Most restaurants offer free lemon water in service, and it has been quite popular among health enthusiasts due to the benefits it provides. However, some people are not too fond of the taste in spite of the advantages. Then there are also a few others who absolutely love lemon water. Truth be told, there is not a lot of research done on the benefits of lemon water, but what we can tell you is, separately, lemon and water are great for your health.
There are evident benefits of consuming lemon water, and if taken on a daily basis, you should be able to see results. Here are a few benefits of consuming lemon water:
Lose Weight Easier
A study conducted on mice was able to prove that the polyphenol antioxidants in lemon were successful in controlling their weight in spite of a high-fat diet. In addition to this, insulin resistance was also improved in the rodents. Although more studies need to be conducted in order to determine if this will also be applicable to humans, the theory of it is quite promising.
Lose Weight
Fans of lemon water have noticed that it was easier for them to lose weight, but it was not clear whether it was due to the chemical content of the water, or if it was due to the excessive drinking that kept them away from overeating that did the trick. Either way, it did help them lose weight.
Another reason as to why lemon water could help you lose weight is because it is also a very low-calorie beverage. Half a lemon squeezed into a glass of water would give you only 6 calories.
Less High-calorie beverages
A lot of people drink high-calorie beverages to their meal, and studies are showing that if you swap only one of these drinks for a low calorie one, you will naturally cut down your daily calorie intake with about 100-200 calories. This is an excellent way of cutting out calories to boost your weight loss. PAGE BREAK
High-calorie beverages
Studies have been showing that people who drink high-calorie intake beverages like soda in addition to their meal, don’t actually eat less because of this, but only end up consuming a higher intake of calories due to the calories from the beverage. So swapping that soda into lemon water will definitely do the trick!
Improved Hydration
Staying hydrated has a lot of health benefits, as you probably know. Lemon water can help with that! Drinking water is essential from anything to carrying nutrients to transporting toxins out of the body. It regulates body temperature and improves your performance physically when you work out. Some recent research also suggests that staying hydrated could increase the breakdown of fats in your body.
Proper Hydration
Ideally, all ailments can be solved with proper hydration. It is generally the key to a healthy body. Depending on your daily activity, it is advisable to consume 2 to 3 liters of water each day. Water can also be consumed from food like cucumbers and watermelons, but most of it needs to be in liquid form.
Lemon Water
In all honesty, water is not very enjoyable to drink. In fact, some people despise the taste of water which is why they opt to consume sugary drinks like soda or fruit juice. The beauty of lemon water is that people now have the option to add a bit of flavor in an otherwise bland drink and reap the benefits of being hydrated well due to the increase of water intake.
Vitamin C
Like all citrus fruits, the lemon is packed with vitamin C. A regular dose of vitamin C has a mountain of benefits which include; regulation of high blood pressure, prevention of cardiovascular disease and strokes. In addition to that, vitamin C is great for your skin since it bonds with the free radicals that speeds up aging.
Vitomin C
It also boosts your immune system, with things like the common cold and flu. There is also research that suggests that Vitamin C can protect against different types of cancers because they fight off free radicals.
Vitamin C
In addition to that, vitamin C is excellent for your skin since it bonds with the free radicals that speeds up
Although lemons may not contain the most amount of vitamin C, they are still a good source. By consuming at least 2 liters of lemon water, you are able to reach the optimum amount of 60 mg.
Better Looking Skin
Keeping yourself hydrated is not only good for your internal organs but will affect your skin as well. Drinking more water hydrates the surface and makes it smoother, staying hydrated will always help with improving your skin.
However, it is not only because of hydration that lemons will have a fantastic impact on your skin. Firstly, Vitamin C fights off free radicals which will help against wrinkles and aging too quickly.
But it does other wonders for your skin too. Vitamin C brightens the complexion, it helps with evening out the skin tone and evens out out fine lines and some wrinkles. If you consume lemons or anything else rich in Vitamin C as a part of your daily routine, it will create natural protection against factors that damage your skin. We are talking about pollution, junk food, stress and other things that could affect the skin severely.
Better Looking Skin
Another great benefit from lemons is that high intake of Vitamin C could help to clear up the redness in your skin if you suffer from acne for example. Redness is most of the times a result of inflammation in the skin. The soreness comes up because there are bacteria in the skin, due to the acne. This is something your body tries to fight off through an inflammatory reaction. The Vitamin C you get from lemons will help the body to fight off that inflammation. Another way that lemons tone down the red in the skin is that it strengthens the linings of capillaries (the blood vessels that you have in your skin). This will be minimized with vitamin C because it helps to stop the leaking of the blood.
