Detox lemonade base is a spring clean in a glass. You can use it three ways: for a quick cleansing morning detox to give your colon and liver a cleanse before breakfast, a meal replacement for breakfast and lunch with light dinner, or as a 3 day detox meal replacement. The addition of burdock root acts as a blood purifier, removing toxins, soothing aching joints, and also helps with skin breakouts. Ginger improves circulation, nausea, gas, and indigestion, and turmeric is a natural inflammatory treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Turmeric also detoxifies the liver, aids in fat metabolism, and weight management.  A votre sante!

Detox Lemonade

All ingredients should be organic for optimum nutritional benefits:

8 lemons,
peeled thumb size piece of fresh burdock root
peeled thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled
thumb size piece of fresh turmeric, peeled (or 1/4 tsp dry turmeric)
pinch of cayenne pepper
6-8 drops liquid stevia (a plant-based sweetener. no honey or agave)
8 ounces of filtered water for each serving

1. Using a juicer, press the burdock root, ginger root, and turmeric root. Juice the lemons, and pour the mix into a pitcher. 2. Add the stevia, and cayenne pepper to the pitcher. If you are using dry turmeric instead of fresh, stir in the powder. Pour the juice into a flask or glass bottle with a rubber stopper, shake. Chill in the fridge until serving. Lemonade base keeps for 5 days.

Yields 6 servings

Three options for the Detox Lemonde:

1. Upon waking in the the morning (before eating breakfast): Pour 1/4 cup of lemonade into a glass with 8 ounces of filtered water. Stir and drink immediately to give your digestive tract a spring clean. Wait 20 minutes before enjoying a light breakfast.

2. Light detox: Drink a serving of lemonade (1/4 cup lemonade mixed with 8 0z water) for breakfast, a serving for lunch, then have a light vegetarian dinner:  large leafy salads, fresh fruit, steamed or stir-fried vegetables, with short grain brown ice, soba noodles, tofu, or tempeh. Season dishes with gomasio, tamari or nama shoyu.

2. 3 Day Detox: For a week before a 3 day detox, eat light vegetarian meals, avoiding caffeine, sugar, and light use of dairy products. To detox:  Mix 1/4 lemonade with an 8 ounce glass of water, stir, and drink as a meal replacement as needed (3-4 8 ounce drinks a day) over 3 days. Ease back into solid food with light vegetarian fare: favoring large leafy salads, fresh fruit, steamed or stir-fried vegetables, with short grain brown ice, soba noodles, tofu, or tempeh. Season dishes with gomasio, tamari or nama

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