Ginger-Lemon Adrenal Breakfast Tonic + Turmeric

You’ve likely tried warm lemon water in the morning but you’ve likely never tried it quite like this…

I am a simple man and live a minimalistic life; however, I do small things with big love. Warm lemon water is fantastic because it’s simple and comes fully loaded with an array of health benefits:

• Cleanses the liver
• Detoxifies
• Purifies and beautifies the skin
• Stimulates healthy digestion
• Hydrates the cells
• Provides nourishment for the adrenals
• Energizes without stimulating
• Tastes wonderful

These are all great reasons to start your day off with warm lemon water. Because of my creative, alchemy nature I have taken this simple breakfast tonic and turned it into something majestical.

The good news is the recipe is still very simple. With just a few added ingredients you can have a drink that is truly medicinal and healing. I add only 4 ingredients that take this drink from healthy nourishment to holistic medicine.

If you’re like me and strive for optimal living then this recipe twist might be exactly what you’re looking for to start off your day with inspiration.

Ginger-Lemon-Turmeric Tonic

Here are the ingredients I add to my warm lemon water to take it from great to optimal and why:

1. Ginger- Nature’s all-for-one miracle food; a natural aphrodisiac, immune builder, pain killer and hands down the best digestive aid in town. If you have an ailment, ginger will work to resolve it. Because all disease and all health is manufactured in the gut and mind, ginger is one of the most medicinal foods nature has to offer. There is a phenomenon known as the gut-brain axis, which simply is the correlation between your digestive system and the effects it has on your mentality. To understand this, think of a time of anxiety—most likely you have butterflies in the stomach. Another example of this phenomenon is during stress, when your stomach is tied in knots. This shows you how our minds and the mental states we create affect our digestive health. In contrast, eating poor foods can cause poor mental and emotional states. How this happens is through the neurotransmitters that control our brain. These chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin, are manufactured a great deal in our stomach. Up to 95% of our serotonin is created in the gut. Because of the calming affects ginger has on the stomach, it can work holistically to calm the mind and rest of the body. If you take care of your gut, you will experience overall health. And ginger is one of the kings of good gut health. Ginger has been used as a digestive tonic for centuries. It has been taken internally for appetite issues, stomach upsets, constipation, diarrhea, colic, gas, bloating, and more. The powerful antioxidants gingerols, shogaols, and zingerones found in ginger have powerful antibacterial and antimicrobial properties making it so effective in healing the digestive system.
2. Turmeric- Turmeric is a member of the ginger family; therefore, by genetics we can trust it is a true super food. Turmeric is actually an incredible source of vitamins and minerals like iron, manganese, potassium, vitamin B6, and even vitamin C. Curcumin is the phytochemical found in turmeric that has been associated with its very strong antioxidant properties. Countless studies and evidence shows that high doses of curcumin are effective in fighting cancer and reducing inflammation — many studies show that curcumin is more effective than any medical drug for combating inflammation. Traditionally and today turmeric can be used for intestinal issues, parasites, bacterial and yeast overgrowths, liver detoxification, ulcers and purifying the blood. A shot of fresh turmeric juice improves digestion immediately by increasing the release of bile and production of stomach acid. Turmeric has been proven to reduce many types of cancer and even work as a natural skin care agent. A paste of turmeric applied to the skin is used by women in India to whiten and purify their skin just before marriage. Like ginger, there really isn’t anything turmeric isn’t good for. It is a holistic, natural medicine that should be in everyone’s kitchen.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar- This medicinal vinegar has been used in a number of surprising ways, including:
   • Relief from heartburn and arthritis
   • To lower blood pressure and cholesterol
   • To aid digestion
   • To treat ear infections
   • To treat yeast infections (candida).
   • Relief for rashes, sunburn and jellyfish stings
   • To clean the house, polish glass and make laundry look brighter
   • To promote weight loss
   • Skin detoxification

   The use of vinegar is not just a folk remedy…vinegar has medicinal properties as well. Research has shown that vinegar can help people with type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance (not diabetic, but high risk) by improving insulin sensitivity. In the study, vinegar was just as effective as drugs (metformin and acarbose) used to treat diabetes. Vinegar may be one of your most useful natural health remedies…if you’re using the right vinegar.

4. Raw Sea Salt- Not all “sea salt” is created equally. Most of the sea salt found in stores is high-heated and essentially dead — lacking any vital trace minerals aside from sodium. Granted it is a step above refined table salt, it’s incomparable to real sea salt. Real salt is full of minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, zinc and over 60 other trace minerals.  It is essential for proper body function.  Salt prevents dehydration, supports brain and nervous system function, and helps with the absorption of potassium.  In the body, salt is as important to humans as water or air. In fact, each of us contain from four to eight ounces of salt. Salt helps maintain the normal volume of blood in the body and also helps keep the correct balance of water in and around the cells and tissues (proper electrolyte balance). Salt is essential in the production of HCL (stomach acid). It is also necessary for the formation and proper function of nerve fibers, which carry impulses to and from the brain, and plays an important part in the digestion of food and is essential in making the heart beat correctly. The sodium found in salt is an essential nutrient. Sodium, together with calcium, magnesium and potassium, helps regulate the body’s metabolism. In combination with potassium, it regulates the acid-alkaline balance in our blood and is also necessary for proper muscle functioning. When we don’t get enough sodium chloride, we experience muscle cramps, dizziness, exhaustion and, in extreme cases, convulsions and death. In conclusion, salt is essential to our well being.

Hopefully you need no further explanation as to why these real food ingredients are so essential to consume. On to the recipe…

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 cup of warm spring water (I use one of these fancy, convenient water kettles that boil water in seconds!)
• 1 tbsp Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 lemon
• 1 inch grated ginger
• 1 tbsp organic Turmeric Powder
• 1 pinch of REAL Sea Salt
• Stevia to sweeten *optional

Here’s how you make it:

1. Warm 1 cup of spring water in kettle (I don’t like to boil it as it gets too hot, so I stop it just before a boil. This way it doesn’t heat the ingredients too hot either and destroy enzymes).
2. Grate fresh ginger (1 inch) onto plate.
3. Cut and juice 1 lemon.
4. When water is done boiling – take the grated ginger in hand and squeeze it over a mesh strainer into the warm water. This is much more effective than any juicer, as it squeezes the ginger dry getting the most juice and is even quicker than running an masticating juicer and having to clean it.
5. Squeeze lemon into water through strainer to avoid getting seeds into the water.
6. Add ACV, a pinch of sea salt then a few drops of stevia to taste if you’d like.
7. Stir everything together with a spoon or whisk and enjoy on an empty stomach first thing in the morning for a hydrating, energizing medicinal drink!

What are some of your favorite breakfast drinks? I’d love to hear and give them a try!