Faster Metabolism
By drinking warm lemon water in the morning, the digestive system seems to adapt better. The principle behind this is quite simple. After a long night’s rest, your body is dying to rehydrate, but instead of drinking water, we would opt to drink other beverages for breakfast which is not enough for us to replenish the water we have lost overnight. If adding lemon to your drink influences you to consume more water, then this is definitely a good sign.
Drinking lemon water in the morning, and staying well-hydrated can also avoid constipation. Dietitians also recommend for you to drink lemon water in the morning, as it will balance your glucose levels. This will probably lead you to eat a healthier breakfast, as your blood sugar is regulated.
Faster Metabolism
There is, of course, no miracle diets, but it has to be combined with exercising and eating healthy. However, drinking lemon water in the morning also regulates body temperature. By increasing the temperature in your body, your metabolism will also speed up.
So not only does lemon water rehydrate your body to keep you in shape, but they also regulate your temperature for you to burn as many calories as possible! If you can, try to combine the lemon water in the morning together with some ginger. When ginger and lemons work together, they build the perfect team to boost up your metabolism as much as possible!
Fresh Beath
Do you ever wonder why most cleaning products come in a lemon scent? It is because lemons actually help neutralize odor. This concept is also similar to when we want to get rid of bad breath that is caused by food like fish, onion, garlic, spices, and others.
Another thing it does is that it stimulates the production of saliva. When we have dry mouths, bacteria starts to grow excessively causing the smell, which is what we experience with morning breath. With enough saliva, we can avoid this entirely.
Fresh Breath
There is also a few other things that could cause bad breath that lemon water may help with.
Some of them are gum infection, tooth decay, throat infections, and bad diet. Because of lemons having such strong antibacterial powers, if the problem is caused by bacteria lemons will definitely do the trick.
As well if the smell is caused by tooth decay, lemon juice could help to slow down the process of the cavity. This is not advisable for longer than a short time solution, as it is crucial to see a dentist if you are experiencing cavity or other tooth related problems.
A good tip is to mix your lemon water with some parsley because it is also known to neutralize the bad smell. Mix lemon and water in a glass of cold water, or why not fill a water bottle with and take it with you to work? That way you can sip on this fresh beverage throughout the whole day, and never experience bad breath again!
Avoid Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are hard deposits that are made of minerals and salts that develop within your kidneys. This can be attributed to excessive sodium intake and inefficient hydration. Physicians recommend that getting more citric acid in your diet to reduce the risk of developing these stones are essential. As mentioned earlier, lemons are part of the citrus family which is a rich source of citric acid. By also consuming more water, your kidneys will be healthier since the sodium would be diluted and will not form into stones.
Consuming half a cup of lemon juice within the day will provide you with the right amount of citric acid that is necessary for reducing the formation of stones. The combination of lemon and water will improve your kidney’s viability in general
Improve Mood
There are some studies that show the relation of smelling lemons and the reduction of stress that in turn improves an individual’s mood as a whole. This is the reason why lemon oil is commonly found in tons of aromatherapy products that aim to calm and relax the user. By drinking lemon, you are also benefiting from the nutrients that have the same calming effect.
Improve Mood
In addition to this, the potassium in the lemon benefits consumers by regulating their blood pressure which is usually linked to high-stress levels. If we don’t get enough potassium and we are subjects to mountains of stress, you can be sure that our moods will be affected. By drinking lemon water, we easily improve our state of mind.
Focus better with lemon water!
Some studies show that not only does your mood brighten up, but your focus levels might also get higher. This is due to the PH being neutralized, and with the body being in a better overall state.
When we have the nutrition we need, and our PH levels are in balance, our ability to concentrate and focus will naturally increase.
So drinking lemon water is also a great idea when you need to focus a little bit extra. Next time you are facing a challenge at work, instead of taking that fifth cup of coffee that will leave you with an energy dip – try a bottle of lemon water instead and feel the difference. It will leave more energized.
Balance pH
As confusing as the concept may seem, citric acid actually produces alkaline byproducts when it is metabolized. By keeping our internal pH at an alkaline state, we are able to prevent cancer since the malignant growths thrive in acidic environments. With the consumption of lemon water, we are able to increase our citric acid intake which promotes the alkalinization of our internal pH.
At the end of the day, water will always be a good thing and adding a bit of lemon would just add to the list of benefits of drinking water in general. With lemon water, you are getting tons of nutrients as well as the right amount of hydration to keep you healthy.
