BENEFITS OF DRINKING LEMON WATER DAILY FOR SKIN|HOW TO MAKE LEMON WATER AT HOME

Wanna know my secret for looking better and better as I get older? This week, I share how to make lemon water at home for daily detox and we’ll also discuss the benefits of drinking lemon water daily for skin. I'll be adding on a bonus tip at the end too, that could help save you a trip to the doctors’ the next time you feel a cough coming, so stick around!

So, what's my secret to younger looking skin? 

Upon waking, I drink 350ml of pure drinking water, just to kickstart the system.

After that,  I make lemon water like so and here's a neat little trick - press and roll the lemon around for a bit to get more juice out of it.

Slice off both ends so it won’t end up rolling off the table, then slice it in half.

Take one half, juice it, then add one tablespoon of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to help us better absorb all the fat soluble vitamins and minerals present in the lemon. 

Top that up with 300ml of pure drinking water. And if you like, and I do this on occasion, add a pinch of pink salt to the mix. Anything with salt tastes better, right? And then I drink it through a straw.

Why use a straw? Well, lemons not only contain organic vitamin C but it also has citric acid so drinking it from a straw will prevent thee acid from eating away at the tooth enamel.

Rinsing the mouth with tap water right after drinking will also help, especially if you have sensitive teeth. 

I drink this every morning by the way and have been doing so for a couple of months now.

It's best to drink this concoction on an empty stomach at least one hour before breakfast to flush and detox the liver, kidneys and gall bladder.

Contrary to popular belief, lemons when fully digested are actually extremely alkaline to the body provided no sugar is added.

Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning, not only restores the ph of our saliva, it also helps us to better absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat later in the day. Plus, it also aids digestion and boosts immunity.

But, if you have real concerns about it triggering gastric pain or acid reflux, what you can do is start with a 1/4 cup of lemon water as described earlier. Then, slowly work your way up to the full amount over four weeks. 

Recipe at a glance

1/2 or 1 lemon

1T EVOO

300ml pure drinking water

But I digress.

Lemons contain close to 90 per cent water and is about the only fruit that you can consume whenever you feel like it, without worrying about it packing on the pounds.

As we get older, it’s vitally important that we consume more water-rich foods.

On top of that, lemons are great for skin too!

The organic vitamin C in lemons is readily absorbed into our bodies giving us a much needed collagen-boost! Meaning, our bodies use that vitamin c to produce and maintain collagen so we’ll have fewer wrinkles and we’ll also have a much better fighting chance against toxins that cause breakouts!

Wow! Think about that! 

But say you already have acne or are experiencing a breakout, can lemons still come to your rescue? Definitely!

After consuming the juice, and allowing it to work on the inside. Take one half of the lemon and rub it gently on your skin. It’ll sting for a bit at first, but leave it on for ten minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

You can also rub a little lemon on your dark spots too, like on an old scar, dark elbows and knees. Yup! It’s a natural skin lightener.

Just be careful not to go over open wounds or cuts just because it’ll sting a little. But then again, lemons have antibacterial properties and are a natural antiseptic.

As you can tell, I could probably go on and on gushing about the benefits of lemons. 

But here’s the thing, I love lemons so much because I know I’m getting these health promoting organic compounds straight from the fruit, and I can take it with no fear of toxicity buildup or chemical imbalance.

It’s all natural, nothing synthetic, like over the counter supplements or bottled juice.

As promised, here’s a bonus tip that could save you a trip to the doctors’

Now whenever I feel like I have a sore throat, or a cough coming, I gargle with fresh lemon juice. You could use it either straight or diluted as I've described and that’ll help ease up a cough.

And, when I’m feeling a little under the weather, or experiencing bodily discomforts, what I typically do is drink the above lemon water every one or two hours. And I do this for one to two days, plus get plenty of rest in between and I'll usually feel a whole lot better, in no time at all!

That’s because lemons purify the body and bloodstream of toxins, impurities and fungus, promoting health and wholeness.

Honestly, that’s really why I love lemons so much and I literally have a fridge full of them! They’re a great natural air purifier too I must say and I’ll talk more about that in a future post. So remember to subscribe, like and share the love with your friends.

Till my next entry, have a beautiful day!

P.S. Follow @lovelynettetan for more!

KETO COCONUT ICE CREAM WITH ICECREAM MAKER|EASY KETO COCONUT ICE CREAM

This week, let me show you how to make keto coconut ice cream with ice cream maker. This is a real easy keto coconut ice cream recipe, I promise. And, you can definitely still make this delicious treat even if you’re not using an ice cream maker.

But just before that, what is one food you find difficult to give up?

For me, it’s definitely ice cream, hands down. I can give up almost any other food but ice cream, never! Not in this lifetime! So the option was crystal clear - I had to find a way to make my own ice cream that’s full of the creamy goodness and none of the nasties.

And with that, let’s jump right in.

