How to Make your Own Detox Water

What do all the holidays have in common besides the holiday spirit? That feast hangover, where it all comes back to you. Those mouth-watering sides from the Thanksgiving meal you begin to remember were more spicy and fatty than the turkey itself. And those deserts and chocolate truffles from the Christmas week, you’ve even lost count.

Holidays are not the only time when you are led astray. Weddings or any other celebration, or just your busy lifestyle – anything can come between you and your fitness goals. Usually, people try to counter it with an even stricter fitness regime, which can be harmful to the body.

The solution is extremely easy: Detox water.

Drinking water in adequate amounts is, in itself, a great way to improve your overall health. Detox water, enriched with the extract of different fresh fruits, helps leach toxins out of your body, thus further improving body functioning and health.

Detox water is also recommended for those striving to lose weight. It helps regulate your appetite and reduce the tendency to overeat. As an added attribute, it has a great flavor.

Recipes for Detox Water

Detox water is extremely easy to prepare with readily available ingredients. So get ready to prepare a tasty, fresh drink that just may become your fitness buddy. Here are three methods to make your own detox water.

Method 1: Pineapple and Lemon

Things you’ll need:

• Fresh pineapple - a few slices
• Lemon - 1
• Some mint leaves
• Knife
• Ice cubes
• Water
• Glass jar or pitcher

Step 1. Put small chunks of pineapple in the pitcher

Dice a few peeled slices of fresh, juicy pineapple into small pieces.

Add these small chunks to a glass jar or pitcher. Pineapple is a storehouse of nutrients and helps reduce inflammation. It has also been used medically to help cleanse the colon. (1)

Step 2. Add lemon slices

Cut a fresh lemon into slices. The slices must be thin to ensure a thorough infusion into your detox water.

Add the slices to the pitcher. The citric acid of lemon helps the digestive system.

Step 3. Add some mint leaves

Pluck a few leaves off a fresh sprig of mint and put them in the pitcher. The mint leaves will help your stomach and digestive enzymes soothe intestinal spasm and relieve wind. They also add a crisp flavor to your water.

Step 4. Throw in the ice cubes

Now, put ice cubes in the pitcher. The contents of the pitcher including ice cubes should occupy about one-third of your pitcher.

Step 5. Pour in water

Fill the rest of the pitcher with water. Fill it up to the neck of the pitcher.

Step 6. Refrigerate and store

Refrigerate the pitcher for 2 hours to allow the flavors and healthy juices of the fruits to infuse into the water.

This pineapple and lemon detox water will immensely benefit your digestive system.

Method 2: Strawberry and Kiwi

Things you’ll need:

• Fresh strawberries - 3
• Fresh kiwi - 1
• Some mint leaves
• Knife
• Ice cubes
• Water
• Glass jar or pitcher

Step 1. Prep the strawberries

Cut the green cap (calyx) off of 3 fresh and juicy strawberries. Strawberries are good sources of antioxidants as well as vitamins and minerals.

Slice the strawberries into halves and set them aside.

Step 2. Peel and slice the kiwi

Peel a fresh kiwi with a knife (or a peeler if it suits you). Research shows that kiwi fruit helps to maintain normal intestinal function. (2)

Cut the kiwi into thin slices. The thinner the slices, the more easily the nutrients from the fruit will infuse into your water.

Step 3. Put the strawberries in the pitcher

Now, put those fat and juicy pieces of strawberries into a glass jar or pitcher, whichever is available.

Step 4. Add kiwi

Also, add those nice and thin slices of kiwi to the pitcher.

Step 5. Add some mint leaves

Throw some clean and fresh mint leaves into the mix.

Step 6. Throw in the ice cubes

Top it all with ice cubes. Put enough ice cubes in the pitcher to fill it about one-third.

Step 7. Pour in water

Fill up the rest of the pitcher with water. Don’t fill the pitcher up to its brim or it will spill. Just fill with the water up to its neck.

Step 8. Garnish with half a strawberry (optional)

If you wish to give your prepared water a colorful look, you can also garnish it.

Just take half a strawberry, cut it slightly from the bottom and fix it onto the rim of your pitcher. It will make your detox water look more appealing and appetizing.

Step 9. Refrigerate and store

After refrigerating it for 2 hours, all the flavors and nutrients will have infused into your water making it helpful in detoxing your body.

Method 3: Oranges and Cucumber

Things you’ll need:

• Fresh orange - 1
• Fresh cucumber - 1
• Some mint leaves
• Knife
• Ice cubes
• Water
• Glass jar or pitcher

Step 1. Put oranges in the pitcher

Orange juice is an effective remedy that has been used medically to help cleanse the colon. (3) Peel an orange and separate the segments. You can either remove the fibers or keep them. Add the orange segments to a glass jar or pitcher.

Step 2. Add a sliced cucumber

Slice a fresh and crisp cucumber thinly.

Add the slices to the pitcher. Cucumbers, being mostly made up of water, are one of the most hydrating vegetables. They’re a storehouse of vitamins and minerals and will help you if overeating is your vice.

Step 3. Add mint leaves

Add a few fresh mint leaves, plucked from a clean sprig. Besides aiding digestion, mint leaves go nicely with the cucumber flavor.

Step 4. Top with ice cubes

Put in those ice cubes next. Use the ice to fill up your pitcher to one-third of its volume.

Step 5. Pour in water

Now, pour water into the pitcher, filling it up to its neck.

Step 6. Refrigerate and store

Storing this concoction in the refrigerator for 2 hours will blend in the flavors nicely. The essence of the fruits will thoroughly assimilate into the water as well.

Depending on which fruits you use for infusing your detox water, you can plan your body-cleansing regime according to your goals and specifications.

Armed with these three different recipes, you can now achieve your fitness goals easier than before and without giving up taste!

Tips for making detox water

• Detox water can help improve and promote general good health. Any persistent symptoms of problems in your body should be addressed with your doctor.
• Do not keep infused water for more than 24 hours. Discard any leftover water and make a fresh batch for the next day.
• You can eat the fruit after drinking the water, but it will taste rather bland as all the flavors (and nutrients) have leached into the water.
• In order to navigate around the chunks of fruit, you can use a colorful straw. Or you can transfer your detox water to a sipper.

Resources:

1. Altınbas A, Aktas B, Yılmaz B, et al. Adding pineapple juice to a polyethylene glycol-based bowel cleansing regime improved the quality of colon cleaning. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23949576. Published 2013.
2. Bayer SB, Gearry RB, Drummond LN. Putative mechanisms of kiwifruit on maintenance of normal gastrointestinal function. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28557573. Published May 30, 2017.
3. Choi HS, Shim CS, Kim GW, et al. Orange juice intake reduces patient discomfort and is effective for bowel cleansing with polyethylene glycol during bowel preparation. Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25203380. Published October 2014.