Staying hydrated throughout the day is vital for good health. Yet most people are always dehydrated. Your best bet to stay hydrated is to keep drinking a glass of water every hour during the day.In addition to get more health benefits you can add some other natural ingredients to your water to make a detox water.
Generally to make a detox water drink fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs are added to water to and let them soak in the water for at-least a couple of hours before drinking it.
We are going to add cucumber, lemon and mint to this preparation of detox water for better digestion.
You can add one or more items to your water depending on what you want to achieve from that detox water.
The most important elements for digestion are water and fiber and cucumber is high in both water and fiber which not only help in digestion but in better bowel movement also. The skins of cucumber contain insoluble fiber which adds bulk to the stools so that the food can move quickly for healthy and trouble free quick elimination.
Cucumbers also have additional health benefits such as reducing the risks of breast, uterine, ovarian and prostate cancers.
It stops inflammation and improves brain health.
Lemon rich in vitamin c also helps in digestion but in a very different way than the cucumber. This additional capability further improves bowel movement. The citric acid in lemon interacts with different enzymes in your body to stimulate the secretion of gastric juices.
In fact the citric acid in lemon has a very similar atomic structure as the digestive juices found in your stomach. So lemon adds extra power to stop indigestion and upset stomach.
The third element mint also contributes to digestion in a very different way as compared to the other two elements cucumber and lemon.
Mint is a great appetizer and palate cleanser to promote digestion. Mint gives calming and soothing effect on the indigestion or inflammation of the stomach causing gases, bloating and other digestion problems.
Mint encourages bile secretion and this increased bile flow helps to speed up the digestion process.
How to Prepare Cucumber, Lemon and Mint Detox Water?
First prepare the cucumber, lemon and mint before adding to the water.
For a pitch of water you will need the following
- 1 pitcher of Iced water
- 1/2 Cucumber cut in thin slices
- 1 thinly sliced lemon
- 10 mint leaves
Add slices of cucumber, lemon and mint leaves in the iced water and store it in the refrigerator for 2 hours at least.
Stir it well before taking a glass of water to slowly sip. Drink 2 glasses of this detox water and also drink plain water 6 - 8 glasses after interval for one hour each to maintain your digestive system functioning well as well as stay hydrated for the overall health benefits.