This tonic is packed with anti inflammatory compounds. As a bonus, I think it tastes quite tasty and fresh – a perfect start to the day!
Do you ever feel like you just need to hit the reset button on your health after a week or two of being all over the place? Though I personally don’t do well with restriction or cleanses, a good “reset” every once in a while does wonders for me.
A reset in my world is just a way to get back on the health track that makes me feel good. Simply put, I focus on the following:
- Eating real (unprocessed) food, focusing on protein and produce with healthy fats.
- Exercising (3-4 days a week is the sweet spot for me at this stage right now).
- Drinking plenty of water and taking a break from wine (you know, until Friday).
- Getting 8 hours of sleep.
- Consuming anti inflammatory “super” foods.
I know, I know, this is what many would probably describe as just a typical week of being healthy. It’s true, I’m not into extremes so simply outlining these goals helps me regain focus on habits that make me feel more energetic, less bloated, and more vitalized.
So what does this look like in practice? I snapped pictures to share!
I woke up at 5:30ish and started with 2-3 ounces of this tonic I made that is packed with anti inflammatory compounds. As a bonus, I think it tastes quite tasty and fresh- a perfect start to the day!
Ginger & Turmeric Tonic
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
Description
This tonic is packed with anti inflammatory compounds. As a bonus, I think it tastes quite tasty and fresh – a perfect start to the day!
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp raw honey
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 inches fresh turmeric, peeled
- juice from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high power blender. Blend until smooth.
- Optional: strain through cheesecloth to remove fibrous parts.
- Drink 2-3 ounces every morning on an empty stomach for a burst of anti-inflammatory compounds!
A little later, once the girls were up, I ate a real breakfast.
Sauteed peppers, onions and kale with a fried egg, half an avocado and blueberries. I also had an English breakfast tea of the side.
Then I made my way to Burn Bootcamp. You guys, I love Burn, yet I think I’ve been only 1 time over the past two weeks. I have a laundry list of excuses, but I have to put them aside. I know how important exercise is to my health and the afterglow of yesterday’s 1000 rep workout felt gooooood.
Now if I really was thinking ahead, I would have packed a snack for afterwards, but since I didn’t, I grabbed the kale, spinach and beet salad from La Patisserie while I knocked out a little computer work.
Beets, I’m trying to like you still, but you make it so hard.
And more tea. I basically drink hot tea all day long when the weather cools off.
Early afternoon I had some leftover spaghetti squash with pizza sauce and red pepper flakes before loading the girls in the stroller for a walk.
I have my fitbit back on after a brief hiatus and wanted to ensure I hit 10,000 steps while we soaked up the nice weather. Quick confession: when I know I’m going to have a week where I don’t exercise much I don’t wear it– how terrible is that?!
We stayed out later than we intended while chatting it up with some friends, but luckily dinner was in the crockpot and I set the rice cooker to be ready and waiting for us.
We had Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry. A few notes:
I liked the flavor (so did the girls!) but for me, I would have added in a few chili peppers for more spice. I did add hot sauce on my second helping and that hit the spot!
I forgot to add the kale- oops.
The sauce was a little thinner than I prefer.
I left the chicken thighs whole instead of cutting them into pieces and it fell apart really nicely at the end = time saver!
Whenever we eat rice, I try to have us eat outside because it inevitably ends up everywhere and finding the energy to clean sticky rice off the floor after the girls go to bed is sometimes just too much for a Monday.
Cute little rascals.
That’s what a health “reset” day looks for me! Back in the day I might have counted calories or macros, but now I know getting back to the basics through a little “refresh and refocus” works best for my body, mind and soul!
Do you have a go-to plan or tip that helps you feel back on track?
Christina says
ooh i love that you used coconut water!
Ashlee says
I love hearing other people’s reset plans! In the past, my reset included a whole lot of “punishing”. Restricting calories, restricting foods I love, etc… since I started counting macros 9 months ago, a reset just means get back to eating my prescribed macros! Don’t cut them to punish myself! What I’ve found is that over the course of the last few months with lots of travel and things that threw me off my routine.. I’ve maintained my weight because I just keep coming back to those macros. Works for me!
Kate says
This tonic sounds great! I love ginger as a boost to my immune system, but turmeric is becoming a new favorite lately.
Eating healthy protein is so important for my health. I really notice it when I don’t watch my protein intake – I look at you, sugar cravings! 🙂
Brynn says
I’m with you, setting an outline of goals and committing to movement helps me get back in the swing of things!
Candy says
Thanks for sharing, so many good tips in this post!
Maria says
This sounds amazing! I’ve been taking my Chinese herbs and hot lemon water each morning and it has done wonders (or maybe its all in my head), in addition to green smoothies.
My health resets always are about ADDING healthy things to my lifestyle and not taking away things deemed unhealthy. I still have Chick Fil A on a regular basis, but adding more exercise and other healthy habits has made me feel so much better. The only thing I’ve dropped is the rubbish known as Diet Coke. That was a tough one 🙂
Sarah says
Thank you. This has just helped me work out why I need to be a little more mindful about what I’m putting inside me this week. I need more sleep and less junk food and then the vicious circle of tiredness and eating rubbish will improve. Thanks!
sherry says
I think I need your reset button too. I wonder if tumeric powder and ginger in a jar would work? Having some healthy options quickly available would help me skip my pretzel and hummus fix at 5:30. Now off to work out 😉
Nadia North says
I recently read an article about the health-boosting properties of turmeric! Your tonic is most likely a healthier way to consume it rather than my plan of eating large volumes of chicken tikka masala! I love to rehydrate with coconut water – it is perfect for me after endurance running, in particular. I will definitely give this tonic a try!
★★★★★
Komal says
I made this Tonic on Monday as well, to have as a shot first thing in the morning. Made it with water, next time will do it with coconut water.
We have grown up drinking turmeric powder and milk during sick days, this will be good for an everyday thing. Also not sure if it’s placebo effect, but for the past 3 days I seem to have more energy ! 🙂
Jessica says
Have you ever used tumeric powder? I’m not able to find fresh tumeric at my local grocery store. If you have, how much would you recommend using.
Thanks!!
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Jessica- you can use turmeric powder, it just won’t have quite the potency of fresh, but will still work! If you have a local spice shop, it may be good to get it from there since it will be more fresh, but if a grocery store is your best bet, that’s fine too! Substitute 1 tsp of ground turmeric for each inch of fresh turmeric. Let me know how it works out for you! 🙂
montessoriishmom says
I finall tried this and can’t get over how good it is! I added a little cayenne too. I like this so much better than the hot turmeric tonics I’ve tried, thanks for the great recipe!!
Brittany Dixon says
I LOVE the idea of adding cayenne! I add a little ground black pepper on top when I drink it to aid in absorption – I wonder in cayenne helps in the same way? Thanks for the suggestion!
Jill says
Hi Brittany! WHere do you find your fresh tumeric? I can’t find it in local stores. Are there any websites you would trust? Amazon? Also, would tumeric powder be acceptable?
Brittany Dixon says
I get mine at Whole Foods usually, but have also seen it at Publix. You could use powdered if you can’t find fresh. I would trust Amazon, but would look to see how much you would have to buy for them to ship it. It may be hard to use a large amount before it goes bad! Also, ask your grocery store. I’ve had a few stores be able to order something in for me if they didn’t have what I was looking for!