Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water
Lemons are packed like a clown car of nutrients, including vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. They even contain more potassium than apples or grapes!
Let’s take a look at the nutritional value of lemons:[1]
The nutrients in 1/2 cup (100 grams) of raw, peeled lemon include:[2]
- Calories: 29
- Water: 89%
- Protein: 1.1 grams
- Carbs: 9.3 grams
- Sugar: 2.5 grams
- Fiber: 2.8 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
Because of how hard lemon juice can be on the enamel of your teeth, it’s important to dilute it with water of any temperature (though lukewarm is recommended).
1. Banishes Acne
Lemon water fights acne and other blemishes by giving your kidney and liver a boost. It allows the liver topurify your bloodmore efficiently. Additionally, the antioxidants in lemons (like vitamin C) fight the development of acne (teenagers, take note!). Drinking hot lemon water in the morning is known to do wonders in terms of eliminating any toxins present in your system.
It can also be applied to scars and age spots to reduce their appearance. Because it’s detoxifying your blood, it will maintain your skin’s overall radiance.
2. Helps Aid Digestion
Lemon juice not only encourages healthy digestion by loosening toxins in your digestive tract, it helps to relieve symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, burping, and bloating. Drinking warm lemon water before eating is suggested because it helps to prepare your body for the meal you are about to eat.
It does this by kick-starting the production of bile in your system, which in turn is used to break down all of the things that you eat. As a natural diuretic, lemon water also helps to keep your digestive system running smoothly by clearing it of possible obstructions, which is the key to maintaining your overall health.
3. Helps You Lose Weight
Lemons contain pectin fiber, which assists in fighting hunger cravings. While it won’t actually burn off any of your excess fat, it can help you replace the empty calories in soda or sweetened coffee with something that is much healthier in comparison.
Lemon water indirectly does help you in releasing excess pounds by tackling your hunger pangs. The pectin fiber present in lemons acts to give you a feeling of fullness, meaning you won’t have to eat as much to feel satisfied.
4. Reduces Inflammation
If you drink lemon water on a regular basis, it will decrease the acidity in your body, which is where disease states occur.
It removes uric acid in your joints, which is one of the main causes of inflammation. If you have sore or achy knees and joints, starting the day off with a nice cup of warm lemon water might be just what the doctor ordered. This is mainly because the beverage helps to eliminate the uric acidthat is responsible for many of your aches and pains.
5. Freshens Your Breath
Lemon water relieves toothaches and gingivitis. The citric acid can erode tooth enamel, either hold off on brushing your teeth after drinking lemon water or brush your teeth before drinking it.
This can be especially useful in the morning when “morning breath” might persist even after you brush your teeth. Lemon water works to keep your mouth smelling great thanks to its antimicrobial properties. Additionally, the cause of most bad breaths is a dry mouth, and lemon water works to cure that.
6. It Boosts Your Heart Health
Heart disease is a major threat to human health. But honey lemon water can also help to reduce your chances of developing this serious condition. Lemons are rich in potassium, which has been shown to lower blood pressure levels, a major risk factor for heart attacks. Also, its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help to protect the heart muscles from inflammation and other forms of stress.
7. Prevents Allergies
Thanks to the vitamin C and antioxidants in lemons, lemon water does a great job of both boosting your immune system and balancing your body’s chemical properties. Thus, it equips your body to fight off allergy attacks. So if there’s a lot of pollen in the air and you feel the sniffles, grab a lemon and go to work.
8. Revitalizes Your Eyes
The numerous antioxidants and nutrients present within lemon juice do a great job of fighting off many of the more common eye-related maladies, such as cataracts and macular degeneration. Though drinking lemon water alone won’t be enough to outright cure any eye problems you might have currently, it does serve as an easy way to take preventative measures against any further damage.
9. Serves as a Natural Antacid
As a citrus fruit, you might think it to be a bit strange that lemons reduce the amount of acid in your system, but it’s true. What it does is replace acid with alkaline, essentially tackling your acid problems at the source instead of just addressing the symptoms (which is what many over-the-counter drugs do).
10. Gives you an Energy Boost
Lemon juice provides your body with energy when it enters your digestive tract. It also helps reduce anxiety and depression. Even the scent of lemons has a calming effect on your nervous system!
