How 6 Incredible Benefits of the Lemon Detox Can Help You

The Lemon Detox Diet, aka The Master Cleanse, has garnered a lot of press because of its ability to provide dramatic weight loss in a short amount of time. It has also been met with a lot of criticism from health advocates as to whether it’s safe or not. So are there any benefits that are claimed that actually pan out? Is this a diet or a detox that you can rely on to provide lasting benefits, or is it something that will set you back and create more problems than its worth.

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10 Things You Must to Know Before Starting the 21 Day Sugar Detox

The 21 Day Sugar Detox has been gaining a lot of momentum, and you may be thinking it would be a good way to help rid yourself of sugar and carbohydrate cravings. If you’ve never done a detox before, you may even be a little wary about what to expect. There are plenty of good things about this program, like using wholesome, all natural foods to provide the body with plenty of nutrients while on the detox. There are also some parts of it that are a little iffy, like the claim that it will cleanse you of excess candida. Here are 10 important items you should consider so that you have a better understanding of what to expect, and what it all entails…

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10 Signs Your Body Is Screaming at You for a Detox

How can you tell if you need a full body detox? Your body will tell you, you just have to know what to look for when it’s trying to communicate.

Many times a list of symptoms reads like the human condition, with things that almost everyone experiences from time to time. What we’re looking for here is how often it happens. Frequently feeling fatigued, frequently getting constipated or experiencing indigestion, etc. It’s the frequency that matters.
If you’ve noticed any of the following occurs on a regular basis, you’re likely overdue for a detox. It may not be the cure-all, but in many cases it can at least improve the situation, and is the perfect starting point towards fixing it for good.

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Top 10 Essential Oils for Detoxing and Purifying the Body

 The beauty of these oils is that they can be used in many different ways, depending on what you need. If we define detoxing as anything that helps rid the body of toxic waste, negative thoughts, stress, anxiety, and harmful organisms the benefits of these oils become even more apparent. While many of the benefits that are claimed for essential oils have not be clinically tested, there is more than enough peer feedback to suggest that they really do help when used properly.

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Top 18 Everyday Detox Teas for Daily Cleansing

Drinking a daily tea is not just for the British, you can incorporate this into your routine and enjoy the detoxifying effects that come with it. Not only can this be a soothing experience, but if you rotate through the teas on this list you’ll be getting a nice detoxing effect for your efforts. This can help your body get the nutrients and antioxidants it craves, all at a very minimal expense to your pocketbook, and without a lot of time and hassle.

Burdock Root Tea– Burdock is a little-known herb that has a lot of detoxifying benefits. It can has been shown to strengthen the immune system as well, and has been known to help purify the blood. It helps both the liver and the digestive system, two of the main detox avenues the body has at its disposal. Basically if your liver is functioning better, you’ll be less toxic, and if you’re digestive system is keeping things regular, you’ll have less toxic buildup.

Cayenne Pepper Tea– The healing properties of cayenne pepper are just starting to make it into mainstream knowledge, and more and more people are embracing it not just for its spicy heat. When brewed as a tea you’ll find that it not only has a cleansing effect on the body, but it can also give you some energy to help you through the day. Most find that drinking it with a slice of lemon helps the palate and cuts down on some of the spicy taste.

Chicory Tea– Not only can this help you detox the body, it’s also been shown to help rev up your metabolism, so you’re getting at least two major benefits from drinking this. This can also be used to help get your digestive juices going before a meal, so that you’re better able to digest it. To make the tea it is suggested that you use dried chicory root so that you get the most of its essence, and benefit from all of its flavors and vitamins.

Cilantro Tea– Most of us are familiar with adding cilantro to a dish to give it a strong and identifiable flavor, but did you know that you can make a detox tea out of it? In recent years cilantro has been growing in popularity as an herb that does more than just flavor up our foods. By helping with the digestive system, cilantro helps the body process foods, break them down and use their nutrients, and effectively eliminate them. This process is very cleansing and curative for the body.

Dandelion Tea – Although many gardeners view dandelions as the enemy, they’ve been shown to be very purifying for the body, and science is even backing it up. What dandelion does is raises levels of an enzyme in the body known for its detoxifying functions. These have been known to help the body get rid of carcinogens, or cancer-causing toxins in the body, which is definitely worth making this one of your daily rituals. Most people find that the taste is also pleasant, so the chore is not so bad.

