Maintaining a healthy gut is essential for overall wellness, impacting everything from immunity to energy levels. One effective way to support gut health is through the beverages we drink which is why we are going to discover delicious gut-friendly drink recipes that you can easily make at home. From probiotic-rich homemade kefir to zesty ginger shots, these recipes nourish your body helping you say goodbye to store-bought options filled with preservatives.
1. Ginger shot Recipe
Learn how to make a ginger shot that is spicy, sweet and super healthy at home using only four ingredients. This easy ginger shot recipe is great for anyone that wants to improve their overall health. Ginger is very high in Potassium providing 415 mg per 100ml which equates to 11% of your daily value but also contains vitamin C, B6, magnesium, iron and many other vitamins.
Ginger shot is great for boosting your immune system, and it can improve your gut health by feeding your gut bacteria which makes it useful for anyone who is suffering from IBS (irritable bowels syndrome). The ginger shot settles down my stomach problems and reduces the symptoms when having a flare up.
If you are wondering whether to drink ginger shot after a meal, after a workout, whether to drink it in the morning or at night. You should know that the best time to drink it is in the morning on an empty stomach and it is safe to drink every day. It great during the winter season will provide you with many health benefits and can be used to treat many ailments including a cough, the common cold, a hangover, boost immunity, improve digestion, nausea, reduce psoriasis, lower blood pressure, is great for the skin, can boost your energy, increases testosterone levels and more.
If you drink too much or are sensitive to ginger you may get some side effects which can include: stomach pain, stomach ache, diarrhoea, upset stomach and ulcers. The drink can be purchased in most supermarkets but the price to buy it will range from 0.99p to £3 - leading brands include: unrooted, moju, fighter shots, zinger, detox organica, press london, naturgeeks, bumble zest, biona and more.
Making it at home is much more affordable, however, you will need a blender. A ginger shot can be made with frozen, fresh or dried ginger. This ginger shot will need adjusting for each person, for example, I like it strong and spicy but Ryan prefers it with more orange juice and lemon to make it more sweet and citrusy. If you do not have Apple cider vinegar you can just leave it out and it will not affect the taste too much.
After sieving the drink at the end, you will be left with ginger pulp which has many uses. To reduce waste you can add this pulp to smoothies, yoghurt, homemade biscuits or you can place it in a metal teabag in a cup with a teaspoon of honey and a squeeze of lemon to make a herbal tea that is great for soothing a sore throat.
Your ginger shot should be stored in the fridge and will stay fresh for about 3 days before expiration. Ginger has a mild laxative effect that promotes bowel activity and combining this with the orange juice, this effect becomes enhanced. If you are sensitive to ginger you may want to consume less.
Ingredients for Ginger Shot
- Frozen crushed ginger (3 cubes)
- Pure orange juice (200-300ml)
- Lemon juiced (1)
- Dried turmeric (small pinch)
- Apple cider vinegar with the mother (2 caps)
How to Make Ginger Shot?
Start by rolling a whole lemon on your kitchen worktop to help the juices flow then cut and squeeze it into your blender. Add the frozen ginger cubes or peeled fresh ginger to the blend along with the vinegar, turmeric, orange juice and blend until it becomes smooth. Strain the juice with a sieve and reserve the pulp aside for use later.
2. Homemade Kefir Style Yoghurt Drink
With this drink, it is best to make a batch of 500ml, especially if you have a family. If you have a larger family just double up and it will be fine. What’s great about it is that it is a healthy drink providing a large amount of calcium and vitamins, and minerals. Drinking 100 ml provides you with lots of goodness and friendly gut bacteria that the body needs.
Having IBS I find my flare ups are better and less painful when i drink this every day. Buying kefir milk is gut healthy but can become expensive, and with the use of natural yoghurt, you are not missing on the gut healthy bacteria such as lactobacillus.
In the supermarkets, kefir milk costs about £2 for a 500ml bottle, but homemade works out 0.60 for milk, 0.45p for the natural yoghurt (and you will have 250ml too much), you will likely already have fruit at home that you could blend up. To put it into perspective, one or two strawberries would be enough fruit for 500ml of this drink. With the apple juice, you can get hold of 600ml for only £0.60.
