Most people associate detox drinks with an attempt to lose weight. Consuming junk food and binging on alcohol can overwork your liver. It becomes difficult for it to cleanse the blood. It can also affect fat metabolism and digestion. We provide detox drinks for weight loss.
What Is a Detox Beverage?
These drinks contain a combination of water accompanied by vegetables, fruit, herbs, or natural ingredients designed to boost the body’s ability to eliminate toxins. It encompasses infused waters, juices, smoothies, teas, coffees, and others.
The appeal is that they offer a natural way to detox the body in a form that is compact and easy to consume. It is a great way to introduce healthy ingredients in a palatable form.
What Are the Benefits?
We ingest pollutants and artificial chemicals almost daily. If you consume processed foods regularly, cleaning the body occasionally may have health benefits. Detox drinks enable people to flush out toxins that damage the body, leading to bloating, gas, headaches, fatigue, and acne.
Some healthcare experts praise the drinks as an easy way to cleanse the liver, improve overall health, and support your digestive system. Since they have natural ingredients, they can increase weight loss, reduce inflammation, and boost your energy level. It ensures you are putting the right ingredients into your body.
Claims Associated with Detox Beverages
Every year, a new concept or fad boasts that it will increase longevity or boost health. Although people have practiced detoxification for centuries, it has recently become very popular. Detox diets will claim to remove toxins from your body, promoting weight loss or better health. However, is this always the case?
Toxins in your diet can cause the following:
- Aches and pains
- Acne
- Hair loss
- Weight gain
- Dry, dull skin
- Lethargy
- Joint pain
Toxins include environmental pollutants, chemicals, pesticides, metabolic body waste, food additives, and bacteria. Several easily-made drinks and food claim to remove these toxins. However, little scientific evidence supports the need for an external detox drink to maintain proper health.
The human body already contains its own detox system, which is the kidney, liver, blood cells, and antibodies. Special drinks and foods aren’t necessarily needed to remove toxins. Diets rich in fiber, good sleep, exercising regularly, and consuming the right amount of water will keep you healthy.
What Detox Drinks Help You Lose Weight: 8 Amazing Summer Beverages
While several detox drinks claim to detox the body, it is always best to consult a nutritionist or doctor before consuming them.
While we tend to think of a complicated drink with various ingredients, detox drinks are actually very simple to make. They can be purchased as a ready-to-drink beverage from a store or made at home. Some top drinks claiming to flush the system are as follows.
Cucumber Mint Detox
Mint is known to improve the flow of bile in your stomach. When accompanied by an antioxidant-rich vegetable like cucumber and fruit such as lemon, it will cure any toxic overload. Cucumbers in particular help protect your body from oxidative stress.
This cucumber water drink works well for maintaining the body's mineral and fluid balance. It is also perfect for managing weight. Preparing it involves washing and peeling two cucumbers, then cutting them into thin slices. Add the cucumber slices, mint leaves, and lemon to a wide-mouth jug or glass bottle.
Fill the bottle or jug with water, add ice, and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to an hour. Once done, take your bottle out of the fridge, shake it thoroughly, and sip the infused water throughout your day.
Lemon Detox
This is the most common staple in detox drinks. Rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, this detox water recipe builds immunity while keeping the bones, gums, and skin healthy. Create your detox drink by squeezing two to three lemons into one liter of water. Add a pinch of pink salt for added taste. You can also grate ginger and place it into the lemon water to drink.
Drinks with vitamin C are heat-sensitive, so ensure your water is not hot.
Orange-Carrot-Ginger Detox
Oranges are rich in vitamin C and are an antioxidant. They contain fibers and beta-carotene, which help in digestion and weight loss. Ginger is known as a home remedy for bloating and digestion, is an anti-inflammatory, and helps with stomach cramps.
To make this drink, juice one large carrot and two oranges separately. Pour your juice into a blender. Then, add the ½” of raw, crushed turmeric and ½” crushed ginger to the mix. Blend for 30 seconds, squeeze in half a lemon, strain the mixture, and serve.
