Horseradish Lemon Honey and Spring Detox

1 tablespoon of this healthy potion every morning for a cold-free winter, better digestion and a stronger immune system.

  This week I am going on a short 7 day detox diet. With all the cooking and baking this winter, I think it might be good to give the body a little spring cleanse. I had already had one detox like this last year - I have to admit I did not feel any different after it, but it didn’t hurt and I lost a couple of pounds. So why not do it again? 

  I am not following any specific regimen. I am skeptical of any food supplements, so I am not using packaged formulas, only limiting the foods I eat. 

  Based on a brief on-line research, the main idea in a detox is to eliminate alcohol, caffeine, gluten and lactose (no bread, soy sauce or milk products - only plain yogurt with live cultures is allowed), minimize processed foods, sugars and meats, eat as much organic as possible and drink at least half a gallon of water a day. So that’s what I’m going to do. 

  In addition, every day I will be taking 1 tablespoon of freshly ground flax seeds with a glass of water in the morning, and a cup of a laxative senna tea in the evening, to help the digestion. 

  The first day I will try to fast, only drinking water and herbal teas. But if I get too hungry or too weak I’m allowed 1 apple, 1 orange and 1 grapefruit. 

  And every day I will be posting 1 healthy recipe and a tip on weight loss that worked for me. 

Since today is my fast-day, and I’m not cooking anything, I am posting a recipe of a Horseradish-lemon-honey potion, that I’ve been taking for the last year. It is not tasty at all, but one tablespoon of it every morning had helped me and my parents pass a cold and flu-free winter. 

  So here is the Horseradish recipe, and if you are curious to see how last year I had lost 55 lb over 7 months, check back again later, for my “Weightlossophy” postings. 

Horseradish Lemon Honey 

Source

My mom heard about this remedy somewhere and convinced me to try.

Taste 1 (out of 5)

Health Benefit 5 (out of 5) at least for me

Difficulty 2 (out of 5)

Ingredients

- 1 horseradish root

- 2 cups water

- 1 lemon

- 2/3 cup honey

Instructions

1. Day 1: Peel and finely grate the horseradish root. It can be done by hand, but you’ll be shedding many tears and your fingers may burn. So I recommend cutting the horseradish into cubes and using your food processor. You can add a little water to the food processor to help with the shredding. Place the grated horseradish into a jar or another lidded container, with a capacity of 5-6 cups. Add 2 cups of water, stir well and cover your container tightly with a lid. Leave the horseradish in the refrigerator for a week.

2. Day 8: Wash the lemon, do not peel, and puree it whole (skin, seeds and all) in a food processor. Add the lemon puree and the honey to the horseradish, mix well, cover with a lid and leave in the refrigerator for another week. 

3. Day 15 and on: Now your health potion is supposed to be ready. Every day, first thing in the morning take 1 tablespoon of this horseradish lemon honey mix with a glass of water. To your health!

Afterthoughts

- My mom found this recipe somewhere and convinced me to try. I was skeptical, but eventually gave in. To tell the truth, it tastes pretty bad to me. And you don’t see the benefits immediately, so it’s hard to find motivation to persevere at first. But after passing my first winter without a single serious cold or flu (when I had always had at least 2-3 colds lasting over a week) I am finally convinced. I don’t have statistical data, and don’t claim that it’s good for everyone. All I know is that my parents and I passed a cold free winter. Even though I was living with and taking care of my boyfriend who had a really bad cold or flu (we still don’t know which) that lasted more than 2 months (my boyfriend did not want to take the horseradish drink, if you’re wondering).

- Horseradish root’s pungency can vary from a relatively mild flavor to an extremely sharp one. So on day 15 try a little bit of your mixture first. It should be strong, and may make your eyes watery, but it should not cause heartburn or any serious discomfort. If it’s too strong and burns your palate, add more honey and lemon and let it rest several more days.  If it is still too strong, you might want to run it through a sieve, discard the horseradish and mix the remaining liquid with more water, until it becomes drinkable.