Nothing makes mornings better than starting your day off with a bright and vibrant tonic! This cheerful, Gut-Healthy Glow-Up Morning Tonic is my favorite way to start the mornings and set my body up for success. It’s full of gut-healthy ingredients to get your digestive system going, and comes together in three, simple and easy steps!
Friends, can you believe that it’s December?! 2022 has come and gone in the blink of an eye, and I can’t believe that the end of the year is already here. It feels like just yesterday I was busy setting my New Year’s Resolutions, and now, we’re busy gearing up for another holidays season!
While I am a big believer in allowing ourselves to fully indulge during the holiday season (aka, eating ALL of the Christmas cookies and desserts!) the holidays can also be a time of year where my body isn’t feeling its best, especially since I tend to eat a lot more rich, sugary foods than usual. I know I’m not alone when I say that I tend to abandon my routines in the winter, in favor of celebrating the holiday season. And let me be clear: there is NOTHING wrong with that!
But, with that said, there are some simple and easy ways that we can take care of our health while enjoying the abundance of good foods during the holiday season. And the easiest way? With this simple, easy, and BEAUTIFUL morning tonic.
This tonic is actually a recipe straight from my cookbook, LOVE TO EAT, and is the first recipe in the book! I decided to make it the first recipe because it is truly the best way to start your mornings. It has fiber, vitamins, and nutrients that your body needs in order to get things going and keep you feeling regular.
How to Support Your Gut Microbiome During the Holiday Season
While this tonic is a great way to support your gut microbiome (and overall health) during the holiday season, there is another way to take care of your gut health that is just as simple and easy. Introducing: my FAVORITE daily probiotic.
If you’ve been to my blog before, then you may know that I am a huge fan of Seed. They are the makers of the amazing DS-01™ Daily Synbiotic, which is a prebiotic and probiotic all in one. Their double-layer capsule ensures that the probiotics *actually* make it to your colon and intestinal tract, so you can truly get the benefits of the amazing, good bacteria. I’ve been taking Seed for a few years now, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that I cannot live without it. It is a small, simple, and easy morning routine that takes only seconds to do! Oh, and did I mention that their DS-01™ Daily Synbiotic requires no refrigeration? That’s right, you can leave it right out on your counter, so that you never forget to take it!
Every morning, I start my day off by taking my DS-01™ Daily Synbiotic and downing a big glass of this tonic. It’s a small and simple way that I support my overall gut health and set my body up for holiday indulgence success!
If you want to try Seed for yourself, use code KALEJUNKIE25 for 25% off your first month’s supply (limited time only!)
What You Need to Make This Beautiful Morning Tonic
It takes less than 10 ingredients to bring this bright, vibrant morning tonic to life!
- Coconut Water: Coconut water is naturally sweet, incredibly hydrating, and is one of the best sources of potassium! If you crave something sweet first thing in the morning, then you are going to love the coconut water in this tonic.
- Water: A little bit of water will help to balance out the sweetness of this tonic.
- Lemon Juice: You’ll want to use the juice of one fresh lemon for this recipe!
- Honey or Maple Syrup: I love adding honey to this tonic, especially local honey, because it can help boost your immune system while adding the perfect, sweet twist. If you don’t have honey, then maple syrup also works as a great alternative to make this tonic sweet.
- Grated or Ground Ginger: Ginger is truly a superfood, because it’s rich in fiber and can help aid in alleviating nausea and/or indigestion. Either fresh, grated ginger or ground ginger works well in this recipe.
- Ground Turmeric & Black Pepper: Turmeric not only gives this tonic its vibrant yellow color, but is also a gut-healthy and anti-inflammatory ingredient. Whenever we use turmeric, we always want to pair it with black pepper, because ground black pepper helps to increase its bioavailability. Aka, it makes it easier for our body to soak up all of the great benefits the turmeric has to offer!
- Ice Cubes: A few ice cubes makes this tonic nice and cold, which makes for a refreshing morning drink!
Three Steps to Making This Gut-Healthy Tonic
Would you believe me if I told you that this tonic comes together in only three steps? It’s true!
Simply start by adding all of your tonic ingredients to a large mason jar with a lid. Place a lid over the top of it, then shake the jar vigorously for 20-30 seconds, until the honey (or maple syrup) dissolves.
