Benefits of Lemon Water
There are many benefits of lemons, which include treatment of throat infections (what I have been using it for for years), indigestion, constipation, dental issues, fever, internal bleeding, rheumatism, burns, obesity, respiratory disorders, cholera, and high blood pressure. There are also benefits to the hair and skin. Lemons are also known to strengthen your immune system, cleanse the stomach, and purifies the blood.
Lemons are PACKED with vitamin C: Did you know that a single lemon contains about 30 – 40 mg of vitamin C? Well, it has been proven in studies that vitamin C has many health benefits for our bodies. It helps with protecting against prenatal problems, cardiovascular disease, eye diseases, skin wrinkles, and immune system deficiencies. It acts as an antioxidant, which helps to protect your cells from free radical damage. Now I will break down the 6 MOST IMPORTANT reasons everyone should drink lemon water DAILY!
1. Lemon water helps to detoxify and cleanse the body. The more water we drink, the more we urinate, we all know this to be true, but did you know that lemon water will create more urine? Lemon water’s primary compound it citrate. Citrate is a naturally occurring inhibitor of toxins. The citric acid helps the body’s ability to naturally flush out all unwanted toxins, through the urine. Toxins enter into our system through multiple ways, the air we breathe and the foods we eat.
- According to Dutch researchers in 2002, lemon peels and the waste stream of the peels have shown effective in lowering blood and liver cholesterol levels. This study was performed on animals, but these findings still claim that lemon peel consumption could be beneficial to individuals with fatty liver disease.
- A study done in 2005 by Indian researchers claimed that hesperidin, which is a citrus bioflavonoid found in lemons, demonstrated the ability to protect the liver from damage. After the administration of CC14 (a known liver toxin), the researchers found that hesperidin showed a protective type of effect on the liver.
The liver is what filters everything that enters our bodies and it helps to neutralize the toxins in our systems. The above studies have opened our eyes to the ability that lemon has on the liver’s function of filtering toxins that are dangerous to the body. Basically, it is important to know that lemon water can help as a detoxifier as it helps our body’s enzyme function and stimulates the liver. Other studies have shown that after toxin build up in the body, lemon juice and peel help to cleanse and detoxify. The use of lemon water after meals could even help to lower the amount of toxins your body absorbs.
2. Lemon water improves digestion. The thing helps with improved digestion in warm lemon water is the citrus flavonoids. They help in the assimilation of food, prevent fatty liver, decrease risk of cardiovascular disease, lower fat, and lower insulin sensitivity. This is due to the fact that it is able to inhibit specific synthesis of body fat. They act as a digestive tonic as well as an appetite suppressant. There has also been findings that the flavonoids help with calming an upset stomach or slight indigestion. This is due to the hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which starts the process of the breakdown of foods. I has been shown that citrus flavonoids in lemon water assist hydrochloric acid in the food breakdown process in the stomach. It is recommended that you use lemon water to aid in digestion, but don’t forget the zest, this will help to strengthen the good bacteria in the gut.
3. Lemon alkalinizes water. If you are not fully aware of what alkalinity in the body is, please be sure to read my blog post about it (enter site). Alkaline foods and drinks are used to help reduce the acidity in the human body and blood. The human body should be in the range of 7.35 – 7.45, which is a bit more alkaline. When the human body has a high acid build up, this my create diseases and issues, such as acid reflux, upset stomach, acidosis, and more. You can check the pH level of your body with test strips using saliva or urine. If you plan to utilize lemon water to help with acid in your body, you want to check your pH levels first and speak with your doctor. It is recommended that you stay within the above ranges for best health in your body. Although, lemon water is one of the safest and most effective ways to lower acid in the body and manage pH levels. By simply achieving the healthy alkalinity in the body, it may benefit bond health, reduce muscle wasting, decrease chances hypertension and strokes, improve cardiovascular health, and improve the memory.
