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Lemon is a fruit rich in vitamins. It has a beneficial effect on a person's appearance and beauty. One of the main benefits of water with lemon for the body is accelerating the process of losing weight.
Lemon water flushes out toxins and is extremely beneficial for your health.
Is it healthy to drink water with lemon? Undoubtedly. Also, warm lemon water is a good “morning drink” as it eases the digestion process, preventing constipation and diarrhea.
Nutritional value of lemons
A glass of lemon juice contains less than 25 calories. This drink is a rich source of nutrients such as calcium, potassium, vitamin C and pectin. It also has medicinal and antibacterial properties.
Another benefit of lemons is supporting the immune system and protecting against infections. They also act as a blood purifier. Lemon is a fabulous antiseptic, and lemon juice in the morning on an empty stomach works wonders for people with heart problems (due to its high potassium content). So, by making drinking lemon juice a daily routine, you will reap many health benefits. Read on and you will learn in more detail why you should drink water with lemon and how to do it correctly, all the pros and cons of this action.
Chemical composition of lemon
Citrus pulp contains a large amount of citric acid, which is the main source of the beneficial qualities of the fruit. Also includes:
- phytoncides;
- glycosides;
- pectin;
- lemon essential oil;
- flavonoids;
- cellulose.
The main substances that citrus includes:
- macroelements: potassium, chlorine, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur;
- vitamins: B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, A, C, PP, E;
- trace elements: fluorine, manganese, iron, molybdenum, zinc, boron, copper;
- other substances: organic acids, carbohydrates, fats, dietary fiber, proteins, ash, disaccharides, sugar, monosaccharides.
The juice from one fruit contains 33% of the body's daily requirement for vitamin C, and a tablespoon of zest contains 13%.
The calorie content of the fruit is 29 kcal per 100 grams.
Benefits of Lemon Water
I used to drink a glass of lemon water in the morning on an empty stomach only as a replacement for coffee or tea. Naturally, this was unconscious. Here are specific reasons why you should get up in the morning and prepare lemon water.
- Digestion Aid
The biggest benefit of lemon water is that it helps cleanse the digestive system and hydrate the body from the inside out.
Just think about it... You don't drink for at least 8 hours while you sleep. Drinking enough water when you wake up is a great way to get your body and mind working.
My childhood friend, who studied in Japan, brought this habit with her from there. She said that in Japan it is customary to drink 2-3 glasses of water in the morning. After trying the same, she noticed that she had more energy and improved digestion.
- Natural "rinsing"
Our liver is extremely active during sleep, as sleep is the time when repair and regeneration processes occur in the body. Drinking enough water, especially in the morning, helps ensure that the body can carry out these processes most efficiently. There is even evidence that lemon juice helps properly stimulate the production of stomach acid and bile.
Benefits for your body: Happy liver and lymphatic system.
- Strengthening the immune system
Lemons contain vitamin C... not an impressively high amount, but 30-50 mg per piece. They also contain potassium.
Lemon water first allows the body to effectively absorb these vitamins and can provide a small immune boost.
Vitamin C is also good for the adrenal glands and potentially reduces stress.
- Beautiful skin
While helping to cleanse the body and improve digestion, lemon water also leaves your skin clearer, smoother and healthier.
- "Healthy" weight
There is a lot of evidence that drinking water, especially with lemon, can help maintain a healthy weight. Researchers from Germany found that drinking enough lemon water increases your metabolism:
After drinking approximately 500 ml of water, the metabolic rate (the rate at which calories are burned) increased by 30% in subjects of both sexes. Primary processes occur within 10 minutes, and the maximum occurs in 30-40 minutes.
Of course, drinking water (or lemon water) alone won't be a panacea for weight loss, but it will be a good addition to a healthy diet.
Lemon water is useful in that it has the most beneficial effect on our health and acts purposefully to eliminate one or another problem in our body.
Lemon drink is very useful for women who are pregnant, and this benefit is noticeable for both the expectant mother and the fetus. If a pregnant woman drinks lemon water from the very beginning of her “interesting” situation, then the risk that the unborn baby will suffer from any allergies is minimal.
Lemon water has many beneficial properties because it contains ascorbic acid, vitamins D, P, B vitamins, and carotene. Moreover, all these components enter our body intact, which means they act on it as beneficially as possible.
Lemon drink helps improve digestive processes
. Systematic consumption of lemon water is a kind of stimulation for the digestive system: the liver actively begins to produce bile. It is also important that lemon water is an excellent tool in the fight against constant constipation.
