Editor’s Note: Were you one of the lucky few who enjoyed the holidays without getting sick? Lots of people I spoke to spent it in bed nursing themselves back to health. Be prepared for the cold season with today’s post as guest blogger, Jakob Barry, shares a home remedy with us.

With the arrival of winter comes the return of the common cold. It’s not like you can’t catch a cold during any other season but there’s something about wintertime that draws attention to viral infections. Colder weather can also bring increased moisture which lays the groundwork for mold and mildew sensitivities but reducing household allergens is one thing; dealing with an uncomfortable stuffy nose is another.

That’s where the simple home remedy of honey, lemon and ginger tea comes in.

Aside from over the counter drugs that cause drowsiness and dehydration, the main thing doctors generally prescribe for cold-like symptoms is drinking lots of fluids. The combination of honey, lemon and ginger boosts the immune system, hydrates and provides that extra energy to fulfill your daily responsibilities.

Looking at each, their individual health benefits include the following:

• Honey. For several thousand years people have been using honey for ailments including coughs and sore throats. A natural energy booster, it improves the digestive system, fights disease, kills certain bacteria that cause infection and, in many cases, using local honey helps avert local pollen allergies.
• Lemon. It’s high in vitamin C, an antioxidant and used in the following: treatment of throat infections and indigestion, to strengthen the immune system, to purify blood and it reduces body temperature, which is why lemonade keeps you cool on a hot day.
• Ginger. It aids the following: unsettled stomachs, minimizes the symptoms of respiratory conditions, colds and allergies. Often included in many herbal decongestants it also helps with nausea, circulation and arthritis. Ginger has long been used as a natural treatment for colds and the flu.

In essence, combining the three provides instant relief to a person suffering from symptoms associated with colds and allergies. And though store bought tea bags may be available and are helpful, they are no substitute for the real thing so here’s how to make it:

1. Prepare a mug. I like to use a large one that fills two cups.
2. The honey: Scoop out a tablespoon and place it in the mug.
3. The lemon: Take half a lemon and squeeze it getting as much of the juice out as possible. Pour the juice in the mug. Feel free to toss in the leftover lemon skin but make sure you wash it well. Ideally you want to use organic lemons when using the skin.
4. The ginger: Cut a small chunk off the main piece about three quarters of an inch. Peel and mince it. If you buy organic you can leave the skin on. When finished put it in the mug.
5. Boil water and pour it in the mug.
6. Stir and let it sit for a few minutes.
7. Take a sip and see what you think. If it tastes too lemony, add honey. If you can’t taste the ginger, add more. Using powdered ginger is also an option. Remember: The amount of each ingredient depends on how strong you want and need the potion. The most important thing is to get a balance that is good for you.

Experiment and feel great!

About the Author

Jakob Barry writes for Networx.com, a growing community of users sharing home improvement projects and monitoring new ones in real time allowing homeowners and contractors to get the most from their resources. He covers various home improvement topics, including green lighting ideas, electrical accidents and home safety awareness.

Mmm… I’m (almost) looking forward to getting sick now! lol Here are some more natural cold remedies for you to check out. Do you have any home remedies for colds and flus that you’d like to share with us?

Editor’s note: Planning to give your health nut a blender this year? Then you’ll love this guest post from Frank at BlenderBenefits.com.

Since all of the detox drink recipes on Live Lighter depend on maximizing the nutrients one can consume from each plant, it is important to use a blender able to retain as much nutrients as possible during the blending process. Better yet, if you use a blender that actually makes it easier for your body to assimilate the nutritious goodness found in fruits and vegetables, then you’re made in the shade.

Luckily, there are a couple of powerful blending options available to properly blend detox drink recipes and maximize their nutritional value.

You may have seen the very viral video series “Will it Blend?” starring the Blendtec blender. If you’ve seen any of them, you’ll know this blender is one of the most powerful kitchen appliances available (it turned an iPhone into iDust.) [Click here to read Frank's Blendtec post on his Blender blog.]

