The liver responds to fresh lemon juice more than any other food source because it amps up its enzyme production, according to Dr. Consuming lemon in order to tackle and prevent illnesses like the common cold hasn’t been proven, however, unless you live in severe climates. Drinking water during illness is crucial, as your body’s defenses are working overtime to fight off sickness. Lemon water is also touted as helping break up phlegm during a cold and soothing sore throats. The ascorbic acid (vitamin C) found in lemons is necessary for healing wounds. Staying hydrated is crucial for your overall body health, so starting your day with a glass of water is a no-brainer. When your body is dehydrated, it holds on to fat cells, and dehydration can also make you feel hungry. Drinking water also helps in this area, as dehydration can drain your body’s energy and make you feel sluggish. Plus, according to Natural Health Magazine, scientist found that just a whiff of lemon can boost your feel-good hormones and reduce stress levels. The potassium in lemons helps with brain and nerve function, which can increase your alertness. Water also helps carry nutrients to your cells, so staying properly hydrates is important!
Lemons have loads of vitamin C, which assists in decreasing the production of wrinkles, and defends your skin against free-radical damage. Drink it fairly quickly, and wait at least a half hour before eating to reap the most benefits. Squeeze juice from a lemon into your water (if you are under 150 pounds use half a lemon, if you are over 150 pounds use a whole lemon). Water that is too hot or ice cold requires more energy for your body to process, so it’s best to slowly wake up your body with warm water. When you first wake up, pour a glass of room temperature water. It’s been publicized as rejuvenating your skin, boosting metabolism, fighting off viruses and more but is it really so absolutely, incredibly, fantastically beneficial and life changing? Read on! For any other health benefits you desire such as improved immunity, better digestion, weight loss, and kidney stone prevention? Look elsewhere.7 Benefits of Starting your Day with Lemon Waterĭrinking lemon water first thing in the morning has been a popular trend for years. It probably definitely won’t give you superhero strength, but it might make you drink a little more water, and that’s a good thing. The Bottom Line: Add a splash of lemon juice or a lemon wedge to your water if you like the flavor. For the record, we do not support nor would never recommend this cleanse to anyone-especially not a runner-but it’s worth mentioning as the hype around it has contributed to some of the bogus claims about the benefits of lemon water. For comparison’s sake, a runner might consume 650 calories in one meal to fuel his or her mileage and recovery. It’s because the “diet,” on which you consume only this lemonade drink, made of cayenne pepper, lemon juice, maple syrup, and water severely (and dangerously) slashes calories, down to 650 per day. But not because of some magic lemon power. Does it help with weight loss? It sure does. Which brings us to that ill-advised “Master Cleanse,” also known as the “Lemonade Diet,” created by Stanley Burroughs in the 1940s, published in 1976, but made popular in 2006 when Beyoncé cited it as the method of weight loss for her role in Dreamgirls. Plus, swapping out sugary, calorie-laden drinks like soda for (lemon) water can also cut back excess calories, leading to weight loss. Staying hydrated will prevent you from snacking when you don’t need the extra calories. How’s that? Often, you might feel hungry when you’re actually thirsty. Since proper hydration leads to optimal performance, drinking enough H20 on and off the run is key for all of us.Ī comfy waist belt that won't dig into your sidesĪnd because drinking more (lemon) water increases hydration, it could also help with weight loss. “With this claim, if you don’t like water and adding lemon juice makes you more likely to drink it, that could help with hydration,” Rizzo says. Perhaps the lemon juice claim that may be the most true and most helpful to runners is that it promotes hydration. Although, she says, the zest is what gives your water the lemon flavor lemon juice itself is quite acidic. Rizzo also explains that most of the lemon’s nutrients are in its peel, and chances are, you’re not drinking the peel (or zest). In order to really get a hit of vitamin C, you’d have to drink a lot of lemon juice, in which case it would become unpalatable for most. Double Your Weight Loss Efforts in Just 15 MinutesĪnd the claim that a splash of lemon juice in your water can help you fight the sniffles? “It might increase your intake of vitamin C, but only by a negligible amount,” says New York City-based dietitian and runner Natalie Rizzo, M.S., R.D.