A glass of lemon water to start your day could keep the doctor away…
Why do I say that?
Because according to Hippocrates “All disease begin in the gut” and modern research has been conclusive that an unhealthy gut leads to a myriad of diseases like diabetes and obesity.
Drinking this in the morning helps your gut by stimulating the production of hydrochloric acid, a critical ingredient needed by our stomach to digest and expel waste because it is rich in vitamin C.
And guess what? There are 28 more benefits that I want to share with you.
As recently as a few years ago, I would start my day by drinking a cup of coffee to “wake myself up”.
It was a habit that lasted around 7 years until I replaced coffee with juice this year.
I did not know that too much caffeine can lead to an early death so I had to cut it off my regular diet.
I heard about the benefits of drinking lemon water in the morning through my wife’s friend who was also into juicing, she told us about how good it is for our digestive system so I decided to research on this and found out it had even more benefits so I thought it was proper to share this with you.
I have to admit, I still drink coffee but only on occasion when I’m with friends but it is nowhere near the amount I was drinking before which was about two large cups a day.
Anyway back to the topic…
1. A Post-Workout Drink
If you are tired of spending a fortune on Gatorade, this recipe that includes lemon, lime, water, sea salt, and honey/natural sugar could be a good and more affordable alternative.
One thing people don’t realize when they workout is that their body becomes very acidic after an intense workout. Lemon is a great neutralizer of that high acidity inside your body.
Tip: You can also replenish loss fluids during workouts by drinking lemon water instead of just plain water to improve muscle endurance (particularly for running).
2. Alkalizes the Body
Nutritionists like Gareth Edwards say that has a great alkalizing effect on the body because “minerals in it disassociate to make it alkaline” as it gets absorbed by the body.
Even though lemon is acidic by nature, when it enters the bloodstream, “the alkalizing salts override the presence of acids” during the metabolic processes that happens when it enters the bloodstream.
3. Asthma Treatment
Lemon has been listed in countless home remedies lists as one of the best natural treatments for asthma that’s because it is rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that fights free radicals which causes smooth muscle contraction and airway constriction, both symptoms of asthma. It also helps clear out mucus from air vessels.
Tip: Don’t just rely on lemon for treatment, if your doctor prescribes an inhaler by all means use it just in case you have asthma attacks. Lemon is only meant to provide you with the dietary supplement you need to fight this condition.
4. Balances Blood Sugar Levels
Lemon is rich in a compound called Bioflavonoids which gives this fruit its yellow color. This same compound also naturally stimulates the production of insulin in our body that in turn balances our blood sugar levels which can help people who have diabetes.
5. Balances pH levels
When our pH level increases it means our body is becoming more acidic which makes it more prone to diseases such as high cholesterol and diabetes. A great way of balancing pH levels is drinking water infused with fresh lemon juice to alkalize the body and lowering acidity levels.
6. Brain Food
This little yellow fruit is rich in potassium which is considered brain food.
7. Caffeine Replacement
Lemon is a natural energy booster, even more so if you add honey to it. I’ve said earlier in this article that I was a chain coffee drinker who gulps down 2 large mugs a day and I’ve replaced it lemon water with no regrets whatsoever.
8. Detoxifies
If you’re haven’t heard about “The Master Cleanse”, this is basically a diet that consists of only drinking lemon water mixed with honey, cayenne pepper or maple syrup for an extended period of time.
This method may not work for everyone but I’d like to point out that this method takes advantage the citric acid present in lemon that will help flush toxins from the colon, gallbladder and liver that otherwise would be absorbed by the body.
A similar effect can be had by drinking this first thing in the morning before any meals.
9. Dissolves Phlegm
Citric acid present in lemon will dissolve phlegm. In addition to that it is rich in antioxidants like Vitamin C and K that help fight off cough and colds.
The traditional concoction involves combining lemon with warm water and honey. Warm water in a way sooths irritation (at the same time is a decongestant) caused by cough. William Sears says that honey is a very effective at dissolving phlegm, more effective than cough syrups.
