First of all I want to say that this is my first ever recipe posted, so I decided to start with an easy one, a homemade healthy lemonade. I have been obsessed with cooking since I was very young and when I was about 6, I was convinced I would be the youngest cook and cookbook author on the market. Obviously that didn’t happen (I also failed at my mission to go on Ainsley Harriet‘s cooking show for kids). I have been “writing” my own recipes since I can remember, so it’s about time that I look at how I can post them. So here it goes, I hope you like them and please let me know if you ever try any of them.
I’m not the best water-drinker and therefore I decided there should be a way to improve my water intake during the past summer. I love grapefruit juice and so I created a hydrating grapefruit based lemonade that contains only ingredients that are good for you.
Ingredients
– Juice of 1 grapefruit
– 5 or so slices of fresh ginger
– Small handfull of mint leaves
– 1 slice of watermelon, cubed
– Plain or sparkling water
Start out by bruising the mint before putting it in the glass. This will release its flavors. Add the slices of ginger and the grapefruit juice. Stir a bit and fill up the rest of your glass or pitcher with sparking water. It’s really up to you which ration grapefruit juice – water you use. It all depends on flavor. After one last stir, add in the watermelon and enjoy.
So why add these specific ingredients?
Watermelon is known for containing a lot of water, which is perfect to hydrate you on a warm day. It helps to flush out the toxins in your body and especially in your liver. You can also replace the watermelon with cucumber as it has a lot of the same beneficial elements. Mint is a perfect herb to aid in digestion, reducing inflammation and helping with indigestion. Next to that it adds freshness to your drink and stimulates the amount of fat that is burned in your body. Another anti-inflammatory herb in this drink is Ginger. Ginger has been used in medicinal drinks and herbal remedies for decades because it had so many benefits. It stimulates blood circulation (which is great for cell renewal), is known to help with nausea or to get rid of a beginning cold. Last but not least, grapefruit will also help the body in getting rid of toxins. It is full of antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber. So all and all this is a great drink for both summer and winter.
// Sources/ Everyday Roots / Organic Facts / Herb Wisdom / Livestrong //