Although intimidating, it does a tremendous job blending anything you want to add to your concoctions. Harder ingredients like flax seed, nuts and kale, are easily handled by a Blendtec blender and unlike cheaper blenders, blending ice is a breeze.  Recipes like the Ginger Root Boost, will come out smooth and consistent even though you are blending tougher/drier items like ginger root.

The Blendtec blender is renowned in raw foodist circles due to the beneficial health benefits it can provide. High powered blenders like this and the Vita-Mix Blender [read Frank's article here] actually rupture plant cell walls, making it easier for to assimilate the plant’s natural nutrients.

The Blendtec blender is definitely more expensive than other blenders, but the added benefits are worth it. It is the best blender to own if you plan on blending regularly, as it has a very customer friendly 3 year warranty.

For these reasons, the Blendtec Blender is the perfect choice to blend Live Lighter’s detox drink recipes.

Until next time – stay healthy and keep blending!

Visit BlenderBenefits.com to learn how blenders can benefit your life through thoughtful blender reviews and scrumptious blender recipes, and join the community by submitting your own reviews and/or recipes!

Although it might not be everyone’s favourite past-time, cleaning is essential to living a lighter and happier life. This includes cleaning your body from the inside-out with refreshing water. But how about something tastier?

The following cleansing drink recipe was inspired by an aloe vera, lemon and maple syrup recipe I found in the Feb/Mar 2009 Healthy Directions magazine:

POM-Aloe Cleansing Drink Recipe

Ingredients

16 oz. filtered or reverse osmosis water
1 oz. aloe vera juice
1/4 lemon slice
pinch of high trace mineral sea salt
1 oz. POM Wonderful pomegranate juice (read our product review)

Directions

1. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the water.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Shake vigorously and enjoy!

Tell us how you enjoyed this cleansing detox drink!

Now that the nicer weather is here, many people will be spring cleaning their bodies and minds with a detox diet or juice fast. If you’ve tried either, you’ll know the importance of nutritional support and liquids.

If you’re new to detoxing, nutritional support is done through diet, supplements and herbs, and is used to stimulate the body to release toxins and heal itself. Liquids provide additional nutrients for nourishment and flush toxins as they are released so they do as little damage as possible on the way out.

This post aims to mash the two together so that you have a list of nutritionally-supportive liquids to choose from on your detox. Besides 8 glasses of plain, filtered water per day, here are some other options to consider:

1. Lemon water (cold or warm). As we found out last week, lemons are a super fruit. Among their many benefits, they cleanse the bloodstream and detoxify and neutralize the system.
2. Master Cleanse Recipe. Warm lemon water with a little cleansing cayenne pepper and sweetened with mineral-rich organic maple syrup. How can you go wrong?
3. Detox tea. Triple Leaf Tea makes their detox tea with over 20 potent Chinese purification herbs, including red clover, burdock and licorice (which all have detoxifying effects and help heal organs).
   