Fenugreek Tea– Fenugreek helps with digestive issues, and can be used whenever you’re feeling like your digestion is sluggish. For some this may become a daily drink because they’re always feeling bloated or suffering from indigestion without it. For others it might be used as a weekly refreshing beverage. The side benefits to drinking this include a reduction in blood pressure, and helping out with conditions that are attributed to high amounts of inflammation. The tea is derived from fenugreek seeds simmered in hot water.

Garlic Tea– The benefits of garlic are widely known, but when you drink it as a tea it is definitely going to work to help cleanse the body, due to the specific vitamins it contains that helps in this area. It also contains sulfur, which you may associate with the smell of rotten eggs or a processing plant, but in regards to helping your body detoxify itself, there are few other ways that are as effective. One thing that might be a little off putting is that classic garlic taste. It’s not as bad as if you eat straight garlic, but it’s still there.

Ginger Tea– Ginger is a very cleansing root, and when you brew it up as a tea it can actually be a satisfying beverage with a tart taste. The nice thing is that even though it has a sharp taste, it is gentle on the body, so you don’t have to worry about long-term use. This can easily become a daily detox tea that you can have each morning to start the day, as a midday pick-me-up, or as an warm up before dinner. You can use this as part of a detox program as well, if they recommend drinking detoxifying teas.

Green Tea– The benefits of green tea have been written about extensively, and there is plenty of scientific support behind it. This means that it isn’t just a few anecdotal recommendations to drink this, it’s basically proven that at least a cup of green tea should be consumed daily for optimal health. There are simply too many antioxidants in it that help the body combat free radicals and other toxins to pass this up. The benefit to all of this detoxing? The body naturally rids itself of excess weight. Bonus!

Guduchi Tea– Here’s an herb you might not have heard of, but you should definitely try out. It’s restorative properties have long been known in other parts of the world, and it’s just now becoming more available in the states. The list of potential benefits is rather extensive, but if you’re looking for a detox tea you’d be most interested in how it can improve the skin, and give you a more youthful appearance. This is possible because it helps your organs work to their full ability.

Gymnema Sylvestre Tea– This Chinese herb is known for its effects on sugar, and excessive amounts of sugar in the body can be very toxic. So in addition to being able to help regulate blood glucose levels, this is a great tea to have each day to help your body function fully. Over the years it has been known to help with liver issues, and digestive disorders, so it’s definitely one herb you don’t want to overlook when preparing your arsenal of detox teas.

Manjistha Tea– It’s interesting to note that the skin is the largest organ of the body, and one of the ways that the body helps to eliminate toxins. Therefore if your skin is missing out on the nutrients and support it needs, you won’t be as toxin-free as you could be. Manjistha is a plant that is used for its medicinal properties, and you’d best be served by drinking it. Women especially, since it can help with menstruation due to its blood purifying effect. This is one additional way women have of getting rid of toxins.

Milk Thistle Tea– The benefits to the liver make milk thistle tea worth drinking. The liver is the focal point of your organs, and when it isn’t operating at its best, there is a virtual domino effect on your other organs. So any detox plan you undergo should have the liver as the main organ worth treating. In addition to that, milk thistle also has digestive benefits, so you’ll not only be helping the organ that filters the toxins, but helps the system that flushes those toxins out of the body.

Neem Tea– Here is another herb you might not have heard of before, as it’s popular in India but not so much in America. This is typically consumed as a daily tea to help ward off a myriad of conditions and diseases. The tea is thought to help the liver do its job, and therefore there are many trickle-down benefits from there. It has a unique makeup of different vitamins and minerals that are essential to the body, and it also has a pleasing taste so it’s not hard to drink it every day.

Red Clover Tea– The major detoxing that goes on with red clover is due to its antioxidant value. This means the body will get some backup when it comes time to do battle with the free radicals that are introduced in the foods we eat, and the environment we live in. Getting a daily boost is vital, because an accumulation of free radicals with no defense can lead to a host of conditions that nobody wants. It’s simple enough to make a tea from it, and buying organic red clover is recommended.

Triphala Tea– The main benefit of triphala is to help stimulate a bowel movement, which is why it’s often used to help treat constipation. But if you’re on a detox program those toxins need a place to go. If you’re not helping the bowels and colon purge them from your system, they could end up being reintroduced into the body. That’s why so many programs rely on an herb like triphala because it is also working to expunge toxins, in addition to helping to keep you regular.