As you know, lemon water is very rich in vitamin C, which our immune system needs most. At the same time, the main advantage of saponins, which are also contained in lemon water, is a powerful antimicrobial effect. Thus, lemon water is the main enemy of colds and flu.
Water with the addition of lemon juice reduces acidity and, as a result, the joints are freed from excess uric acid. This is a very important point, since uric acid is the main reason why our joints hurt and suffer from inflammatory processes. In addition, drinking lemon water dulls the feeling of hunger; in other words, a person eats less, which means he gains less weight or loses what he already has faster.
The joint work of vitamin C and other antioxidants is aimed at preventing the development of skin aging processes, pigmentation and the appearance of wrinkles. However, the effect of lemon water is not only a noticeable rejuvenation of the skin, but also the fact that the alkaline environment prevents the growth of bacteria.
Since lemon water has a diuretic effect, when combined with warm liquid, it will remove toxins and other substances that have a destructive effect on all systems of our body. Along with this, the level of enzymes increases, which somehow make the liver work more actively. Systematic intake of lemon water will not only cleanse the blood, reduce the likelihood of inflammatory processes, stop the vigorous activity of bacteria, but will also remove mucus that has accumulated in the lungs and bronchi.
In tandem with drug treatment, lemon water is a surprisingly effective method in the fight against asthma. Scientific studies have confirmed that drinking at least three glasses of lemon water daily actively and effectively fights cancer cells. Drinking lemon water is especially recommended for those people who have problems with the cardiovascular system. This drink effectively and quickly “brings down” blood pressure, fights dizziness and nausea.
Lemon water is an excellent home remedy to combat kidney stones. If you add two teaspoons of olive oil to a glass of lemon water, you can get an effective remedy aimed at destroying the stones themselves and allowing them to come out comfortably.
Lemon contains large quantities of bioflavonoids, which directly affect insulin production. Thus, lemon water helps maintain balanced blood sugar levels;
In addition to the fact that lemon water contains antioxidants, it is also rich in phytonutrients and B vitamins. Helps reduce the level of negative cholesterol. With regular consumption of water, lipoprotein is noticeably reduced, recovery processes in the body and cell regeneration are accelerated. Lemon water with honey is an excellent remedy for recovering from injuries, surgeries and illnesses. In addition, lemon drink perfectly neutralizes the harm caused to our body by medicinal drugs.
Thanks to this important property, drinking lemon drink promotes the choleretic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and hemostatic effect of the body. Lemon water also has excellent antioxidant properties.
Cooking technique
There are several ways to prepare lemon water. Here are the most popular ones that can be prepared at home.
First way. Place three slices of lemon in a glass of boiling water (200 ml), let cool slightly and drink slowly on an empty stomach. Effect: improved digestive tract functioning and weight loss.
Second way. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and mix it with clean drinking water in a 1:1 ratio so that you get 200 ml of the drink, which should be taken 30 minutes before meals. Effect: the stomach begins to actively produce juice, intestinal motility improves.
Third way. Using a blender, grind the whole lemon, including the peel. Add the resulting slurry to water, one tablespoon per 200 ml, drink in the morning, lunch and evening. Effect: removing toxins from the body.
Fourth way. Mix freshly squeezed lemon juice (50 ml) with 150 milliliters of warm water, add one teaspoon of honey. Take in the morning before breakfast and in the evening before bed. Effect: health-improving and restorative.
There are also options when juice is added to tea. To do this, you need to brew a glass of green tea. Add two slices of lemon and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Take 3 times a day, no more than 150 ml at a time. Effect: rapid weight loss.
Or cut the lemon into two equal parts, cut one into slices, and squeeze the juice out of the second, put in a thermos or any other container, and brew with boiling water (200 ml). Add finely grated ginger root (no more than 5–7 grams), add one teaspoon of honey. Let it brew for 15–20 minutes. Effect: healing the body, launching all its systems, active weight loss.
How to drink lemon water
If you follow the advice of specialists and therapists, then you should drink the lemon drink in one gulp, so that it completely and immediately fills the entire stomach cavity. It is not recommended to exceed a single dose of lemon water - 200 ml. This procedure is especially useful in the morning on an empty stomach.
After drinking lemon water, you need to perform a series of physical exercises, or asanas, if you practice any style of yoga. This way, cleansing the body will begin faster.
