While what I eat changes a lot from one day to the next, there are actually six things (yeah, I counted) that I almost always have every single day. Interestingly enough, this list of my daily essentials doesn’t change with the season. Try them out yourselves and get used to their benefits, day in and day out.

6 Daily Essentials I Can’t Live Without

(1) Lemon

No, no pursed lips here. Every morning, when I’m unwinding in the office and catching up on e-mails, I’ll squeeze half an organic lemon in hot water and sip away. While lemons are considered acidic, they actually have the opposite effect in the body – they are quite alkaline in moderation.

Lemon acts as an antiseptic (prevents pathogenic bacteria) and is highly cleansing for the liver. It also promotes digestion. You can have the lemon squeezed in a glass of room-temperature water. The point is to dilute it so it is more palatable and less bitter. It’s a great addition to your daily routine and a quite tasty one at that!

(2) Green Juice/Green Smoothie

I love my green juice (sometimes smoothie) and consider it one of my at-least-5-times-a-week must. It’s a surge of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that does wonders for the skin, energy-levels and overall physique. It is cleansing, promotes digestion, and feeds the blood with oxygen and enzymes. Fruits make this palatable, such as in my Banana & Peach Smoothie.

(3) Turmeric

This orangey-yellowy dust prevents cancer, cleans the liver, protects the heart, has anti-inflammatory properties and lowers cholesterol. It’s packed with manganese and iron and has so many other benefits that I won’t list, but you can check ‘em out elsewhere.

I like to sprinkle the powder into hot tea to release its inherent oils and flavor, which is quite deep and earthy, but pleasant all the same.

I actually will add turmeric to my hot lemon water in the morning, sometimes with some cayenne for an added metabolism-boosting kick and a few drops of stevia for a sweet backdrop. Quite the immunity booster!

(4) Dried Figs

Dried figs are blood cleansers and a fiber, potassium, iron and calcium-rich treat you should have every day! I restrict my dose to 3/day, as any more would be a bit too much sugar. You don’t need much to reap the benefits.

(5) Herbal Tea

Tea is a great way to tame hunger and keep hydrated throughout the day. To avoid caffeine, I generally drink a mixed herb tea. My favorite herbal tea mix usually has licorice in it. I love the taste! Green tea is coo’ too.

(6) Green Leaves

Before every meal, you should always have a green salad! Even if you entering a Thanksgiving feast, a salad beforehand will help digest the incoming traffic. Green leaves act as “roughage”, facilitating digestion before something heavier is eaten. They’re also fiber-packed, highly alkaline and just the obvious healthy choice in general. Eat your greens…every day!

To a healthy day, every day!

xo Aylin