4. Lemon water is great for weight loss and as an appetite suppressant, plus it’s natural. There is not much scientific research supporting this claim, but it doesn’t always mean that the claim can be deemed as false either. This just means that there is not enough research in this area currently and more research is necessary. Although there is one study that was done, which did NOT use human trials, but did however find reduced weight gain in a diet high in fat consumption. In most cases, people fall into the HIGH FAT category for their diet, regardless of what they think. Lemons main substance is pectin and polyphenols, which through plenty of research have proven to have weight loss and appetite suppression qualities. According to one study, the substances increased fat metabolism, increased HDL (which is the good cholesterol) while lowering the LDL (bad cholesterol) and helped in the decrease of inflammation production. The recommendation is to replace your morning coffee with a warm cup of lemon water before eating. Take one lemon and cut it in half, squeeze fresh lemon juice into a cup of warm water.
5. Lemon improves skin and helps in the reduction of wrinkles. This claim is not only associated with drinking lemon water, but also with utilizing its juice topically. Lemons have are high in antioxidants, which have been proven to have anti-aging properties. Free radicals are the main cause of aging. They breakdown certain tissues in the body, mostly the skin. A study found that antioxidants that are plant derived reversed the breakdown of collagen fibers in the skin. Collagen is what give our skin the strength, structure, and plumpness as well as protecting the skin from absorbing toxins. Now, remember, free radicals in low amounts are not considered damaging to the body, but always of what increases the exposure to free radicals. The most common exposures are from drugs (illegal and legal), radiation, pesticides, air pollutants, solvents, alcohol, tobacco smoke, pollution, and some foods that we eat.
6. Essential oils in lemons. There have been a large number of studies done on essential oils and the claims they make of effectiveness. There are over 500 studies done on lemon oil alone. If you are wanting your own lemon oil, it is suggested to use fresh lemon oil by simply squeezing/twisting the peel or outer zest portion of a fresh lemon, and not the use essential oils on the skin or to ingest, as there is still not any sufficient scientific proof that it is good to apply to the skin or to ingest. Lemon oil has antimicrobial activities against bad bacteria, yeast and fungi (candida albicans, the cause of yeast infections). A study was done using pregnant women that were suffering from nausea and vomiting. About 100 women were participants and after 2 days they reported a drastic decrease in the symptoms as opposed to the placebo group. 33% of the women, after 4 days, saw a decrease in nausea and vomiting. This study suggests that individuals that are not pregnant may also see similar results. A study done by the Central Food Technological Research Institute studied how feraniol (a phytonutrient found in lemons) help in the aid of reversing diabetic neuropathy. They found that sciatic nerve damage was reduced through lemon oil (geraniol) use. This study was 8 weeks and found that cellular function was restored, suggesting that the use of lemon oil regularly can assist in regulating energy stores, and help in preventing disease. Many people forget to utilize the lemon oil in their lemon water, but it one of the most research parts of the lemon and found to provide many health benefits.
7. Safety measures when drinking lemon water. First things first, DO NOT EVER EAT THE SEEDS OF A LEMON, please make sure to avoid the seeds in your water. They contain a small amount of salicylic acid which the main ingredient in aspirin. Try to avoid using sweeteners to your lemon water, it is suggested that if you must have it sweetened to use raw honey or stevia. Other sweeteners will negate the benefits mentioned above. Many are concerned about enamel and the lemon juice. Let’s get this straight now, as long as you are not EATING or DRIKNIG straight lemon juice this will not harm your enamel.
Drinking lemon water is something that is able to be done regularly while giving long term benefits. If you want to more dramatic effects of lemon water use it to replace your morning coffee and soda/juice. Don’t be upset if you don’t see immediate effects of the lemon water, as with anything it takes up to 2 weeks to notice any type of difference. Since our society is one of instant gratification, I do not want you to be discouraged when you don’t see immediate results. This is just like with exercise and eating healthy, it takes time for your body to react to the changes you are making. Be patient and watch how amazing the changes are.