Detox Drinks for the Body & Weight Loss You Will Love

There is no need to buy expensive commercial beverages to get rid of toxins and other harmful substances: our homemade detox drinks for the body & weight loss are easy to make and safe to use. To prepare them, you will only need well-known and affordable ingredients, and there are plenty of recipes to choose from. Whether you prefer hot teas or enjoy cold refreshing beverages, there is bound to be a recipe you will absolutely love.

What Are Detox Drinks?

Detox drinks are beverages that are consumed to help eliminate toxins from the body. They often contain ingredients like lemon, ginger, cucumber, mint, and green tea, as well as other fruits, vegetables, and herbs, which are believed to have cleansing properties. 

The idea behind detox drinks is that they can help to flush out harmful substances, improve digestion, boost energy levels, and support overall health and wellness.

Detox Drinks: Benefits for the Health

There is still an ongoing debate about whether detox drinks really work. 

Commercial detox drinks usually draw criticism because their manufacturers often make dubious claims about their effects on the body; what’s more, a lot of ingredients mentioned on the labels of such drinks are only present in minuscule quantities. It is also very rarely explained what specific toxins can be removed using commercial detox drinks and what are the mechanisms of their action. All too often words like ‘detox’ on the labels of commercial beverages are nothing but a marketing gimmick.

On the other hand, homemade detox drinks have the important advantage of using safe and time-tested ingredients. You can easily control the quantity of each ingredient and not use the ones you know you are allergic to. These beverages are meant to be consumed fresh and contain no artificial preservatives and colors.

How Do Homemade Detox Drinks Work

There is really nothing fancy about homemade detox drinks. As the best possible substance for your body’s detoxification is water, one of the goals of these beverages is to have a really nice mild taste so that you drink them with pleasure and stay well-hydrated during the day.

What’s more, numerous recipes for detox drinks offer high quantities of dietary fiber, which in combination with water makes your stool heavier and bulkier and therefore promotes regular bowel movements. Dietary fiber also provides food for the good bacteria in your gut, which is essential for your intestinal health as well as getting rid of potentially harmful substances.

Another idea behind detox drinks is that they help your body get all vitamins and dietary minerals it needs in their most bioavailable forms. These beverages often contain bioactive compounds like flavonoids that help boost your immunity and reduce inflammation. Detox drinks can also help speed up your metabolism, which is essential for your body’s energy and mental alertness as well as weight loss. 

DIY Detox Drinks for Weight Loss

There is really no magic bullet for losing weight. Most homemade detox drinks can help you feel a bit more energetic so that it gets easier for you to burn more calories; still, it is crucial that you follow a healthy diet and not overindulge in unhealthy foods. 

Homemade beverages are an ideal choice if you need to lose only a few pounds or simply want to maintain your current weight. On the other hand, they might not be enough if you need to lose a lot of weight in a short time: to achieve this goal you need to follow instructions from an experienced health practitioner who can help you limit your caloric intake both efficiently and safely.

Most Often Used Detox Drink Ingredients

While there are numerous ingredients that can be used for your homemade detox drinks, these ones proved to be the most popular and cause very few (if any) side effects:

• Cucumbers — rich in such potent antioxidant compounds as flavonoids and tannins, stimulate urination (essential for flushing out bodily toxins), and are pretty low in calories;
• Watermelons — contain vitamin C and are extremely rich in lycopene, a carotenoid that is known for its antioxidant properties; they were demonstrated to reduce the risks of several types of cancer, suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, remove low-density (‘bad’) cholesterol from circulation, and protects eyesight by delaying the onset of age-related macular degeneration;

• Lemons — rich in vitamin C (a potent antioxidant, essential for skin health, boosts immunity, facilitates iron absorption, and is critically important for collagen synthesis). What’s more, lemons contain high amounts of citric acid, which was shown to prevent the formation of kidney stones and improve bone health;
• Limes — almost equal to lemons in their citric acid content, offer significant quantities of vitamin C;
• Grapefruits — another good source of vitamin C and citric acid, which also contains nootkatone, a complex compound that stimulates metabolism and can help speed up weight loss;
• Raspberries — extremely rich in vitamin C and manganese (essential for bone formation and protection of cells from free radicals). These berries are also one of the better sources of dietary fiber and contain vast amounts of such important bioactive compounds as anthocyanins, carotenoids, catechins, cyanidin, and quercetin;
• Strawberries — just like raspberries, strawberries are an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C and one of the better ways to get extreme amounts of anthocyanins and other polyphenols.
• Mint — all cultivars that belong to the very large mint family are incredibly rich in menthol and similar organic compounds that can help reduce indigestion and colonic spasms as well as produce a mild calming effect on the nervous system. As menthol is effective against numerous types of bacteria, it can also be used to support oral health.

• Ginger — effective against nausea, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, can be used for treating indigestion, and reduces menstrual pain. It was also demonstrated that ginger could help noticeably reduce body weight.
• Rosemary — was found to promote cognitive health and reduce anxiety and is rich in such antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds as rosmarinic and carnosic acids. What’s more, rosemary is believed to support intestinal health by reducing inflammation and protecting good bacteria.
• Dandelions — high in potassium and have well-known diuretic (i.e., promoting the production of urine) properties. The roasted root of dandelion can be used instead of coffee if you want to bring down your caffeine intake;
• Apple cider vinegar — was demonstrated to reduce blood pressure and decrease the glycemic index of various foods (can be very important if you suffer from diabetes);
• Aloe vera gel — this plant has a well-known laxative effect and can be used for improving symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease.

