The key ingredients in this recipe are (for two cups of tea)

1. One Lemon
2. One teaspoon tea leaves
3. A pinch of crushed ginger
4. Few leaves of mint
5. One teaspoon Rock salt
6. Three teaspoons of Sugar

The first step is boiling the water with the sugar and the rock salt in a container on the gas or in the microwave. Half way to full bubbling of the boiling water – add the ginger and the mint leaves. Simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors of the spices spread in the water. At this point you can take a small teaspoon to taste – see if salt and sugar feel right for you.

In a separate cup/bowl squeeze the juice of the lemon and remove the seeds from the extract. Cut a small piece of the rind – and put it in the simmering water.

Next remove the water from the heat and put in the teaspoon of tea. You can use more than one teaspoon if you are using a very mildly flavored tea. Cover the container, and leave for a few minutes – just enough to get the flavors out and not too long so that the tannins stay in the leaves. This will depend on the type of tea. For the standard Indian strong tea – three minutes is more than enough.

Pour out the tea through a sieve and into a mixing container. Mix the lemon juice and stir till it’s dissolved. At this point you can reheat the tea if it’s gone a little cold. If you plan to reheat – make sure you add in extra the sugar and salt, if you think it’s necessary. Sometimes after the lemon is added – the tea may warrant an increase in the concentration of these two ingredients.

Pour into cups, and enjoy the chilly winter wind in the balcony with your energizing lemon tea.

1. It’s more nutritious than store-bought juices.

We often assume that any product with the word “juice” in it will automatically be healthy. Survey says: false! While you can find some fairly healthy juices on the market, many of them are loaded with sugar and salt; as well as artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. So basically the unhealthy ingredients offset any health benefits that the juices have, such as a high Vitamin C content. On the other hand, juicing is an all-natural way to provide you with tasty beverages that are bursting with flavor and nutrition. The ingredients are straight from Mother Nature’s garden!

2. It maintains nutrients.

The longer we cook foods, the more nutrients we cook out of them. In fact, some scientific studies seem to indicate that cooking foods at temperatures over a 100º Fahrenheit can cook out enzymes that we need for digesting food, and our overall health. That’s why many health experts have begun to promote a “raw food diet” as a healthy way to get your fruits and veggies. After juicing for a while, you’ll start to lose your cravings for fatty, salty, and sugary foods.

3. It’s inexpensive.

One of the common myths about raw food diets is that they’re expensive. That simply isn’t true! In fact, compared to prepared and processed foods, it’s extraordinarily much cheaper to drink homemade juices. And not only will juicing help to keep you healthy, but it can help to prevent all sorts of ailments and diseases. And when that happens, you’ll save tons of money that you would have shelled out for operations, hospital stays, and medications. Basically, juicing makes the pharmaceutical companies as red with anger as a ripe tomato.

4. It’s flexible.

The combinations are virtually endless when you do your own juicing. Here are some of the various ingredients that you can add to your healthy and homemade juices:

• Fruits
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Vegetables
• Wheatgrass

Basically, you can play the role of a mad scientist, and mix and match until you find the combinations that suit your tastes.

5. It’s convenient.

While food preparation can easily take hours, time isn’t a luxury that we have in today’s world. Today’s juicing machines are easy to operate and clean. And you can find juicing ingredients in supermarkets or your own garden-so you won’t need to run around town to find that one ingredient that no grocery store seems to have.

Juicing is certainly a healthy, delicious, and affordable way to prepare your meals and snacks. Once you try juicing, you’ll never drink another “juice box” again!