Myths about lemon water
Drinking enough water with vitamin C is a good idea, but it's not magic. And also on the Internet there are many statements about the benefits of water with lemon, which are not supported by anything:
- Regulating pH levels: There is a theory that certain foods can leave their own acids in the body. This is true, but it only affects urine pH, not blood pH.
- Detoxifying: Drinking water is important to help the body naturally eliminate cellular waste, but claims that lemon water has a special ability to "flush out toxins" are overblown.
- Cancer Prevention: Many articles claim that lemon water promotes an alkaline environment where cancer cells cannot proliferate, but this is certainly not the case.
- Increased IQ: It is believed that drinking or lemon water in the morning can help with accuracy and focus, but there is no evidence that it actually increases IQ in the long term.
How to make lemon water
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 700+ ml warm (not boiling) water
- 1 or 2 lemons
- piece of fresh ginger root (optional)
- honey (optional)
Recipe:
- Cut a lemon in half and squeeze half or all of the lemon into the water.
- Peel and chop the ginger root (if using) and add to the water and honey.
- Enjoy!
Additions:
After drinking a glass of lemon water, rinse your mouth for 30 seconds and make sure there is no lemon juice left on your teeth, as it erodes tooth enamel.
Contraindications
Cannot be used for:
- increased stomach acidity;
- allergies to citrus fruits;
- liver pathologies;
- exacerbation of sore throat;
- sensitive tooth enamel;
- gastrointestinal diseases which include gastritis, pancreatitis, heartburn, ulcers. Information about diet for gastritis here;
- cholelithiasis;
- inflammation of the bladder;
- diabetes mellitus;
- kidney problems.
For the purpose of losing weight, everyone is not allowed to include the drink in their diet at their own discretion. If you want to lose weight and stay healthy at the same time, you should consult your doctor. Professional consultation will help avoid complications.
Lemon water recipe #2
Several years have already passed since I gave up coffee and started drinking water with lemon in the morning. My path to quitting caffeine was very thorny and difficult, which is not what I wish for you. I was like a smoker with 20 years of experience who suddenly decided to quit cigarettes. But I think the crowd here is grown up and you don't think lemon water is a panacea that will completely detoxify your body or help you lose weight. If you eat chocolates and wash them down with water and lemon, then it naturally will not help you.
Lemons contain a lot of vitamin C, which improves your immune resistance. Chances are, eating half a lemon a day isn't very enjoyable, so adding water is a great alternative. When I was a child, my mother always gave me sliced lemons with sugar when I was sick. Just like garlic, it is considered a natural antibiotic.
Lemon water also helps your digestion, flushes out toxins and cleanses your liver. Plus it helps reduce joint pain.
To reap the most benefits, you should drink lemon water in the morning before meals, and it should be warm.
I also noticed that water with lemon (as well as with linden, grapefruit or apple) can damage tooth enamel over time. Dr. Sarah Solomon gave us 5 tips on how to prevent damage to tooth enamel without giving up a great morning ritual:
How to prepare and drink the right lemon water:
- Dilute lemon juice in 250 ml of water.
- Drink lemon water with a straw.
- Rinse your mouth immediately after use.
- Avoid brushing your teeth for 60 minutes.
- Then use a soft toothbrush.
I don't know what you use to squeeze lemon juice, but I suggest using a very basic "lemon squeezer" or hand citrus press. They are ideal for extracting a little fresh lemon juice for salad dressing, fish or lemon water. They are also easy to clean - you just need to wash them.
To keep the water warm, I usually mix boiling and cold, filtered water. Another option is to turn off the kettle before boiling.
And don't throw away the peels. You can freeze it to chop later or use around the house. For example, this is an excellent oven cleaner. The only part of the lemon that you can't do anything with is the white, bitter skin.
Original options
Those who want to drink sweet water can add a teaspoon of honey to the classic composition and mix thoroughly.
Mint leaves are suitable for decorating the drink. Rinse them first, chop them with your hands, crush them a little with a spoon so that the greens release their juice. Pour in a small amount of warm water, and when the composition has infused for about 20 minutes, you can pour the contents into a jug.
This fortified cocktail will charge you with energy for the whole day and give you a great mood. How else can you modify lemon water? A bright “print” will be the tandem of lemon and cranberries. Leave in the refrigerator for 3 hours, drink chilled, sweeten a little, because such a drink can be bitter.
To decorate lemon water, diversify the taste and aroma, you can add chopped orange, kiwi, avocado, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, plums and even watermelon. For herbs, use basil, lavender, thyme, rosemary.
