03 Feb Cleansing Morning Lemonade – a Superfood Elixir for first thing in the morning

Our bodies soak up a lot of water while we sleep through breathing, sweating and various metabolic functions that occur throughout the night. It is important to drink 1/2-1 litre of filtered water first thing in the morning to flush out toxins, fire up the metabolism, and provide the brain with some wake-up fuel. Room- temperature – warm water is a lot more efficient in the body than cold water, to maintain homeostasis (balance) in the body, flushing out toxins while replenishing cells.

Before anything else, let pure room temperature water be the first thing you ingest.

Following that, let me introduce a simple but powerful elixir to help cleanse and awaken. Schizandra Lemonade sets the tone for a well working system all day long – it warms the body, hydrates the system, increases digestive fire and stimulates the liver – which has over a whooping 500 functions by the way!

You may have heard of or tried consuming lemon first thing in the morning and this old trick sticks because its benefits continue to impress:

Schizandra is the special guest that provides an awesome punch to this cleansing morning lemonade.  It is known as the fruit of five flavours that gently stimulates five organs: liver, kidneys, heart, lung and spleen. My favourite aspect of schizandra is its ability to calm the nerves and clear the mind – a wonderful way to start the day. When consumed regularly, schizandra has been shown to improve vitality, slow the aging process, cleanse the liver, destroy stress, improve the condition of your skin, and will make the ride to longevity a lot smoother.
 

• 2 cups warm water (can be room temperature or simmered in the kettle)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon freeze dried schizandra berry powder
• 1/2 tablespoon honey (substitute maple syrup or stevia)

Combine the ingredients in a blender or in a quart mason jar and shake vigorously.