Turmeric Tea– Perhaps you only used turmeric to help spice up a recipe, but you can also make a tea from it rather quickly and easily. The good news is that it can help kickstart your liver and gallbladder into creating more bile, which helps to break down toxins and flush them from the liver and out of the body. Most American’s don’t produce nearly enough bile, and so this is a great way to try and get things to their correct levels and have your digestive system functioning normally.

Wormwood Tea– Here is an herb that helps the bile out of the liver, and out of the body. This is helpful because if you have too much toxic build up it can sometimes stagnate within the body unless acted upon by another force. In this case wormwood has a purging effect, and the bile is whisked from the liver and down through the body. This is a tea that you can drink daily to make sure that you are producing enough bile, and that it is finding its way through your system.

Yellow Dock Tea– Any time you combine detoxifying effects on the liver, as well as help with cases of constipation, you are going to help your body get rid of plenty of toxic build up. If you stick to this regimen daily you should find that many symptoms that you previously had gradually go away. It can be so subtle that you don’t even realize that you don’t have them anymore. This is a great way to improve your digestion, while at the same time it makes a great-tasting tea.

Drinking a daily detox tea is a nice way to keep your body well-maintained. You should also consider doing major whole-body cleanses throughout the year as needed. But these can provide you with good maintenance so things don’t build up and get out of hand. You can also target different detox cleanses for different systems and organs of the body, such as the digestive system, or the liver. But for daily use, the above teas all have their own unique properties that can be of great help.

P.S. Take a look at the 5 veggies that boost female metabolism and burn off lower belly fat.

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the Best of 15 Detox Water Recipes to Flush Your Liver

Drinking water all by itself is a way to help flush the body of toxins on a daily basis, but with a few simple ingredients you can transform water into a detoxifying masterpiece and reap even more benefits from it. This is something you can do every single day, or as part of a broader detoxing program. Each one of the ingredients listed here will provide slightly different benefits, so be sure to choose it according to the particular goal you have…

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How 22 Detox Soups to Cleanse and Revitalize are Bringing Sexy Back

A detox soup takes many of the healthiest ingredients possible and puts them together in one pot. They usually involve pureeing or blending the vegetables up, or at the very least chopping them into bite-sized pieces. This makes the soup easy to digest so your body can absorb and utilize all of the nutrients more easily. The best part about these recipes is that the focus is still on taste, so you’re getting a detox dose of vitamins and minerals without having to suffer through it.

Photo: Cannella Vita

1. Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup

The apple cider vinegar used to give this soup its sour quality is also working to provide your body with helpful digestive flora. They say to use a mixed mushroom pack and you can do that or you can simply use mushrooms that are known for their detoxing value, like shiitake and reishi. They’ve done a good job of altering the typical hot and sour soup recipe to not only exclude meat, but also make it so that your body is getting a good dose of detoxing goodness. It’s one of those soups that you can feel good about eating, and also enjoy the way it tastes.

2. Tender and Spicy Green Soup– You simply can’t go wrong when you start off with celery as your foundation. This is one veggie that we know we should be eating more of, but that doesn’t typically find its way onto our plate. The stringiness and acquired taste of celery makes it hard to get excited about, but when you combine it with ingredients like peppers, spinach, ginger, and cumin, you are building a taste sensation, while keeping it ultra-healthy and vitamin loaded. Each ingredients seems hand-picked to either give you fiber for digestion, or to provide a cleansing effect with the spices.
3. Radish Leek Soup– Ah, the radish. This little guy doesn’t get any respect. He’s like the Rodney Dangerfield of the vegetable world. But this recipe pays him some by making it the featured ingredients. Along with leeks you’re getting a one-two punch of nutrition here. Potatoes give it the soupy consistency and texture, and the use of sea kelp rounds things off. If you don’t use a lot of radishes in your cooking you might be surprised by their subtle taste. They are known for being able to purify the blood and are a cancer fighting food to boot.
4. Lentil, Kale, and Sweet Potato Stew– One surefire way to get a detox soup, or stew in this instance, is to combine foods that are standalone superfoods. That’s just what they’ve done here. The lentils in this help to keep your digestive system moving, and the kale is an amazing food all on its own. When you add sweet potatoes you’re getting a broad nutritional spectrum and additional fiber. The overall effect is a taste sensation that will leave you feeling like you didn’t really have a detox soup, but rather a soup at a fancy restaurant.
5. Healthy Detox Soup– If you’ve got kale, you can generally make a detox soup by adding it to a soup recipe. It’s that powerful. But in this one they didn’t let it do all of the work by itself, and there are a lot of supporting vegetables in here. For example, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and leeks serve to further help the body and give you a nice spectrum of different vitamins and minerals. You’re also getting the cleansing benefits of citrus juice from a lemon, and the benefits of cracked black pepper, which also improves the taste.

