Winter usually means long holidays, short days, and cozy blankets and quilts. But it is also a season of colds and illnesses, which aren’t all that pleasant! All the toxic residue from the foods we eat throughout the year accumulates in our bodies, resulting in a substance called ‘ama.’ Ama can block a smooth flow of energy, resulting in disease and a general feeling of being ill.
One way to reduce ama is by detoxification. And it is vital to detox in the right way, appropriate to the season. Several well-being resorts offer special cleansing and detoxification programs for each season. However, they consume both time and money, so having a simple detox session at home is more manageable.
And when you want to detox inside out, it’s always better to start with what goes in! Apples and pears are the fruits recommended during winter, as are spices like ginger and cinnamon. It isn’t surprising that both these spices feature so much in Christmas songs and stories!
We have listed four easy drinks to help you detox this winter. For best results, ensure you use only organic produce. After all, you want to detox, not ingest more toxins!
Ginger-spiced Vegetable Juice.
What you need for this drink:
- 1 cup spinach
- 3 large carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 apple
- ½ inch of ginger
- Juice of ½ lemon
How to make it
- Blend all the ingredients together till smooth. Pour in a glass and enjoy!
Ginger Lemongrass Tea
What you need for this drink:
- 2-inch peeled ginger
- 2 tbsp cut lemongrass
- 6 cups water
- Sweetener of choice
How to make it
- Place ginger, lemongrass, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and add sweetener.
- Leave the mixture to steep for about 15 minutes. Strain and pour into a glass.
Root Veggie Juice
What you need for this drink:
- ¼ celery stalk
- 1-inch ginger
- Juice of ½ lemon
- One medium carrot
- One medium beetroot
How to make it
- Blend all the ingredients together till smooth.
- If you want the drink to be sweeter, add a bit of sweetener to the drink.
Banana Cinnamon Smoothie
What you need for this drink:
- One frozen banana
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp maple syrup or sweetener of choice
How to make it
- Blend all the ingredients except vanilla and sweetener.
- Add vanilla and sweetener and adjust to taste.
How to make Almond Milk
Some of the recipes we listed ask one to use almond milk; this is an easy recipe to make fresh almond milk.
Almond Milk Recipe
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 4 cups filtered water
How to make it
- Soak almonds in water overnight.
- Blend with filtered water.
- Place muslin cloth over the colander and strain. Squeeze the pulp to get more liquid.
- Use within 3-4 days. Make thinner or thicker as required
All the above are straightforward recipes, which only require readily available ingredients and common household appliances like a blender and saucepan. The ingredients listed are all beneficial in reducing ama and restoring your body back to its optimum energy levels. Here’s to a toxin-free and healthy winter!
