Aloe vera is often considered to be one of the best ways to soothe your sunburns. What is lesser known is that aloe vera is a superfood that can provide your body a lot of benefits. In fact, drinking aloe vera juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach can help boost its positive effects on your health.
What is aloe vera juice?
The aloe vera plant is a succulent plant that grows abundantly in tropical zones and have been used medicinally and nutritionally for centuries. When you cut the aloe vera leaf, you can find a clear gel that blended with water into making aloe vera juice. It is most commonly known to be used to treat sun burns or wounds, however it is also consumed as a juice.
Benefits of drinking aloe vera juice in the morning
The first meal of the day helps kick start your metabolism and gives you energy to help you get your things done and focus on your activities. In fact, when you wake up, your blood sugar levels are lower and therefore your body does not have enough to help make your muscles and brain perform its best.
When we sleep, our body actually uses our energy stores to help grow and repair itself. Therefore eating a balanced breakfast in the morning will help us restore our energy and nutrients that have been used throughout the night.
There are increasing scientific studies that show that breakfast is an important meal. Studies show evidence that there might be negative health effects to skipping breakfast. For example, one study noted that there might be an 27% increased chance of coronary heart disease for men in North America if they did not eat breakfast.
You should eat a well balanced breakfast that helps deliver energy slowly throughout your morning. Not all foods you eat for breakfast are equal, some will help you reach your nutrition goals faster. In addition, some nutrients such as vitamins A and E are both much easily absorbed when taken on an empty stomach.
Antioxidants
The Aloe vera gel contains very powerful antioxidants that belongs into the family of substances known as polyphenols. You can find polyphenols in certain plant based foods and they also come in powder and capsule forms.
Polyphenols are important as they can help protect you by reducing your risk of certain diseases. Studies have shown that people who eat a diet high in polyphenol have lower death risks than those who don’t consume enough. In particular, you would want to consume more than 650mg a day.
Polyphenols can help you manage your blood pressure levels. It keeps your blood vessels healthy and flexible thereby improving your blood circulation. In turn, it will reduce your inflammation and decrease your risk of getting heart disease. Recent studies have suggested that polyphenol can also help lower your LDL cholesterol levels.
It has also been suggested that polyphenols may help lower your blood sugar levels. This is due to the fact that it might have the ability to help prevent the breakdown of starch into simple sugars. This would lower the risk of your blood sugar spiking after a meal. Polyphenols might also help stimulate your insulin to secrete and thereby keeping your blood sugar levels stable. In fact, one study done suggested that people who ate the highest amounts of polyphenol-rich foods had up to 57% less of a risk to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the lowest amount.
Improve skin conditions
Many people would assume that most of the benefits for your skin would require you to apply aloe vera topically. However, it is possible for you to improve your skin condition from drinking aloe vera juice too. Superfoods such as aloe vera juice can have a positive benefit on your skin and work with your skincare routine to help achieve the perfect glow.
Aloe vera contains antioxidants that are believed to help reduce inflammation of your skin and decrease acne. In addition, the other nutrients such as potassium, chromium and folic acid are known to help with improving your skin condition.
Potassium can help your body regulate the water storage and prevent moisture loss. This means that your skin will be better capable of retaining moisture and reducing dryness. Sometimes, if your skin feels dry despite applying moisturisers, it might be a sign that you might be deficient in potassium.
Potassium also helps support the growth of new skin cells. The renewal of skin cells will help keep your skin looking youthful and glowing. Renewing skin cells also means that there is a higher chance of your scars and dark spots being faded.
Chromium can help enhance the role of insulin in your body. Insulin is a hormone that helps control your blood sugar. Because chromium helps balance your blood sugar levels, it can lead to an improvement of your skin condition. When your blood sugar levels rapidly change, you are more likely to get acne or other skin reactions. Balancing out your blood sugar levels might help decrease the chance of acne.
Folic acid is also known as vitamin B9, it is involved in energy production and cell metabolism in your body. Folic acid helps maintain your skin barrier function and thereby keeping the hydration locked in. If your skin barrier is working well, it can help keep your hydration better and also reduce skin dryness. Folic acid can also help you maintain adequate collagen production, this helps prevent the signs of premature aging. One study suggested that consuming aloe vera was able to improve the collagen production and reduce the visibility of wrinkles in women over 45 years old.
May help with digestion
Aloe vera juice contains an organic compound called anthraquinone glycosides. Anthraquinones are considered to be laxatives and is commonly used for those with constipation. It is believed that it can help increase the amount of fluid in your colon and stimulate your colon contractions. On average, it would take around 7 hours to experience the laxative effect after consuming.
Historically, those with digestive issues are often suggested to try out aloe vera. This is because not only is it a mild laxative, it also contains antioxidants and plant mucilage that helps with your inflamed digestive tract. When you drink aloe vera juice, it might have a soothing effect on your digestive tract and might reduce the digestive issues you have.
However, for those of you who take medication, I would consult your doctor before trying out aloe vera juice in the morning. This is because drinking aloe vera might decrease the amount of the drug your body absorbs due to its laxative effect.
Bottomline
There are potential benefits to drinking aloe vera juice in the morning. Regardless, you should always speak to a doctor or a registered nutritionist if you are unsure about how it would impact your body. Drinking aloe vera juice might cause stomach issues in some people because of its laxative effect. Therefore, I would always drink in moderation. It is best to speak to a professional before incorporating it into your diet.
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