We start with good intentions… this year won’t be the year that I overeat at holiday feasts. I won’t taste every single sweet treat offered or go overboard with with egg nog  and champagne. This year I won’t (fill in the blank). But you eventually give in because brownies are your favorite and you had a stressful day. And then the hangovers and stomach aches soon follow.

Whatever you do, DON’T blame yourself and feel guilty. Don’t use it as an excuse to continue to indulge because you already messed up and things can’t change. Know what you did was not a failure because you can learn from it. As Henry Ford said, “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, only more intelligently.”

So, you’ve made mistakes. What can you do to recover and get yourself back on track? Along with sleep, hydration and movement, there are some ingredients that can help sooth an upset stomach (and hangovers) along with some tasty teas and drinks.

My Favorite Ingredients (not in any particular order)

Ginger – Ginger is a natural remedy for nausea, upset stomach, heartburn and release gas.

Milk Thistle – Milk thistle is known to promote bile flow which is used to digest food and detoxify the body. It can provide relief from an upset stomach or indigestion and hangover relief.

Peppermint – Peppermint helps with sluggish digestion, gas, diarrhea and bloating. It can also help stimulate bile flow to improve digestion and detoxify the body.

Lemon – Lemon promotes an alkaline pH in the body and it provides electrolytes to help with hydration and detoxification. It helps signal production of digestive enzymes to break down food and eliminate waste. Lemons are full of antioxidants to help fight inflammation and improve our immune system too!

Apple Cider Vinegar – Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a good remedy for heartburn, bloating, acid reflux, and gas relief. It can ease discomfort and feelings of fullness after a heavy meal.

Turmeric – Turmeric is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties so it can aid the digestive process. It can relieve heartburn, reduce stomach pain and ease diarrhea. To increase absorption, it can be paired  with black pepper.

Dandelion – Dandelion restores potassium levels to help with water retention (bloating), provide gas relief and a detoxify the body.

Artichoke – Artichoke stimulates bile flow to help break down food and remove toxins, including alcohol. It helps improve symptoms of nausea, bloating, constipation, diarrhea and gas pain.

Cayenne Pepper – Cayenne pepper increases digestive enzymes to help break down food, reduce acid reflux, and helps remove toxins from the body.

Recipes

These are just a few recipes that use the ingredients above.You don’t have to wait until you want to reboot your digestive system to drink them. Switchel used to be the traditional drink served to thirsty farmers at harvest time. Little did they know they were replacing electrolytes lost in the summer heat. Feel free to play with the quantities of each ingredient to satisfy your tastebuds!

Switchell

4 cups water, 2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, 2-3 tablespoons sweetener (blackstrap molasses, real maple syrup or raw honey) and ½ a fresh lime or lemon, juiced. Combine all ingredients and let refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. I use fresh water to cut the mixture, so it isn’t as strong.

Ginger Tonic

16 oz water, 1 tsp ginger, 2 oz fresh lemon juice

Apple Cider Vinegar and Mint Tonic

8 oz hot water, 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp raw honey and 1 organic mint tea bag

Apple Cider Vinegar Shot

8 oz chamomile tea, tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, squeeze of lemon juice and a teaspoon of raw honey

Turmeric Tonic

48 oz hot water, ½ cup raw honey, 1 tablespoon black peppercorn, 1 tablespoon turmeric powder, 16 ounces fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp ginger

Ginger and Cayenne Tonic

4 cups hot water, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 lemon, juiced, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp raw honey

Turmeric and Collagen Tonic

8 oz full fat coconut milk, 2 oz water, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 2 tsp collagen peptides, pinch of salt, ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp raw honey

Golden Milk Latte

1 cup cashew or coconut milk, heated; whisk in 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, honey and pinch of pepper

Ginger/Peppermint/Lemon Tea

Good for hangover relief.

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