If you’re looking for a great way to start the morning, but want to try something other than coffee, I highly recommend making a cup of fresh ginger-lemon tea with honey.
Ginger-lemon tea is a powerhouse. Ginger is a root that has been used as a traditional medicine the world over for thousands of years, because it is packed with health and wellness supporting properties. Ginger is naturally anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anticancer. It’s effective in treating nausea and indigestion and is an effective immune booster. It also tastes wonderful (when properly prepared).
Lemon juice, meanwhile, is particularly healthy to drink first thing in the morning. You probably heard wellness professionals talking about the benefits of drinking alkaline (high pH) water. However, lemon juice can have much the same effect. Although lemons are highly acidic (low pH), when lemon juice enters our digestive system, the component chemicals actually become alkalized, raising the pH in our gut. This is really good for our digestion and overall gut health. If you tend to have a nervous stomach when you first wake up, this can be especially good.
I also highly recommend adding a spoonful of honey to the tea, but with a few caveats. First, it should only be about a teaspoon, or two tops. Honey is natural, but it’s still a sugar. Second, and more importantly, it should be raw, unheated, unprocessed honey, preferably from a local farm or beekeeper. Most honey we see in supermarkets has been heated and processed. This gives it the clear golden color we associate with honey, but it strips away most of the good stuff.
Raw, unprocessed honey, on the other hand, has a host of health benefits. Eating a moderate amount of raw honey actually tends to significantly reduce your craving for processed sugar—the stuff you really want to avoid. I find that if I’m drinking ginger-lemon tea regularly, I have much less interest in eating sweets. Raw honey also boosts your energy, can help regulate blood sugar, and soothes your throat.
If you can happen to find raw, local honey, from a farm in your area, it can also work wonders during allergy season. Because local honey contains small amounts of the same pollens that trigger your allergies, it actually helps your system build up a tolerance to them. If you’re someone who struggles during allergy season, raw local honey can be a highly effective remedy.
Making ginger-lemon tea is easy. It takes just a minute or two of prep, and you can make a big batch of ginger tea ahead of time and save it in the fridge for a few days.
Ginger-lemon tea with honey
Makes two servings
1-1½ inch piece of ginger
1 lemon (organic is preferable)
2 teaspoons raw, unprocessed honey
3 cups water
- Rinse and thinly slice the ginger. Don’t worry about peeling it.
- Pour water into a small saucepan and add ginger slices. Bring to a boil, and cook for ten minutes.
- Remove from heat. Squeeze juice from ½ lemon into a mug. Add 1 teaspoon of honey. Repeat with second mug.
- Give the tea a few minutes to cool. If it’s too hot (over about 100 degrees, or hot enough to burn your tongue) the honey will lose many of its curative properties.
- Divide tea evenly between mugs. Stir and enjoy!