Natural remedies have been employed throughout history for various reasons. They are more cost-effective, easier to obtain, and have lesser side effects. Lemons and lemon water happen to be amongst the most well-known sources of remedy. Lemons are super healthy.
One glass of lemon juice contains less than 25 calories. While we seem to limit its nutrient resources to just vitamin C, there is more than lemons have to offer. They are rich sources of an array of minerals and nutrients, including pectin fiber, vitamins A, B6, and E, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate.
They are delicious and versatile fruit. With their refreshing scent and tart flavor, lemons are a popular pick when it comes to flavoring food and drinks. Aside from their culinary use known for their citrusy solid and tangy taste, lemons have long been used for medicinal and antimicrobial benefits.
Lemons are perfect for you as they harbor countless benefits, including helping digestion, aiding weight loss, boosting immunity, countering inflammation, and serving as a detoxifying agent.
Lemon Water Benefits;
While lemons may be too tart to have on their own, they are often top off many delicious foods. Warm lemon water is one of the best ways to make use of lemons in their purest form. Following is a list of the 14 benefits of drinking warm lemon water.
1. Boosts Immunity
A rich source of vitamin C, lemons are a tried and tested cure for fighting various infections, particularly colds and respiratory disorders. Research suggests that vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, induces white blood cells. White blood cells from the primary line of defense against microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria. Vitamin C helps keep the immune cells healthy and functioning in antibody production for foreign body destruction.
Vitamin C also gives lemons unique anti-inflammatory properties. This unique ability enables lemons to relieve any discomfort associated with infection and subsequent inflammation that accompanies conditions such as flu, asthma, bronchitis, etc. The compound limonene found in lemon juice helps resist asthma triggers, thereby helping the body fight against various irritants and allergens. Warm lemon water thus is an excellent way to consume a high dose of vitamin C necessary for enhancing immunity.
2. Keeps The Heart Healthy
Drinking warm lemon water daily harbors multiple benefits for heart health. The potassium present in lemons helps in monitoring blood pressure and reduces the occurrence of blood pressure surges. Vitamin C helps protect the heart from cardiovascular diseases like arteriosclerosis and strokes. It helps maintain blood vessel elasticity, thereby stunting the consequences of high blood cholesterol.
3. Aids Weight Loss
Many people vouch for warm lemon water when it comes to weight loss. Lemons contain pectin fiber, which helps combat hunger cravings, thereby curbing your need to munch unnecessarily and eat more during meal times. This method works if you are taking warm lemon water as well as eating the whole lemon.
Weight loss is also aided by drinking a glass of warm lemon water before your workout as it helps boost your metabolism, which facilitates the depletion of fat stores.
According to a research study, lemon juice was confirmed to contain polyphenols. Polyphenols prevent fat accumulation, thereby reducing weight gain. Therefore, drinking warm lemon water and eating lemons not only suppresses your appetite but also amps up your metabolism. Better metabolism ensures better physical engagement and improved performance throughout the day.
4. Enhances Digestion
Warm lemon water helps aid the digestive process and helps flush out unwanted waste from the body. This potion contains citrus flavonoids, which work in conjunction with the acids in the stomach to improve digestion. Lemon juice-infused water encourages the liver to produce bile, which plays an integral role in digestion. This mechanism is beneficial for older adults who have to deal with an unfortunate outcome of aging, reduced stomach acid production, and release. This condition is referred to as atrophic gastritis and affects over 30% of the elderly population above 60 years of age.
Warm lemon water also reduces the occurrence of any symptoms associated with indigestion, such as cramps, bloating, or nausea. Enhanced digestion thus helps minimize constipation or heartburn.
5. Lemon Water Detox Promotes Healthy Skin
Vitamin C is an excellent active agent that combats aging and helps skin rejuvenation. Thus, warm lemon water is a good choice of drink for those who wish to have wrinkle and blemish-free skin. It purges toxins from the blood, thereby making the skin look visibly apparent. The antioxidants in lemon juice effectively fight free radical-induced damage. These radicals work by oxidizing cells and causing them to age quickly.
Warm lemon water also helps retain skin cell moisture, which further prevents fine lines and wrinkles. While some may suggest applying lemon directly on scars or marks to reduce their appearance, it is best to avoid it as the acid present inside lemons can be pretty harsh for direct contact with the skin.
Related article: 11 Beauty-Boosting Foods That Will Give You A Clear Skin
6. Works as Breath Freshener
Lemons have a very refreshing citrusy scent and flavor, which works fantastic as a breath freshener. However, it is essential to be mindful of one critical and damaging outcome of warm lemon water: enamel erosion. The citric acid present in lemon juice can erode the enamel of your teeth, thereby leaving the teeth prone to cavities. This is why you must drink lemon water before you brush your teeth in the morning.
7. Help Detoxify the Liver
The liver is one of the essential organs of the human body. It works to break down complex substances into simpler ones so that the body may metabolize them. The products of metabolism can be categorized into beneficial and harmful substances. While nutrients obtained from food are good for you, the by-products of alcohol are not that useful. Thus, detoxification is a crucial aspect of healthy liver functioning. One way to enhance detoxification is with the help of warm lemon water.
