Recipe Collection: Morning Detox Drink

Written by Kate Tietje

This is a drink I’ve begun making in the last couple of weeks.  I’ve been looking for a gentle detox drink that will also help to build me up in preparation for my new baby’s arrival.  I’ll continue this for months after, too.

Of course, this is good at other times, as well, because it is gentle and easy to drink.  Each ingredient has been chosen specifically for the benefits that it offers.  It’s a nourishing drink that is an excellent way to start your day.  I have done versions of this and always noticed benefits to it.

I’ll explain!

About the Ingredients

This drink contains four simple ingredients.  Each is important.

Cranberry Juice

Pure, unsweetened (preferably organic) cranberry juice benefits the kidneys, urinary tract, and lymphatic systems.  It’s important to choose cranberry over other types of juice because of its benefits.  I wanted something to support these systems in particular, but I wanted a gentle herb safe for pregnant and nursing women.

The lymphatic system is what causes you to detox.  The system of fluids runs through your body and carries waste out.  If the system is blocked, you may get sick more and feel tired and sore (or worse, over time).  Cranberry binds with the fatty fluids in the lymph and helps to get rid of it.  Of course, not many people like pure cranberry juice…keep reading.

Collagen Peptides

This is one of my favorite ingredients.  Collagen peptides (a form of gelatin) benefit skin, hair, digestion, muscles, and more.  It soothes the digestive system, promoting detox (think like the gelatin in homemade stock, only this is easier for many).

It promotes the production of collagen, which improves skin and hair and may reduce the appearance of cellulite.  Plus, the amino acids in the collagen peptides help to build muscles.  (We easily get the amino acids in muscle meats, but we miss out on those  in organ meats and gelatin, and we really need them all for adequate muscle building and repair.)

For women during and after childbirth, this can help tighten things “down there” and make pushing more effective.  I have noticed this effect as I’ve used collagen peptides on and off for two years!  It also helps strengthen legs, arms, and abs (and many women need help with abs after birth).  This is an important ingredient for me.

Raw Honey

Pure cranberry juice is pretty low in sugar.  One of the lowest-sugar fruits, actually.  A small spoonful of raw honey helps to make the drink more palatable and provides healthy sugars, antiviral and antibacterial activity, and more.

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, local raw honey may even help with those.  If you don’t prefer this or struggle more with cranberry juice, you can also use some unfiltered apple juice, which benefits the gallbladder.

Sea salt

Salt is an electrolyte that helps the adrenals.  A lot of people need help with this because of long-term burnout.  Stress, low magnesium levels, digestive issues, etc., can lead to adrenal fatigue.  A pinch of sea salt helps to bring important trace minerals to the adrenals, helping to re-balance hormones.

This drink is simple to make, too!

Morning Detox Drink

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened organic cranberry juice
• 3 scoops collagen peptides (I like the brand Live Conscious)
• 1 – 2 tsp. raw honey
• 1 cup filtered water. warm
• Pinch sea salt

Directions:

Step 1: Blend the cranberry juice and collagen peptides in a mug.

Step 2: Heat the water until warm.  It does not need to boil.  Stir it in the cranberry juice.  (This helps the honey and collagen peptides dissolve.)

Step 3: Add the honey and sea salt and stir together.

That’s it!  Drink.  I also add my prenatal tincture to the drink at this time.  (It’s a good vehicle for liquid supplements since it’s strongly flavored.)  I also use it to take my liver pills.  Remember I said we need a balance between gelatin, organs, and muscle meats?  The liver pills help with that.

Being warm actually helps too — promotes better digestion than ice-cold would.

Follow this with a healthy breakfast and plenty of water.  You need water to help remove all the “junk” that knocks loose!  I definitely feel thirstier when I drink this.

Taking a bath with Epsom salts sometimes is also a good thing to do since it helps get magnesium and helps with detox.

But this drink is an excellent start.  (Yes, all of these suggestions are gentle enough for pregnancy and nursing but be careful with the cranberry juice while nursing — since it dumps a lot into your lymphatic system, which can get into your milk.  I would do less cranberry or do the drink every 2 – 3 days instead of daily.)

Do you do any morning detox drinks?