Take it from the people who practice Ayurveda. By balancing the right energies within yourself, you are able to stay away from illness and improve your lifestyle as a whole.
Boost your energy levels with lemons!
Fresh lemons will help your body to boost up on oxygen, and that will maximize the enzyme function. Especially, Lemons are known to boost the natural enzymes of the liver, when the liver functions properly, they will be able to help your body to clean out toxins.
Toxins that we get from air pollution, junk food and alcohol, for example, makes you feel sluggish and tired. So give your body an excellent detox to boost your energy.
Protect Yourself Against Anemia
Anemia is a condition where you don’t have enough red blood cells, and therefore don’t have enough blood in your body. If you don’t eat enough iron, there is a risk of getting anemia which causes fatigue, tiredness, and other uncomfortable states.
While lemons don’t contain much iron in themselves, they do provide a lot of vitamin C., And Vitamin C helps the body to absorb Iron. Therefore, boosting your vitamin c intake will also help your body to store higher iron levels.
Antibacterial properties against sore throat
Lemons have potent antibacterial properties. Their acidity creates an environment that bacteria don’t like to live in. This is great both for preventing bacterial conditions, but also to help the body to cure itself naturally next time you get ill.
Lemons are really excellent for healing a sore throat. Next time you get a cold or sore throat, try this remedy:
Mix 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice together with one cup of hot water.
Improve physical activity
By now we know that lemons are loaded with antioxidants and right nutrients for the body.
If you are going to the gym or doing any other type of physical exercise, there are a few things your body need for you to really see results.
Regardless of if you just want to improve your health, build muscle mass or improve your cardio, your body needs:
Enough nutrition, hydration, a stable immune system, and a good recovery process.
We are not stretching it too far when we say that lemon water provides you with all of that naturally! The antioxidants give a boost for the immune system, and the recovery of tore down muscle mass. It gives your body a lot of nutrients from the vitamins, and the water itself hydrates your body. A good tip is to bring a water bottle with lemons in it to the gym and drink it while you are actually exercising. This will fill your body up on the good stuff at the same time as you’re working out!
Reduce joint and muscle pain!
Because of all properties, we have already mentioned above, such as the high intake of vitamin C, the ph levels and the acidity in lemons – it provides excellent anti-inflammatory protection also against joint pain and sore muscles.
If you are affected by any type of arthritis, lemons should be a good solution because it actually tones down the inflammation in your body. But even such a small thing as suffering from sore muscles after a workout can be annoying. After we have been working out, your body is suffering from oxidative stress – free radicals are being released into the body. Lemon water actually fights back that attack with all its antioxidants, and could, therefore, prevent you from getting sore muscles after a workout.
Makes your teeth whiter!
Lemons are known to make the teeth whiter. Thanks to the high levels of acid in lemons, it brightens your teeth. However, it can also be bad for your teeth with too much acid, so after you have had lemon water to drink it can be a good idea to have a standard glass of water as well. Green tea is also known to make your teeth whiter, so a good tip is to mix the two into a tasty ice-tea drink that will boost your pearly whites!
Quit smoking with lemon water!
Some studies are suggesting that a high intake of Vitamin C actually makes us less prone to long for cigarettes and nicotine products. Whether it comes down to the fresh feeling you get from lemon water, or if it’s because of Vitamin C, is still to be studied.
However, a lot of ex-smokers are testifying that lemon water helped them to stay off the bad habit of smoking. If you are still a smoker, and you are looking to quit, it worth to give it a try.
Whenever you feel the urge to have a cigarette, drink a glass of highly concentrated lemon water. For best results, it should be freshly squeezed lemons.
Prevent heart disease
Some studies are suggesting that lemons, and therefore lemon water, may be of help when wanting to prevent heart disease. Because they are packed with nutrients, that’s healthy for your heart. It is not really sure as of why it could help with preventing heart diseases yet, as it could be some different reasons. What we do know is there is a plant compound found in lemons called limonin, and that seems to be lowering bad cholesterol in your body.
Try a lemon water detox!
If you have been feeling sluggish for a while, it might be a good idea to try a lemon water detox. While some rehabs are suggesting that you will live only of water or lemon water, your body still needs nutrition in the form of food. Good advice would be to take about a week (or three days if you have never done a detox before), where you eat really healthy and add lemon water on top of that. Try to avoid dairy products, red meat, sugar, and junk food. Instead, indulge in fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and leafy greens. Drink at least 2 liters of lemon water per day, and make sure to exercise. But don’t exercise too hard, do something that’s not too physically challenging, but instead keeps your body active. You feel you get rid of the sluggishness in no time!