Summer break is less than two weeks away and for many college kids, that means they are also two weeks away from the beach, lake or anywhere else that considers a swimsuit, shorts and a tank top “appropriate attire.” With summer comes 100-degree temperatures, sunburns and the need to rehydrate more often.
If you are like me though, you can only drink so much water before you become bored with it. You need something different, but you want something that still benefits you and is helping you stay hydrated throughout the scorching summer heat. Well, thanks to Pinterest, water detox plans and recipes are everywhere. They claim to help you detox and to shed the pounds quickly. But we all know that Pinterest is not the most reliable source ever (i.e., pinterestfail.com).
That’s why I have composed two different water detox recipes and have already done the research for you.
The first water recipe I found was for Jillian Michaels’ detox water. We all know her for her ridiculous work out routines on the “Biggest Loser,” but let’s be honest. We don’t want to work out to the point that we spend the summer making ourselves sick and so sore that we can’t get out of bed. Drinking a couple of glasses of water sounds a lot more doable.
Ingredients:
60 oz. distilled water
1 tbs. 100 percent pure cranberry juice (no sugar added, non cocktail)
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 dandelion root tea bag
Directions: Combine water and juices in a pitcher and add tea bag. Drink the water throughout the day, allowing the tea bag to remain in the pitcher. Drink one entire pitcher each day for seven days. According to the recipe, you are supposed to lose up to five pounds within a week.
The problem with this idea, though, is that all you are doing is losing excess water weight, which you will quickly gain back.
The next recipe is a bit more promising though. While it tastes horrible, it works. This recipe has multiple names, but is probably most commonly known as the Lemonade Cleanse.
Ingredients:
2 tbs. of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs. of pure maple syrup
1/10 tsp. of cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients in eight ounces of purified water. It is recommend that you drink six to eight glasses of this lemonade drink and eat nothing each day of your cleanse, but this should be overseen by a physician.
I have personally known people who have tried the Lemonade Cleanse and swear by it. Unlike Jillian Michael’s detox, the ascorbic acid in the lemon juice is supposed to help cleanse the body of toxins.
According to livestrong.com, lemons not only contain a high amount of Vitamin C, but they are also high in antioxidants and act as a tonic to the liver. The website also said that some people have reported that mixing lemon juice with coffee was beneficial in relieving headaches. Who knew?
