01 Aug 2019

Feed Your Beauty – Month Three

Cucumber Honey Lemonade

Homemade lemonade on a summer’s day

Building on last month’s Cleansing Green Juice recipe, this month I got to trial two juicers, side-by-side.

You can make the recipe without a juicer, by using a blender and straining out the cucumber pulp but it is so quick and easy if you do have one. I had never ‘juiced’ until six months ago and now I have both a centrifugal and cold press juicer. I wanted to compare time, yield and noise to see if one was better than the other.

For those readers who are not in possession of a juicer, but are considering a purchase, please do read on and check out my Feed Your Beauty Blog for Month Two.

My Kuvings Silent Juicer was by far the quieter of the two. It also took a little longer to produce the juice than my Sage, but not significantly so for the ingredients used here. There was not a great deal of difference in the juice yield. The Sage is a lower cost option and it takes whole fruit, which is a huge bonus. The Kuvings is pre-owned so not the latest model and for this I need to cut and prepare the fruit first, which adds to the time. In either case, lemons do need to be peeled. Later versions take the whole fruit and, I believe, produce a drier pulp and a high quantity of juice.

I juiced the cucumbers with the skin on, hence a green juice and a green lemonade. If you prefer a lighter colour, please peel the cucumber prior to juicing.

Homemade lemonade always makes me think of American films, set in the southern states, where a cold pitcher of lemonade was always on offer to guests.

I love the sharp tang of real lemons, but I am not a huge fan of our mass market bottled, carbonated, clear lemonade.

Our fizzy lemonade confuses our friends in the US, as lemonade there is the real stuff, made with fresh lemons, water and sugar. I have confused more than one bartender, in the past, by asking for ‘lemonade’ where now I know that I need to ask for ‘Sprite’.

With Pevonia’s global base being in Florida, this refreshing lemonade is an ideal recipe for the UK’s warmer summer months.

Cucumber Honey Lemonade

Once again, the ingredients for this month’s recipe have been selected for their positive effects on the skin and within the body.

Cucumbers are low in calories, and high in nutrients and antioxidants. They also have anti-inflammatory properties. They contain low quantities of potassium, vitamin C and vitamin A. Being 95% water, they are a great way of staying hydrated.

Cucumber is good for skin health – from within and when applied direct to it. Popping cucumber slices on your eye lids cools, soothes, hydrates and helps reduce puffiness.

Lemons are high in antioxidant vitamin C and citric acid. In addition to the benefits from the vitamin content, lemons have a wonderful, tart, flavour and can aid digestion.

Within skincare, lemon complex, extract and peel provide astringent properties along with a natural, citrus fragrance.

Honey is an antioxidant powerhouse with studies showing that the antioxidant compounds within it can help lower blood pressure and have a beneficial effect on heart health. Honey also helps to reduce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and significantly raises ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.

Studies have also shown that honey is effective in reducing cough symptoms in children.

In addition, honey has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects. Used topically, it promotes burn and wound healing. It can also help treat other skin conditions, including psoriasis.

Honey extract increases the moisture content in skin. It softens, smooths, nourishes, heals, soothes and moisturises.

Although propolis is not found within our recipe, this is a wonderful resin extract also found within beehives. It is used to treat and prevent bacterial infections. It soothes, calms and heals skin.

Food in Skincare

Cucumber, in the form of Cucumis sativus, is found in:

Combination Skin Line

Balancing Combination Skin Cream

Dry Skin Line

Dry Skin Cleanser

Eye Line

Eye Make-Up Remover

Cucumber and Lemon are ingredients within:

Special Line

Youth-Renew™ Tinted Cream SPF30

Lemon is also found in: