Health Drinks

Tash’s Isolation Tonic

Serves one

½ a fresh preferably unwaxed lemon (or 2 Tbsp. lemon juice)

2-4 gratings of lemon zest

1 Tbsp. Grade B (the dark stuff) pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

Or 2 tsp. honey

8 oz/235ml. boiled hot water

A dash of chipotle or cayenne chili powder (optional)

Squeeze the juice of lemon into a favorite mug or cup.

Add a few gratings of lemon zest* if wished, avoiding the bitter pith.

Add the maple syrup and chili powder then pour in the hot water, stir to combine and let stand for a few minutes before sipping.

Natasha MacAller, Chef/Author/Culinary Consultant

*All types of citrus zest have more beneficial compounds than their juice

Catherine Britcliffe’s Kefir

The Kefir recipe is very simple. I use milk kefir grains (it shouldn’t work but it does.) I originaly got the grains from a commercial online store but I have now had them for several years and they keep growing, that’s why I decided to try them in grape juice and apple juice. The apple juice works best.

1 tablespoon of kefir grains in a litre of apple juice in a glass jar, leave to ferment for 48 hours.
Pour through a sieve (to catch all the grains) into a new litre jar or 2 half litre jars and store in the fridge.
Return the grains and another litre of apple juice to the glass jar for 48 hours.

Repeat.

I sometimes add extra flavour with ginger or sour cherry juice.

David Jackson’s Smoothie of the Day

some milk, mixed seeds, spinach, walnuts, EVOO, banana, dates, some sea salt…

Professor Tim Spector’s Smoothie of the Day

Kale, banana, pear, mixed seeds + flaxseeds, yoghurt, kefir lime blueberries , raspberries and tumeric (I think)!

Professor Tim Spector’s The Evolving Smoothie

“The Ugly Version” of a probiotic smoothie had spinach, dinosaur kale celery, bananas, pears, cucumber, lemon and mixed seeds, yogurt & milk – more information soon…

Professor Tim Spector MB MSc MD FRCP. Tim Spector is a Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Director of the TwinsUK Registry at Kings College, London.

Mark Van Hoen’s Power Shot/Power Tea

All of the ingredients in this recipe have numerous and well documented health benefits. It’s a refreshing and invigorating drink that I recommend for cold & flu relief and prevention in the winter months..but it’s also a fine idea to drink this daily with breakfast to promote general health- if you take the time to research the ingredients, you’ll see that the health benefits of this drink extend vastly beyond colds & flu. Fine tune the ratio of ingredients to your taste, it’s a tasty and superior replacement for tea, coffee or traditional juice at breakfast time.

1/2 Lemon (peeled) either juiced or squeezed.
1 turmeric root – juiced or fine grated
1 heaped tablespoon (or more) of ginger root – juiced or fine grated
A dash of Cayenne Pepper
A dash of Black Pepper

You can substitute the fresh ginger and/or the turmeric for their powdered equivalents, but this will be less potent and will not taste as good. I think it’s essential for at least the ginger to be fresh. I find the peppers offset the tart of the lemon, without resorting to sweetening the drink with honey or sugar – which lessens the health benefits.

Add all the ingredients to a mug of hot water and enjoy with your breakfast.

Alternatively, if you have juiced everything you can down as a shot without the hot water.