Benefits of Lemon Water

Lemon Water Benefits

 

Lemon Water Nutrition Facts

Lemons are loaded with healthy benefits, and particularly, they’re a great vitamin C food source. One cup of fresh lemon juice provides 187 percent of your daily recommended serving of vitamin C — take that, oranges! Lemon juice also offers up a healthy serving of potassium, magnesium and copper.
Check out what other benefits one cup of fresh lemon juice adds to a plain glass of water. Here are some lemon water nutrition facts:

• 61 calories
• 3 grams protein
• 6 grams sugar
• 0 grams fat
• 112 milligrams vitamin C (187 percent DV)
• 303 milligrams potassium (9 percent DV)
• 31.7 micrograms folate (8 percent DV)
• 0.1 milligrams vitamin B6 (6 percent DV)
• 0.1 milligrams thiamin (5 percent DV)
• 0.1 milligrams copper (4 percent DV)
• 1 gram fiber (4 percent DV)
• 14.6 milligrams magnesium (4 percent DV)
• 0.4 milligrams vitamin E (2 percent DV)

---

5 Benefits of Lemon Water

For such a simple drink, the list of lemon water benefits is impressive. Even if you’re not a big H2O drinker, you might find yourself reaching for a glass when you check out how awesome it is for your body and mind!

1. Aids in digestion and detoxification

Because lemon juice’s atomic structure is similar to the digestive juices found in the stomach, it tricks the liver into producing bile, which helps keep food moving through your body and gastrointestinal tract smoothly. Lemon water also helps relieve indigestion or ease an upset stomach.
The acids found in lemon juice also encourage your body to process the good stuff in foods more slowly. This drawn-out absorption means insulin levels remain steady and you get more nutrients out of the foods you consume. Better nutrient absorption means less bloating. Lemon water benefits the enzyme functions in your body, stimulating the liver and flushing out toxins. Because it’s a mild diuretic, you might find yourself using the bathroom more often, helping the urinary tract get rid of any unwanted elements. All of this helps detox body & skin.

2. Bumps up the vitamin C quotient

Since your body doesn’t make vitamin C on its own, it’s important to get enough of it from the foods and drinks you ingest. Luckily, lemons are chock-full of the vitamin.
What are the benefits of getting enough vitamin C? It stimulates white blood cell production, vital for your immune system to function properly. As an antioxidant, vitamin C also protects cells from oxidative damage. Plus, getting enough vitamin C helps the immune system keep colds and flu at bay. Drinking lemon water daily ensures your body gets a sizable amount of vitamin C daily.

3. Rejuvenates skin and heals the body

The antioxidants found in vitamin C do double duty in lemon water. They fight damage caused by free radicals, keeping your skin looking fresh. Getting enough vitamin C from your lemon water also keeps the body producing collagen, essential in smoothing out lines in the face. And, in one recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, regularly consuming vitamin C led to younger-looking skin and less wrinkles.

4. Helps shed pounds

Regularly sipping on lemon water can help you lose those last pounds. That’s because lemons contain pectin, a type of fiber commonly found in fruits. Pectin helps you feel full longer; that satiated feeling means you’ll chow down less throughout the day. Plus, did you know that when you’re even mildly dehydrated, you’re more prone to things like headaches, fatigue and an overall bad mood? Chugging down lemon water helps your body stay hydrated and feeling happy.

5. Boosts energy and mood

Skip the morning cup of coffee — lemon water can boost energy levels without the caffeine crash. Here’s how it works: Our bodies get energy from the atoms and molecules in foods. When negative-charged ions, like those found in lemons, enter your digestive tract, the result is an increase in energy levels au naturel.
Additionally, just the scent of a lemon has been found to reduce stress levels and improve moods. Don’t forget to offer a glass to grumpy co-workers or family members.

---

History and Interesting Facts About Lemon Water

Here are some interesting lemon water facts & history: Until about the 10th century, lemons were used mainly as decorative plants. The Crusades in the 11^th century brought the plant into Europe, and it made its first appearance in the New World in the late 1400s. Lemons and other vitamin C-rich fruits were particularly treasured for their ability to ward off scurvy. Today, the main producers of lemons include Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey and the U.S.
And though I love the benefits of lemon water, there are tons of ways to use lemons. Here are some of my favorites:
Deodorize your kitchen naturally. Add one cup of lemon juice to the dishwasher, and run it on the rinse cycle to disinfect and rid it of any lingering odors and deodorize your kitchen naturally. Need to clear up a bad kitchen smell? Add fresh lemon peels, cinnamon sticks and cloves to a pot of water and simmer on the stove.
Use lemon essential oil regularly. Mix lemon essential oil, baking soda and coconut oil and rub on teeth. Leave for two minutes to reap the effects of this natural tooth whitener. Mix lemon oil, baking soda and honey for an all-natural face wash. Need to spruce up your silver before company comes over? A lemon oil-soaked cloth will get rid of tarnishes quickly.

---

How to Buy and Use Lemons

Ready to jump on the lemon water bandwagon? Here are a few things to keep in mind at the store:

• There are three main types of lemons available in the U.S. Eureka and Lisbon lemons are both sour and tart. Eureka lemons have textured skins and few seeds. Lisbon lemons tend to have a smoother skin and no seeds. Meyer lemons, a sweeter variety, are becoming more common. These lemons have Mandarin oranges in their family tree, giving these fruits a deeper color than traditional lemons.
• When buying lemons, opt for ones that are fully yellow and, if possible, organic. If the fruit is still green, it isn’t fully ripe. Thinner-skinned lemons are juicier. Keep away from lemons that look dull, wrinkled or excessively hard.
• Storing lemons in a sealed plastic bag keeps lemons fresh much longer than leaving them at room temperature.
• To make preparing lemon water even easier, juice several lemons into an ice cube tray and freeze. Pop a few cubes in a glass of water to have fresh lemon juice at the ready anytime.
• When preparing lemon water, it’s best to add the lemon juice to room temperature or warm water — start with half a lemon’s worth of juice. Drinking cold lemon water can be a shock to your system.
• You get the benefits of lemon water whenever you drink it, but sipping on it in the morning will kick-start your day. Try a glass about a half hour before breakfast; the lemon juice in your belly will help your body absorb your breakfast nutrients better.

(Source: https://draxe.com/benefits-of-lemon-water/)