Best Detox Drinks for Weight Loss: Homemade Recipes

The best thing about the recipes of homemade detox drinks is that you can freely alter them according to your individual preferences and tastes. All you need to prepare these beverages is to mix water (350 milliliters or 12 fl oz) with certain combinations of ingredients and place the pitcher in the refrigerator for 3 or more hours. Detox recipes usually taste best when served with ice to keep them cool. Here are the combinations you can try:

• Mint leaves (a handful) + cubed watermelon (2 cups) + lime (1 or 2 wedges)
• Cucumber (sliced) + lemon (1 or 2 wedges)
• Juice squeezed from 1 lemon + cayenne pepper (eighth of a teaspoon) + finely chopped strawberries (5 or 6 of them)
• Sliced strawberries (1 cup) + cubed watermelon (2 cups) + fresh rosemary (2 sprigs)
• Juice squeezed from ½ a lemon + cinnamon (1 teaspoon) + apple cider vinegar (2 tablespoons) + thinly sliced ½ an apple
• Aloe vera gel (3 tablespoons) + juice squeezed from 1 lemon
• Juice squeezed from ½ a lemon + grated fresh ginger root (½ an inch or about 1 cm)

If you prefer to start your mornings with a hot drink, here is a very simple detox mint tea + lemon juice recipe for weight loss. Just add a few sprigs of mint to a cup of boiling water (240 ml or 8 fl oz), let the beverage cool, and squeeze one or two lemon wedges into the tea (vitamin C breaks down quickly at high temperatures, so avoid adding it to boiling water). 

Another delicious morning detox drink for weight loss is made using fresh ginger root: cut about ½ an inch of it and boil for about 10 minutes in 12 fl oz (350 milliliters) of water.

Detox Drinks: An FAQ

In this section you will find the answers to the most common questions about detox drinks.

Do Detox Drinks Really Work?

The effectiveness of detox drinks is a subject of debate. While some people may experience positive results from consuming them, there is limited scientific evidence to support the claims that these drinks can effectively remove toxins from the body.

This is especially true for commercial beverages, which can contain very low amounts of detoxification ingredients. A 2014 study points out that the actual effectiveness of various commercial detox diets is very rarely tested on humans, and claims about their alleged health benefits are very often based on animal studies only. 

The human body is designed to naturally remove toxins through the liver, kidneys, and digestive system. Drinking plenty of water and eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can support this process. Thus, it is recommended that you make your own detox drinks for general health and weight loss using sufficient quantities of well-known and safe ingredients.

What to Eat While Detoxing?

While detoxing, it is recommended to eat nutrient-dense foods that support your body’s liver function and elimination of toxins. This includes:

• Lean protein: chicken, fish, legumes
• Healthy fats: avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil
• Whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, millet
• Fruits and vegetables: leafy greens, berries, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower
• Herbs and spices: ginger, turmeric, garlic, cumin
• Plenty of clean water to stay well-hydrated

The best thing about this type of diet is that it is safe and recommended by most health practitioners. Whether you want to get rid of toxins or simply take care of your general health and watch your waistline, you can safely follow this diet all your life.

What Foods to Avoid While Detoxing?

While detoxing, it’s recommended that you avoid the following foods:

• Processed and junk foods
• Added sugars and artificial sweeteners
• Refined carbohydrates like white bread and pasta
• Fried foods
• Alcohol and caffeinated beverages
• Red meat and dairy products
• Gluten
• Hydrogenated oils and margarine

All these foods can increase the toxic load on the liver and interfere with the detoxification process. What’s more, as it was said above, to take care of your body’s general health and achieve permanent weight loss, it is recommended that you consciously limit your use of these foods all your life.

How Often Should You Drink Detox Drinks?

The exact answer depends on what kinds of drinks you use and what is the purpose of using them.

If you use homemade drinks with well-known and time-tested ingredients like those described above, you can safely have three or four of them every day for an indefinite period of time. This is also true if you only want to lose only two or three pounds and don’t need to severely restrict your daily caloric intake.

If, on the other hand, you use detox drinks as a part of a weight loss program, you need to discuss this matter with a healthcare professional to ensure that this program is safe and appropriate for you. This is especially true if you want to lose weight while having such health conditions as diabetes, kidney disease, or heart disease. Here are the questions that only an experienced doctor can give the answers to:

• As underlined by health experts, to achieve the rapid weight loss you need to noticeably limit your daily caloric intake. You need to know the exact number of calories that, while being low, is still safe for your body;
• Your weight loss program should not lead to irritability and fatigue, and it is important that your body get enough minerals and vitamins;
• Your detox drinks should only contain ingredients that are safe for your condition;
• While you need to do enough exercise to burn more calories and speed up weight loss, it is important that you avoid overexertion.

Hope you’ve found detox drinks for the body & weight loss that you want to taste day after day. Still, even the healthiest drink will have no effect if you do not follow a balanced diet and neglect to exercise regularly: it is important that you take care of your body in a methodical way.