10. Fights Cancer Cells
Remember about the compound Bioflavonoids I was talking about earlier, it turns out that this also works as an antioxidant that fights cell oxidation and free radical damage which are the main culprits of cancer. Theresa Chung who wrote “The Lemon Juice Diet” went as far as saying that it can help prevent cancer. It also contains pectin that according to Vijaya Kumar have been known to protect the intestines from cancer.
11. Heart Food
Potassium found in lemon is vital for the function of our heart, it does not treat any ailment but it helps in preventing heart related illnesses like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and irregular heartbeat.
12. Helps Hydrate Our Lymphatic System
According to Dr. John Douillard, the lymph system largest circulatory system in our body, twice as large as the arterial system, it is responsible for flushing out waste and toxins out of our system. Keeping it hydrated is important to our overall health.
Actually, water alone is enough to hydrate the lymph system but I added lemon here because it helps in alkalizing thus balancing acidity levels.
13. Helps Treat Constipation
This combo is great as a home remedy for constipation. Water helps lubricate the digestive system and soften stool. Citric acid found in lemon induces bowel movement that will flush out undigested waste from the colon.
14. Helps Treat Scurvy
Scurvy for those who don’t know is a disease that is a direct result of vitamin C deficiency. Sailors are most prone to this disease because of their extended mission trips on sea that often outlast their produce supply. Lemon water is the treatment of choice for this ailment because it is rich in vitamin C. Water is great as masking the sharp flavor thus allowing them to drink this concoction in large amounts.
15. Improves Digestive Health
A cup of warm water before any meal in the morning will help break down waste and flush out to toxins from the gut. That’s because at a molecular level, lemon is similar to your saliva that encourages the liver to produce bile – a fluid needed by our intestines to dispose waste and toxins.
Tip: Warm lemon water should be the first thing that goes in your stomach in the morning, before having breakfast or any other liquid.
16. Improves Eyesight
Being rich in vitamin C also has a positive effect on your eyesight as this will help prevent eye conditions like macular degeneration and cataract.
17. Improves Our Immune System
Lemons is rich in nutrients like bioflavonoids, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, citric acid, folate and pectin that boost our body’s immune system and immobilize free radicals – the cause of most ailments.
18. Increases Metabolism and Promotes Weight Loss
It is a little known fact that drinking 8 glasses of water (8 ounces per glass) each day actually boosts your metabolism or how much your body burns calories by 30%. This is based on a study done by Michael Boschmann of the Franz Volhard Research Center. Lemon adds some flavor to water which will help you drink more plus it has pectin which suppresses appetite.
Tip: Most of the pectin and dietary fiber is found in the white pity part under the skin, make sure to eat this as well.
19. Kills Worms
Parasites like worms thrive in an acidic environment by drinking something bitter like lemon mixed in water helps in flushing them out.
20. Lowers High Blood Pressure
A citrus fruit, like lemon is rich in vitamin C that helps in thinning the blood, in addition to its antioxidant properties. Another mineral found in this fruit that helps lower blood pressure is potassium that flushes out excess sodium.
Tip: if you suffer high blood pressure it is important that you keep yourself hydrated throughout the day because the lack of water tells your body to go into preservation mode which means it will hang on to every last drop of water your body has, the effect of that is thickening of the blood – another cause of high blood pressure.
21. Lowers Stress Levels
One thing that gets depleted when you’re stressed is vitamin C so the next time your stress levels go up, take a break and replenish that lost vitamin C with a cup of warm lemon water.
22. Prevents Bad Breath
It helps two ways here. First by killing the bad-breath-causing bacteria in your mouth and second, by flushing away toxins in your liver that when overworked releases bad smelling substances to the bloodstream, lungs then out the mouth.
23. Radiant Skin
Its antioxidant properties help you get more radiant skin from the inside out by repairing damaged cells, flushing out toxins and killing free radicals that can ruin our skin.
There are several health benefits of Watermelon but I will start with "Protection of Cancer" as number one.