Photo: The Recipe Renovator

6. Potassium-Balancing Detox Soup

Potassium is one nutrient that is both easy to fall behind on, and easy to correct, all you have to do is eat more potassium-rich foods. This detox soup is paying extra attention to it, and has more than a few ways to get you back to good in this area. Consider kale for starters, and the 329 milligrams of potassium per cup it contains. Or the carrots that don’t trail too far behind kale. And pass on the optional avocado, as it contains more potassium than a banana, and will help the body with its healthy fat and other nutrients.

7. Kale and Lentil Soup– Even though kale and lentils get the top billing on this recipe, there are also a good assortment of other vegetables to help with the detox plan. But combining kale with lentils works on a few different levels, and is worth pointing out. If you were to eat nothing but kale you’d be working to detox your body. When you add lentils you are boosting your fiber intake so that your digestive system gets a boost. Carrots, garlic, and parsley are all known for their cleansing and nutritional benefits, and join the cast here.
8. Gerson’s Hippocrates Soup– The focus here is on organic ingredients, and that’s really important when you are trying to detox. You wouldn’t want pesticides and herbicides or GMOs interfering with the process and acting to toxify you just as fast as you’re detoxing. The use of leeks, tomatoes, and celery make it so you’re not only getting massive amounts of flavor, but you’re sticking to the plan of detoxing and not including anything that might detract from that goal. We especially like that they haven’t skimped on the details, opting for sea salt rather than table salt.
9. Broccoli and Pea Potage with Thyme– You simply can’t go wrong with broccoli, and anytime you add it to any recipe or as a side dish on your plate, you are adding a detoxing food to your menu. Here it takes center stage as each serving contains a quarter pound of broccoli. This, along with the use of lentils, provides you with a good fiber boost. The lentils also contain protein, and peripheral ingredients like peas, shallots, and green onions make this soup a strong contender for your go-to detox recipe. Potage is a french word meaning thick soup, so don’t let it throw you off.
10. Detox Green Machine Soup– Spinach gets called into the game on this recipe, and you can’t blame them for using it, as spinach is one of the most nutritious foods available. When using spinach it’s a good idea to combine it with other ingredients so that you don’t end up with a soup that tastes only like spinach. Here they’ve done a good job of mixing things up, while still maintaining detoxifying properties. The use of green beans, celery, and zucchini give this an amazing taste while providing additional vitamins and minerals. Garlic, basil, and parsley ensure you’ll really enjoy this.

Photo: Mrs. Garlic Head

11. Gingery Noodle Soup

You might not equate a noodle soup with detoxing, but when you’re using ginger, garlic, and fennel, as well as soba noodles made out of buckwheat you have all of the pieces in place for a wonderful soup you’ll return to again and again. It also contains miso, which is a popular staple in Japan, and has been lauded for its nutritious properties. Overall, this is a very Japanese-inspired dish, and it’s even suggested to eat it Japanese style, using chopsticks to eat the noodles and then drinking the broth right from the bowl.

12. Vegetarian Stew with Quinoa– They thicken this soup into a stew with the use of chickpeas and quinoa. Quinoa gives it a heartiness that is hard to replicate using grains. It’s also a powerful superfood and has gained in popularity in recent years for all of its positive benefits. When mixed with chickpeas you’re getting a good dose of vegetable-based protein, as well as fiber. They use a jalapeno but are careful to remove the spiciest parts. There is also tomatoes, ginger, and butternut squash added to make this soup taste great, while helping to cleanse and nourish the body all at once.
13. Detox Beans & Greens Soup– Many times beans are overlooked as a detox food, because the thought is that only fruits and vegetables can detox the body. But beans have a good amount of fiber and are usually able to aid in digestion if they are cooked properly and eaten in correct portions. In this case they’re using cannellini beans, but you could substitute those with whichever beans you happen to have on hand. The other ingredients highlight the subtle flavor of the beans, while providing additional textures and tastes.
14. Pump up your Greens ‘Creamed’ Soup– The reason creamed is in quotes is because they’ve managed to produce a creamy soup without the use of any cream. The use of plenty of green vegetables, including the hydrating effects of cucumber, the nutrient-dense nature of spinach, and the healthy fat and potassium of avocado make this one a sure winner. This is a soup that you could serve to your family and they wouldn’t even know you’re helping them cleanse, aside from the fact that it looks healthy. Chili powder, lemon juice, and black pepper have you covered for spice and flavor and only spur on the detox process.
15. No-Chicken Soup– No chickens were harmed in the making of this “no chicken” soup. It’s attempting to capture the wholesome goodness of chicken soup, but without using chicken or any byproducts of chickens. This recipe is a little tricky because you have to plan ahead a few days, but the result will be worth it, and if you make enough of it to last a few days you can continue the detoxing gradually. The number of ingredients is rather simple, proving that you don’t need to overdo things as long as you get the basics right.