So for a total of £1.65, you can make your own kefir style milk, and you will have lots of ingredients left over for more batches later on. Ratio per 100ml - cows milk (44ml), natural yoghurt (44ml), apple juice (8ml), fruit purée (4g).
Ingredients for yoghurt drink
- Cows milk (220ml)
- Natural yoghurt (220ml)
- Apple juice (40ml
- Fruit purée (20g)
How to make kefir style yoghurt drink?
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until the fruit is puréed. If you do not own a blender, you can finely chop the fruit with a knife and mix the ingredients together.
3. Plant Based Milk
Discover how to make the best plant based milk at home with these simple recipes. The method for making most plant based milk is the same and so we will include the step by step method so that you can make your very own diy dairy free vegan milk.
How to make plant based milk?
To make your own plant based milk, you will need to pour one part ingredient into a milk bottle and add 3 parts water. Allow it to soak for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight.) After this, replace the water if needed and blend the mixture and then strain through a nut milk bag into a jug. Store the milk in the fridge for up to 1 week and if the milk separates, give it a shake and it will be fine. This method of making plant based milk is suitable for all of the nuts, oat milk, hemp milk, and coconut.
The leftover pulp can be kept aside and be added to homemade biscuits, cashew pulp can be added to a curry for texture or be used to make a vegan cheese sauce. Making soya milk follows a different process to the one mentioned above.
Almond nut milk
Almond milk has the highest calcium in comparison to other plant based milks, the flavour is great and it can be added to hot chocolate, smoothies, homemade almond ice cream, use in cereal or add to your pancake batter.
Cashew nut milk
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Cashew milk is low fat but has slightly more protein than almond milk, it can be added to sauces to make them creamier, tastes great in tea, and goes perfect with baked goods.
Hazelnut nut milk
Hazelnut milk has many health benefits and has a large amount of antioxidants (7 times higher than dark chocolate), because of that it helps to reduce risk of heart disease, and aids in improving blood sugar levels. Hazelnut milk can be used in many ways but it pairs extremely well with chocolate and is tasty when used to make cookies.
Oat milk
Some oat milks can be slimy due to high levels of starch. However, this recipe is non slimy and will make a tasty oat milk. It can sometimes be quite powdery when made from home too and this is normal. You can use oat milk for hot drinks, for making your porridge creamy and it is the perfect non dairy milk for preparing overnight oats.
Hemp milk
Hemp milk is a great alternative to cows milk and isnt just for those avoiding dairy, it is also suitable for those that have a nut allergy. Hemp milk is nutritious with protein, healthy fats, and in fact it has more calcium than dairy milk.
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is the highest in fat compared to the other plant based milks mentioned which gives the milk a rich flavour when adding it to meals and other baked foods. It is also one of the lowest in carbohydrates which makes it suitable for individuals following the keto diet.
Soya milk
The most similar in taste to cows milk and works wonders in tea. Soya tends to get a bad rap because drinking it can lead to unbalanced hormone levels and can be disruptive to health. That being said, soya milk is a good source of omega 3 fatty acid which can help reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Gut Friendly Drinks (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can you use ginger shot to make a cocktail?
A popular cocktail called Ginger smash can be made by combining the finished ginger shot with ice cubes, pineapple juice, light rum, lime juice and apple liqueur or juice. There are many other cocktails that you can make with the ginger shot. Alcohol that pairs well with it include but are not limited to vodka, whiskey, rum, and gin but feel free to experiment with your favourite flavours to come up with some new ones.
Ginger shot vs turmeric shot
The differences between the two can get confusing because ginger shot usually contains a small amount of turmeric and turmeric shot will typically contain a small amount of ginger. Both shots are made in a similar way switching out the main ingredient.
If you are wondering which one is the best for you, you should know that if you are having stomach problems you will want to opt for a ginger shot, if you are having pains you would be better with turmerics pain relief properties. Nutritionally both turmeric and ginger are high in vitamins but turmeric is 130 times higher in Vitamin K and ginger is higher in vitamin C and B6.
