice boosts the immune system; the probiotics, prebiotics and enzymes in the apple cider vinegar aid digestion; the honey offers antifungal and antibacterial properties; and the cayenne pepper is naturally cleansing.
  Drink it before a workout or within the first 30 minutes of waking. If you need to add a little more sweetener, add some raw honey.

 

 

2. Use it as a salad dressing

My favorite way to make a healthy salad dressing is to simply mix the juice of two lemons with a pinch of black pepper and a touch of raw honey. I sometimes also like to add apple cider vinegar and fresh herbs like parsley and oregano. Using lemons as the base for a salad dressing adds a lot of flavor to your salads without the need for unhealthy dressings or heavy oils. This tasty dressing is a wonderful digestive aid and will enhance the taste of salad greens.

 

 

 

 

3. Add it to a smoothie

If you enjoy making smoothies, then you’ll love this trick: Squeeze the juice of one lemon into your smoothie and blend as normal. It not only brings out the sweetness of berries and even greens, but it also promotes healthy digestion and boosts metabolism.

4. Juice with it

Green juice is a nice way to add essential nutrients to your diet. Use plenty of leafy greens, and if you wish to add a little fruit, try berries, apple or citrus.

Including mostly greens in your juice will help to avoid a spike in blood sugar. You can also add a whole lemon and a piece of ginger. This will give your juice a nice lemon-ginger flavor that will reduce the bitterness of the greens, as well as enhance its cleansing properties.

 

 

 

5. Make a lemon-ginger shot

You may not wish to juice greens every day, so try making a lemon-ginger shot in your juicer instead. Juice two lemons and one or two inches of ginger root. Toss in some cayenne pepper if you like, and enjoy this digestion-boosting, cleansing drink. It’s also a great way to combat the cold and flu since both lemon and ginger provide anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Add a dash of turmeric for even more health benefits.