Honey-Lemon-Ginger Tea
This drink is spiced with honey, lemon, and a hint of ginger and has a reputation for treating colds and sore throats. However, this drink offers even more than we realize, including detox benefits.
To make this drink, heat three cups of water in a pan. Before it comes to a boil, add a teaspoon of finely chopped ginger. Just as it begins to boil, add a teaspoon of tea leaves per cup, one teaspoon of lemon juice, and one teaspoon of honey. Strain the detox tea into your cup and enjoy its effects.
Pomegranate Aloe Vera Juice
A mixture of beetroot and pomegranate juice is known for its detox and cleansing benefits. Fresh aloe vera gel provides a further immunity system boost.
To make this, use a sharp knife to peel the rind from an aloe vera plant leaf. Discard the rind. Peel the yellow layer located just behind the rind. It should leave you with about 2 tablespoons of clean aloe vera gel.
Add two cups of pomegranate juice/amla juice (Indian gooseberry) to a blender. Chop the ½ cup of beetroot and blend. Add the aloe vera gel into the mixture and blend it in. Add in black pepper and enjoy.
Ginger Lychee Lemonade
Generally drunk with tea, ginger is an effective agent in reducing inflammation. This summer beverage cleanses the organs while combining two popular summer delights: lemonade and lychee.
Find a jar and place ½ cup of minced ginger, ½ cup of lemon juice (fresh), and one glass of lychee juice into it. Add ice, salt it to taste, then blend the concoction. Pour the mixture into a jar, and add one cup of sliced grapes and ½ cup of chia seeds. Mix it thoroughly using a spoon. When done, garnish the drink with mint leaves and serve it chilled.
Apple Cider Vinegar Detox
This detox drink offers a way to get rid of unhealthy bacteria. Apple cider vinegar can burn fat with studies indicating that consuming one to two tablespoons daily can assist in weight loss. Furthermore, drinking this recipe will lead to a flat stomach since water is the main ingredient and apple cider improves digestion.
To make this drink, mix 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon grated ginger, 1 tablespoon raw honey, and a dash of cayenne pepper into a small jar or glass. Add one ounce of warm water and consume it immediately before eating during the morning.
Fruit Infused Detox
Berry infused water offers a naturally sweet flavor, satisfying the need for sweets and containing less sugar than many alternatives. In addition, the blackberries in this drink promote skin elasticity. The fruits will lower your sugar and boost immunity.
Sometimes called spa water, this drink is made first by rinsing ½ cup of fresh fruit well. You can add any fruit, but some (like blackberries) are better than others. If necessary, peel the fruit, chop, slice, or cut it up. If you’re using berries, gently smash them in a pitcher to release the natural juices.
Fill your pitcher with water and allow it to steep for at least one hour. Two to three hours will create the best flavor, or if you like a stronger drink, you can steep it overnight.
Are There Any Health Concerns?
Detoxifying the liver is very important as it rids the body of waste – no matter where it originated from. While detox drinks can contain various vegetable and fruit juices to provide needed nutrients, they are deficient in calories and proteins. The result may leave you weak or drained if that is all you are consuming.
Drinking detox water may additionally lower the metabolic rate since too many of them can starve the body of calories. Most act as diuretics ( which increase urine output) or can be a laxative (causing more bowel movements). Increases in urine output can lead to dehydration, which can look like weight loss. However, the result is temporary and the weight will return once you go back to your normal diet.
While there is some controversy over the benefits of consuming detox drinks for weight loss, it is up to you to decide whether you will benefit from them or not. You should not drink detox drinks regularly as there can be some nasty side effects associated with them. However, since they do contain ingredients that we should consume regularly, we should add them to our diets.
For help on your weight loss journey and more detox water recipes, consult Noom and Healthi. These apps are great sources of information and encouragement for your weight loss journey.