4. Peppermint tea. For it’s calming and strengthening effects on the nerves, and help with indigestion, nausea and gas. It also restores balance of the colon and promotes healing.
5. Milk thistle tea. Protects and rejuvenates the liver and cleanses the bloodstream.
6. Dandelion tea. Also protects and rejuvenates the liver and cleanses the bloodstream.
7. Ginger tea. Ginger facilitates detoxing through perspiration and soothes stomach irritation occasionally experienced when using cayenne pepper.
8. Fresh apple juice. High in anti-oxidants and nutrients, apples have many health benefits. They also flush the liver and kidneys.
9. Fresh pineapple juice. Pineapple‘s enzyme breaks down protein (which is congesting), benefits intestinal troubles and is high in manganese and vitamins C and B1.
10. Fresh papaya juice. Like pineapple, papaya also helps digestion.
11. Aloe Vera juice. The texture of this pulpy, sweet juice is a little disconcerting at first but it restores balance of the colon and promotes healing by reducing inflammation.
12. Raw cabbage juice. Cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C. It also contains significant amounts of glutamine, an amino acid, which has anti-inflammatory properties. It’s good for ulcers, cancer and all colon problems.
13. Fresh carrot juice. High in Vitamin A, antioxidants and minerals, carrots are also known to treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites and constipation.
14. Fresh beet juice. Make your beet juice with both roots and greens and you’ll heal your liver, balance cholesterol and lower blood pressure
15. Green drinks. Between the nutrients, chlorophyll and phytochemicals, any green drink makes an excellent detoxifier.
16. Psyllium fiber and water or juice. Mix the natural fiber supplement in liquid of choice and drink it immediately as it thickens quickly. It will absorb any excess water while stimulating normal bowel function.
17. Organic herbal laxative. I use Traditional Medicinals but only when necessary. Constipation can occur while detoxing, especially when juice fasting.

Hopefully you’ll find a few of these detox drinks that you’ll like and use on your detox.

A couple of tips:

• Professionals suggest to drink fruit juices in the morning to give your body time to burn the sugar off before bed and the veggies juices at night.
• I also cut my fruit juices with water in attempt to avoid a spike in blood sugar levels.

Can you add any detox drinks to the list?

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Happy Gobble Gobble Day, Canadian Live Lighter Readers! It’s a blessedly beautiful weekend up here in Canada, thanks to the Powers That Be. I hope you’ve all enjoyed lots of sun and good, soulful, loving food with friends and family. If you’re like me, then you celebrated LARGE and had all sorts of yummy foods not included in your healthy living plan.

This post will be very helpful to anyone who’s indulged too much this weekend. To recap on some of the substances that put a strain on our systems, Dr. Elson M Haas reminds us in “Staying Healthy through the Seasons” to:

Be careful with fried foods, processed and chemical foods, and drugs of all kinds, especially alcohol, or too much caffeine, as all these can be pollutants with which the liver must deal.”

But of course, “everything in moderation, including moderation.” I think this is why we have holidays: they are the perfect time, considering they are usually very social, to go a little crazy and stress your system a bit. “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger,” right? And I stressed my system wonderfully this weekend!

For these celebratory times, Dr. Haas has thoughtfully included a cleansing “Liver Flush” tonic recipe in his book. He suggests drinking it first thing in the morning. It’s very strong but surprisingly creamy and tasty, and I’ve tried (and liked!) both versions:

Liver Flush

Ingredients

1-2 lemons
1 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
2 cloves garlic (or 1 small slice ginger, peeled)
4 oz warm spring water

Directions

1. boil water (if not spring water) and let stand 10-15 minutes
2. squeeze lemon(s) into blender (use some seeds and pulp, too)
3. add oil
4. add garlic cloves, or substitute it with ginger if it’s too strong for you
5. Add warm water and blend
6. Enjoy!

Dr. Haas also suggests that after drinking this Thanksgiving Day tonic,

“…relax or exercise a bit, then drink a warm cup of seed tea, either fennel, anise, or fenugreek. Make this by adding two teaspoons of seeds to two cups of water and simmering for 10 minutes in a covered, stainless steel, glass, or ceramic pot. Let it sit for another 10 minutes and drink. Aluminum cookware is not recommended as it reacts with foods, possibly introducing toxic levels of aluminum into the body. This tea supposedly assists the action of the “Liver Flush” and also acts as a relaxant and carminative (relieves gas) in the digestive system. In another half hour, eat a light breakfast.”

Considering I just finished my liver tonic, looks like it’s time for some light exercise out in that gorgeous Canadian weather! It’ll be the ideal setting so I’ll be sure to take advantage of it and be grateful for everything I have – including this blog and you!

Thank you for reading Live Lighter and thank you Dr. Haas for the excellent Thanksgiving Day tonic.