Photo: Pastry Affair

16. Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Making your own roasted butternut squash can take a little time, but is so worth it. If you’ve ever bought pre-made butternut squash soup at the store, you know that it just doesn’t cut it, and tastes nothing like when it’s freshly prepared. When you combine it with the goodness of apples you are creating a dynamic duo that helps the body in various ways. And don’t overlook the power of the spices used. They’re combining cinnamon, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes not just for flavor but also for the cleansing effects they have.

17. Detox Green Soup– Broccoli is one of the most healthy foods you can eat, and so is spinach, and both get called to the line of duty on this recipe. Just one would be enough to get the detox job done, but when you have them both working in conjunction with each other, it’s almost too much of a good thing. Since some struggle with the thought of having to eat either broccoli or spinach, don’t fret: there is parsley, garlic, and onions to help with the taste and also to add bonus nutrients, as if it needed any.
18. Cleansing Miso, Beet and Asparagus Soup– Most miso soups have a light brown or tan color, but not this one thanks to the beets being used. What we have here is a collection of three main ingredients that all have been covered in the news as being very good for the body. Miso sometimes gets partial credit for the overall health of the Japanese people. Beets are gaining in popularity due to the fact that they contain phytonutrients that just aren’t found in many other places. Asparagus has enough healthy benefits on its own but adds greatly to this soup.
19. Roasted Pumpkin Soup– Pumpkins are just for making jack-o-lanterns or for pumpkin pies. Try adding them more to your cooking by getting comfortable with the idea of roasting them in the oven until they’re tender. Save the seeds for other recipes that call for them, as these are extra-healthy as well. There aren’t too many other supporting ingredients on this, just some onion and garlic and a few herbs and spices. You’ll really taste the pumpkin on this, and get its nutritional value as well. Pumpkin doesn’t get a lot of recognition as a detoxing food, but it is.
20. Avocado Cucumber Soup– This is one of the fastest and easiest soups we could find, and it’s great for those times that you just need a re-up in the middle of the day and want something that will offer a lot of benefit, but not take a lot of time to prepare and gulp down. This has just a few simple ingredients, and preparation involves tossing everything in the blender and pressing play. Not to be a spoiler but the ingredients are in the title, plus some lime zest and lime juice thrown in for added flavor. Fast, fresh, yum, and detoxifying!
21. Carrot, Cumin and Ginger Detox Soup– Here is a trio of ingredients that is sure to both cleanse the body and satisfy your taste buds. The use of both cumin and ginger in the same recipe is interesting and will provide a flavor you won’t’ soon forget. The carrots serve as the base for this soup, and aside from the beta-carotene that most of us know about, carrots are a good source of the antioxidant Vitamin A as well as a source of fiber. Cumin has long been established as having curative properties, and ginger acts as a cleansing agent in the body.

Photo: Budding Lotus Body

22. Sweet Pea and Mint Soup

Peas are often thought of as a side dish, and nothing more. But they are very nutritious, and their nutrition increases when they are paired with a cleansing herb like mint. They’re also using a good amount of ginger here, so you’re getting the astringent qualities it possesses, and also the flavor it adds to any dish. The nice part about this recipe is that it calls for frozen peas. It’s super easy to find organic peas in the frozen vegetables section of your grocery store or supermarket. Keeping a spare bag of them around is a great way to add them to meals more.

Make It Yours

One great thing about all of these recipes is that they’re highly customizable. It’s easy to stay true to your detoxing mission by adding any superfood to one of these soups. You can also take away an ingredient if you’re allergic or otherwise just don’t like it. There’s really no way to screw up a detox soup unless you add something that the body doesn’t respond well to. You can also get creative and make your own recipe using healthy ingredients you may already have in the fridge.

P.S. Take a look at the 5 veggies that boost female metabolism and burn off lower belly fat.

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