INGREDIENTS

480g heavy cream or whipping cream (35% to 38% fat)

240g coconut cream

64g xylitol or sugar

1t coconut extract

4 egg yolks

1t     lightly baked, unsweetened coconut flakes as topping (optional)

METHOD

1. In a medium saucepan (low heat), add heavy cream, coconut cream

2. Add xylitol*, stir till it dissolves completely, remove from stove

3. Add coconut extract

4. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, keep whisking whilst adding a     steady stream of cream mixture until fully combined

5. Return the fully combined mixture back into the medium saucepan,        keep stirring over low heat, for about 10 minutes, or until the cream     coats the back of the spoon

6. If ice cream curdles or is lumpy, use an immersion blender or regular     blender to blend until smooth

7. Let it cool for about two hours, fridge it for a further two hours or        overnight.

8. Strain chilled mixture in a sieve when pouring into ice cream maker        to get an even smoother texture

9. Set ice cream maker according to its manual.

10. After machine beeps, serve immediately or transfer the semi-soft         ice cream into your favourite tub and freeze for a further two hours

If you are not using an ice cream machine, at Step 8, strain chilled mixture and pour it directly into desired vessel. Stir every 30 minutes until frozen.

*Note - Xylitol is a plant-based sugar alcohol, a naturally occurring  sweetener  that doesn’t have a herby, bitter aftertaste. It’s also a great one-for-one sugar substitute

Please also note that sugar or not, anything that is sweet, triggers an insulin response in our bodies so go easy on the sweetness is my best advice

And if you have pets at home, xylitol is particularly toxic to dogs

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Add a teaspoon of lightly toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes to each scoop of coconut ice cream before serving. Or you could also top it with your favourite nuts and seed mix. And because the ice cream is less sweet, you have the option of drizzling some gula melaka or coconut palm sugar syrup or crystals as garnish as well.

ADDITIONAL TIP

One final tip on how to prevent ice crystals on ice cream. Before storing ice cream in the freezer, cover the top of the ice cream with clip wrap to prevent ice crystals from forming. And you can do this with other regular ice creams too!

And that’s essentially how to make keto coconut ice cream with ice cream maker using a fairly easy keto coconut ice cream recipe. I hope you like this recipe. More recipes coming your way, just like this one. And if you’ve got friends and family who’d probably enjoy this creamy coconut ice cream as well, please by all means, feel free to share this with the. In the meanwhile, you have a beautiful day!

HOW TO MAKE YOGURT AT HOME WITH YOGURT MAKER | CREAMY HOMEMADE YOGURT

This week, let's talk about how to make yogurt at home with yogurt maker. Here, I’m talking about a really thick and creamy homemade yogurt and I'll also describe how to turn that into a delightful breakfast experience.

Just so we’re clear on the timeline, if you wanna have yogurt for breakfast in the morning, you’ll have to prep this the night before. This is because the yogurt requires at least eight to ten hours to ferment before it’s ready to eat.

So with that in mind, make sure you have a litre of cold drinking water sitting in the fridge in order to mix the yogurt. If you wanna be really precise, the cold drinking water should be between 15°C and 20°C.

And because timing is everything, you’d want to prepare a pot of boiling water as well that’ll come up to the indicator level as shown in the photo below, depending on which side of the globe you’re on.

*To make sure I don’t boil too much or too little tap water, what I do is fill the yogurt maker with tap water to somewhere between where it says hot climate and normal climate. Then, I empty out all that tap water into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.

While the water is coming to a boil, here's how to mix the yogurt.

STEP 1

Pour 500ml of cold drinking water into the tub provided.

STEP 2

Empty the yogurt mix, secure the lid and give it a good shake

STEP 3

Top it up with another 500ml of cold drinking water, reseal the lid and give it another good shake. Release any air bubbles then secure the lid again.

STEP 4

By now, the tap water in the saucepan should have come to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and pour the boiling hot water into the yogurt maker. Make sure the hot water comes up to somewhere between where it says hot climate and normal climate. 

STEP 5

Place the tub into the yogurt maker and immediately shut it with the lid and leave it on your kitchen counter top for eight to ten hours

Of course, if you prefer a slightly tangier taste, then leave it covered on your kitchen counter top for a few extra hours. Although, I wouldn't recommend leaving it for more than 12 hours. Remember it continues to ferment in the fridge albeit at a much slower rate.

Anyway, fast forward to 8am the next morning and it's time to unravel the yogurt maker to reveal the smoothest, most  delicious homemade yogurt.

No worries if you notice a separation, you can either just gently stir that in before serving - and you’ll get a much smoother texture - or you could save that yellowish liquid or whey in another container to ferment other fruits, nuts and seeds. I can show you how I do that in a future post so be sure to subscribe or follow me if you haven’t already.

After I remove the tub from the yogurt maker, I usually fridge it first, whilst I prepare my fresh fruit, nuts and seeds.

As promised, here’s how to turn that creamy homemade yogurt into a delicious, wholesome, and healthful breakfast!

Dice a mango, add two to four tablespoons of that creamy homemade yogurt we just made.

Then, top it with a pack of mix nuts and seeds.

This is so good and so simple to make!

I usually make plain yogurt using all natural, fresh ingredients so you get a good mix of probiotics as well as prebiotics to keep your gut buddies happy and thriving.

Of course, you can keep the tub in the fridge for up to two weeks but we usually finish it within the week!

And that’s essentially how to make yogurt at home with yogurt maker and what you’ll get is thick and creamy homemade yogurt. Simply add in your favourite mix of fresh fruit, nuts and seeds for the most delightful breakfast experience.

Check out my blog for more breakfast ideas and share the love with your friends. Till my next update, have a beautiful day!

P.S. Follow @lovelynettetan for more!