One of the best nutrition tips is to begin every morning with a glass of warm lemon water. It’s a morning formula that many celebrities swear by and the almost all nutritionist’s recommend, and can have significant health benefits for you too.
I’ll start by explaining what exactly warm lemon water is, and what quantity you should drink daily.
Warm lemon water is exactly what it sounds like it is….simply a cup of warm water that has juice from a lemon squeezed into it.
The optimal temperature for the water is a has been highly debated, with some claiming hot water helps improved digestive health, while others claim very cold water is better to burn calories. The truth is that no way really knows and there is very little scientific research to prove either is better, however anecdotally most experts recommend the water be lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold.
As for the volume of lemon juice you squeeze into the warm water, that is entirely a personal decision and based off your tastes, but a good rule of thumb is half a lemon.
It does it have to be left in a refrigerator overnight or any prepared in any specific way, you simply have to boil some water until its lukewarm (not hot) and then squeeze the lemon. It can then be drunk immediately.
The Benefits
Obviously the main ingredients in lemon water is Water!
Drinking water – of course – has some very important benefits (please read my other blog post on Water – The Power of Water: The Elixir of Life.
Experts recommend drinking at least eight glasses of water a day, and the benefits of drinking water include:
• Improved hydration
• Better digestive health
• Enhanced mood
• Improved memory
• Boost metabolism (albeit only slightly)
• Aids weight loss
• Improves skin quality
• Improves performance during exercise
The next ingredients is, of course, the Lemon! The benefits include:
• Great source of Vitamin C
• Good for your skin
• Aids weight loss
• Cleanses and detoxes
Lemons are a low calorie (under 10 calories) and low sugar (less than 1 gram) source of Vitamin C, and while lemons are not at the top the list of citrus fruits high in vitamin C, they are still a very good low-calorie source, and just 1 glass of lemon water can provide more than a quarter of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin C.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect cells from damaging free radicals, it may reduce wrinkles (a study published in the American Society for Clinical Nutrition concluded that people who consumed more vitamin C have less risk of wrinkled and dry skin) and may also lower blood pressure and prevent or reduce the occurrence of colds.
Lemon water can also help get your digestive system moving in the mornings. It is believed that since the digestive juices found in the human stomach are similar to the atomic structure of lemon juice, that the liver is ‘tricked’ into generating bile when lemon juice is digested, and this then aids movement through the body and gastrointestinal tract. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, even claimed that the polyphenol antioxidants that are in lemons can significantly reduce weight gain.
It has also been claimed that drinking lemon water can help you detox and flush out toxins. Ayurvedic medicine, for example, believes the sour taste of a lemon helps stimulate your ‘agni’ which in turn aids digestion and helps to prevent toxin build up, while Western nutritionist’s believe that lemon water helps the enzyme functions of your body, stimulating the liver and flushing out toxins. All of this helps cleanse and detox your body.
One Cautionary Word
It’s important to note that the acid in lemon can damage tooth enamel over time. This can easily be managed by either drinking lemon water with a straw whenever possible, to avoid contact with your teeth, or simply to have a glass of water (without lemon) after your class of lemon water thereby rinsing your teeth.
It’s also best to wait at least 30 minutes to brush your teeth, as your enamel will be in a slightly acid-softened state, so either brushing your teeth prior to your lemon water or waiting a short while to brush makes sense.
Conclusion
Overall the benefits of drinking warm lemon water greatly outweigh the negatives, and you should begin each day with a glass of lemon water. It is a simple beverage to make, is a great alternative to a morning cup of coffee, helps great your digestive system moving, removes toxins and gives you a great start to your day!
Essence-ness 