Hot Drinks for Winter, Best Hot Drinks for Winter...

Healthy Hot Drinks For Winter

It’s cold. You need something hot, right? But mulled wine and hot toddies aren’t the only options for warm beverages. That’s why we asked experts to share their favorite recipes for healthy and delicious winter beverages to help with your digestion, boost your immunity, and most of all, keep you toasty. (Still thirsty? Here are 5 Warm Drinks That Won't Pack on Pounds.)

1.Hot Water and Lemon Infusion

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 cups boiling water

Juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Pinch red chili powder or cayenne (boosts metabolism)

Pinch coarse sea salt

Pinch raw cane sugar like Sucanat

Directions:

Mix in mug and stir well.

Why it works:

This is a family recipe passed down to Anupy Singla, author of numerous cookbooks including Indian for Everyone and the blog Indian As Apple Pie. And the health benefits of this concoction are real. According to Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., and principal at food consultancy Corvus Blue LLC, “this hot drink capitalizes on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of turmeric, while the hot water and lemon combination flushes the liver and kidneys of toxins.

2.Vanilla Chai Latte

Ingredients

1 scoop Vega One Nutritional Shake, Vanilla Chai

16 oz. unsweetened non-dairy milk almond, coconut or hazelnut

Cinnamon or nutmeg

Directions

Heat 16 oz. of non-dairy milk on a stovetop until it is warm to the touch but not boiling. Whisk most of the milk with Vega One in a mug. Optional: use a frother if you have one. Top with remaining (frothed) milk. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and start your chilly morning with a delicious, all-in-one nutritional Vega One Vanilla Chai Latte!

Nutritional information

Recipe makes 1 serving | Takes 5 minutes to prepare

3.Powershot Cold Buster

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Dash cinnamon

Dash turmeric

Dash nutmeg

Dash cayenne pepper

Freshly ground ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 dash stevia

Directions:

Heat almond milk in saucepan, add all ingredients, then use a whisk or a hand-held frother to mix.

Why it works:

Ariane Hundt, a clinical nutritionist and founder of the Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp, created this hot drink, which she calls “a potent cold fighter.” She advises to “drink while it’s hot and feel the heat rising. Raising your body temperature is a good idea when you’re about to come down with the cold or flu. A fever, after all, is your body’s way of fighting an infection. Heat denatures viruses, so a sauna or sweat session plus hot liquids are a good way to fight off bugs. The cinnamon and nutmeg are warming and balance the blood sugar, while the cayenne pepper stimulates the metabolism and internal heat. Turmeric and ginger have anti-inflammatory properties and settle the stomach.

4.The Deep Immune

Ingredients

6 dates, pitted

1/2 inch ginger root, raw

4 medium red apples

1 lemon, peeled

1/2 banana, peeled

1 tbsp. chywanprash (an Ayurvedic sweet and spicy paste)

Directions

Juice the ginger, follow with apples and lemon. Put the ginger, apple and lemon juice in the blender with the banana. Start on a low setting while you add the dates and chywanprash paste. Blend for about two minutes. Heat gently in a saucepan until juice is nice and warm. Do not boil. Pour into a mug. Sip slowly.

5.Hot Apple Cider with Cinnamon

Ingredients:

1 cup cider and a cinnamon stick.

Directions:

Pour cider and add cinnamon stick.

Why it works:

“Apple cider is a good source of vitamin C and iron, and also contains the soluble fiber pectin, which may aid in reducing cholesterol. Vitamin C is essential for tissue repair and regeneration, and supports the healthy functioning of the immune system and adrenal glands, both of which can be impaired by stress (including the physical stress of cold weather),” says Janet McKenzie, a naturopathic doctor at Summit Natural Health Center. “Cinnamon promotes good digestion and can moderate blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It's easy to prepare; simply add a stick of cinnamon to a cup of cider and heat gently to the desired temperature.”