Is ginger shot good for weight loss?
According to experts research, ginger can help you lose weight by affecting how your body burns fast by digesting carbohydrates and using insulin. It also has the ability of affecting the metabolism and digestion when consumed in the morning.
Can you make ginger shot without lemon or orange?
You can make this recipe your own by swapping out the lemon juice or orange juice for any juice that you like. You can make this recipe with apple juice or change the recipe completely by combine ginger with coconut water. This is how we like it but make it yours.
How much ginger shot should you drink?
If you are following this recipe you will want to drink a maximum of 100ml per day.
Can ginger shot help with Crohn's?
Ginger may help treat symptoms that are common for people living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It does not have the ability to treat the condition but could make living with it easier.
Can you drink ginger shot during pregnancy?
Whilst ginger is said to help with blood circulation and naturally lower bad cholesterol levels consuming it in high doses could be dangerous during pregnancy and so you should discuss it with your health professional.
Is ginger shot ok for the keto diet?
As the orange juice is very high in naturally occurring sugar, it is not suitable for the keto diet. If you wanted to make it without the orange juice you can, however, you would need to replace the orange juice with a keto friendly liquid such as water or juice with sweetener instead of sugar.
Can you drink ginger shot whilst intermittent fasting?
Ginger tea made of hot water and freshly sliced ginger is great for intermittent fasting as it can sooth an upset stomach but ginger shot is not suitable as it will break the fast.
How to store kefir?
Store in a clean container in the refrigerator and consume within 48 hours. You should also refer to the use by date of the ingredients that you used to ensure nothing goes out of date.
Is kefir healthy?
Kefir is a great source of calcium as it contains cows milk and yoghurt. The fruit puree will also give you added vitamins.
Can vegans drink kefir?
As kefir contains cows milk and natural yoghurt from cows it is not suitable for vegans. If you wanted to make it suitable, you would need to prepare the kefir drink with a plant based milk and a vegan natural yoghurt that has live bacteria, a great alternative is coconut yoghurt.
The most popular plant based milk brands
Alpro, Jord, Mighty milk, Minor figures are the main ones however most supermarkets have made their own branded dairy free alternatives.
Plant based milk vs cows milk
The main difference is that a plant based milk comes from plant deviates such as nuts, and seeds, whereas cows milk comes from an animal. In terms of nutrition there are plant based milks that have similar calcium, fat and calorie content which means that there is a specific type of milk to suit every persons needs. In terms of taste, nut milks usually taste nutty but soy milk has a similar flavour to cows milk.
What is the best plant based milk for coffee?
Soya milk is the most similar to cows milk and works the best for hot drinks as usually it doesn't curdle, although this could be because of the added emulsifiers. When looking for a plant based milk to use in coffee you will want to purchase one that mentions 'barista' as it will have stabilisers added to it to prevent curdling and can be frothed up as well.
What is the healthiest milk?
One milk is not healthier than another because vitamins and nutrients vary across different foods and drink. One thing is for sure that hemp milk has the highest calcium, cows milk has the highest protein, cashew and rice milk has the lowest fat content, and almond milk has the least calories. The healthiest milk for you depends on your current health and lifestyle.
Is plant based milk safe during pregnancy?
Plant based milk is usually considered safe during pregnancy, unpasteurised or raw goat and cows milk however should be avoided.
Is plant based milk gluten free?
Oats are usually gluten free however sometimes they can contain gluten and so it is not recommended to drink oats milk if you are coeliac. However, if you purchase gluten free oats and prepare the milk yourself, the milk will be fine.
Is plant based milk keto?
Some milks are suitable for those following the keto diet, these milks have a low carb content. First, lets discover the milks to avoid, rice milk has a whopping 9.7 grams of carbohydrates per 100ml which is relatively high, second is oat milk with 6.8 grams of carbohydrate, and third is regular cows milk with 4.7 grams of carbohydrate. Whilst you could still drink this milks you would have to limit yourself to small amounts to follow the keto diet. The best milks that have the lowest carbohydrate content are soya milk with 0.2 gram per 100ml, coconut milk with 0.4 grams and hemp milk with only 0.5.
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