Finally, once done, remove the lid, serve, and enjoy! This recipe makes one serving, but can easily be doubled or tripled to make more!
Ready to Try out Seed? Let’s do This Thing!
If you are interested in trying out Seed, I’ve linked it for you, and you can use code KALEJUNKIE25 at checkout to save 25% off your first month’s supply of Seed’s DS-01™ Daily Synbiotic, from now until December 12th. And in case you miss the 25% off—not to worry! Use code KALEJUNKIE15 for 15% off. I can’t wait to hear how Seed is working for you, so if you decide to try it out, be sure to come back and leave a comment below!
**This post is sponsored by Seed. However, all information and opinions shared in this post are 100% my own. I share only products and services that are a part of my life and that I wholeheartedly love.
** Photography by Gayle McLeod
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Coconut Water
- ¼ Cup Water
- 3-4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, this should be about one lemon
- 1 Tablespoon Honey or Maple Syrup
- 1 Teaspoon Grated or Ground Ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- 1 Pinch Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Handful Ice Cubes
Instructions
- Add all of your ingredients to a large mason jar with a lid.
- Next, place the lid on the jar and shake it vigorously, for 20-30 seconds, until the honey (or maple syrup) dissolves.
- Finally, remove the lid and enjoy your tonic straight from the jar!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
The Gut-Healthy Glow has been the best thing added to my morning routine. I have even convinced my husband the benefits are worth the ginger he hates.
Every year after the holiday rush I feel bogged down and tired. After Christmas I decided to start drinking this in the morning to help kickstart my digestive system and day. This drink is full of flavor and will easily become a staple of my daily routine. Thanks for sharing!
I bought Nicole’s cookbook and am loving the recipes. This tonic is a great way to start the day. To save time I prep it the night before and enjoy in the morning. It helped me recover from a cold recently. Thanks!
I am so thrilled that you loved this recipe, Kelli! Thank you so much for all of your support with this recipe and the cookbook!
This is my new go-to morning drink ever since seeing it in your cookbook. And you are right– after a few mornings I completely started to crave this when I woke up. So refreshing and such a positive way to start the day feeling like I’m doing something good for my body! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us! <3
Woohoo! Priyanka, I am SO HAPPY to hear that! Thank you so much for making this recipe, and for leaving such a kind review!
I want to try this but I am not a coconut water fan … do the other ingredients kill the coconut taste?
Hi Adrienne! You can still taste the coconut water, but it’s not as strong, thanks to the other ingredients in this drink. 🙂
I pre-ordered your cookbook but finally got around to making this one today and I’m officially obsessed! It’s perfectly refreshing!
Melissa, that warms my heart so much! Thank you for supporting my cookbook, and for leaving such a kind review. I am so thrilled that you loved this tonic!
Dear Nicole,
This tonic was love at first sight. Been making it since I downloaded your book and I am hooked. I notice I have trouble going if I forget it haha. Only, I do not use ice cubes and sometimes I swap coconut kefir for coconut water, absolutely delish! So thanks!
I am so thrilled that you love this recipe, Aleksandra! Thank you so, so much for making it, and for leaving such a kind review!
Can you make a big batch (for like 4-5 days) or does it need to be made fresh everyday? 💕
Hi Leanne, you can definitely make a big batch for 4-5 days, but I don’t recommend preparing it for any longer amount of time than that!
This was delicious and a refreshing way to start my day. Thank you for ALL of your recipes.
I am so thrilled that you loved this recipe, Linda! Thank you so much for making it, and for leaving such a kind review!
What a wonderful day to start your day off with a bang! Amazing flavor. I was trying to prep for the week, but was short on lemons. I prepped for today and 2 more. I will be adding this to my morning routine! Thanks!
I am so thrilled that you loved this recipe, Kendra! Thank you so much for making it, and for leaving such a kind review!
I’ve made this tonic for three days straight now. So refreshing and the jolt I need in the morning. I really do think it’s helped alleviate my lower back pain too.
I am so happy to hear that, Lois!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for leaving such a kind review!
Here’s my 5 stars rating!
That means so much, thank you!!