The compounds present in this potion help the liver filter out toxins from the body with the help of citrus flavonoids. In addition to detoxification, citrus flavonoids prevent fatty liver disease by stunting the accumulation of fat in the liver. An effective natural cleanser, warm lemon water is an excellent detox tool.
8. Prevents Gum Disease
Gingivitis is defined as a gum disease characterized by inflammation around the teeth due to plaque buildup. The gums are swollen, red, and painful. Not only does warm lemon water kick funky breath to the curb, but it also helps alleviate inflammation that may have resulted from gum infections, such as gingivitis. Lemon possesses unique antimicrobial properties that allow it to kill microorganisms present in the oral cavity that contribute to foul breath and gum disease.
Vitamin C deficiency is also known as scurvy. It presents itself in many forms, such as anemia, weakness, sore limbs, spontaneous bleeding, and ulcerated gums. This ulceration can be so severe that it might even result in tooth loss. Patients are prescribed vitamin C supplements to make up for the deficiency. For a natural remedy, citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons, are excellent. Once the deficiency is overcome, the gums heal back to normal.
9. Works as a Diuretic
A diuretic is any substance that enhances urine production to rid the body of its toxins. Warm lemon water contains essential minerals, including potassium, magnesium, and copper, making it an excellent electrolyte. Electrolytes are crucial for the body because they are necessary for nerve impulse conduction and muscle contraction.
Research shows that drinking lemon water increases urine production, which helps purify the system from toxins. The increased rate of urination ensures the release of toxins from the body at a faster pace. It also helps to keep the urinary tract healthy and free from infections.
10. Reduces the Risk of Kidney Stones
Lemon water’s function as a diuretic allows the kidneys to function at optimum levels. The replenishing hydration allows the kidneys to work and filter continuously. Since the kidneys are constantly in function, there is no accumulation of toxins. Lemon water consumption ensures timely flushing out of toxins that would otherwise accumulate and develop into kidney stones.
Lemon water helps prevent kidney stones in another way, which is by making the urine less acidic. Lemons have the highest citrate concentration of any other citrus fruit. This gives the body the citrate necessary to break down and flushing any small kidney stones that may have formed.
11. Facilitates Healing
Healing is a tedious journey. While minor cuts and cruises do not take long to recover, more extensive wounds and infections require a much more extended recovery period. Lemon juice is a potent source of ascorbic acid. Studies suggest that ascorbic acid helps fight inflammation as well as radical-induced and microbial infections. It also contributes to collagen synthesis, maturation, and secretion. For these reasons, ascorbic acid is a necessary tool to ensure the proper and timely healing of injuries and illnesses. Those with ascorbic acid deficiencies reveal delayed healing and altered collagen and scar formation.
12. Lubricates Joints
Enhanced kidney function ensures the effective removal of toxins from the blood and the body. One such toxin is uric acid. Uric acid has long been associated with joint pain. Increased uric acid levels result in the formation of monosodium urate crystals in the tendons and joints. These crystals cause inflammation, swelling, and subsequent pain.
Therefore, it is crucial to remove the excess uric acid from the body to assure no deposition of monosodium urate crystals in the joints. Lemon water helps keep uric acid levels in check by enhancing the blood filtration by the kidneys, thereby preserving the joints healthy.
Additionally, ascorbic acid plays a pivotal role in collagen synthesis. Collagen is necessary for bone and connective tissue maintenance as it helps healthy cartilage preservation making lemon water an excellent tool for healthy joints.
13. Stabilizes the Body’s pH
To work at its best, biological processes require an optimum pH level. While some require acidic environments, others work best with alkaline surroundings.
Acidosis is when there is increased acidity. Acidosis results when the lungs and the kidneys fail to correct pH imbalances, resulting in excess acid accumulation in the body. Many ways help reduce the body’s acidity. One way to combat acidosis is by consuming alkaline foods.
Lemon water has been studied to help raise the body’s pH levels, which might be surprising since lemon juice is highly acidic in nature. However, surprisingly enough, once metabolized, lemon juice has an alkalizing effect, thus helping raise the body’s pH level. A balanced pH level system ensures the smooth functioning of cells and prevents microbial habitation.
14. Fights Stress
Research suggests that when the body is under stress, vitamin C is the first thing to deplete. Vitamin C has been studied to reduce both the psychological as well as physical outcomes relating to stress. People with high levels of vitamin C rarely ever respond to stress. When they do, they recover right back from them. Therefore, warm lemon water is a great way to start your day right. With the right mindset, you can get through any day like a champ.
Conclusion
Lemon water detox is a simple and refreshing drink that carries countless benefits. It requires minimum preparation time and significant long-term positive outcomes. Start your day with a revitalizing cup of warm lemon water but make sure to brush your teeth or rinse your mouth with water afterward. This will stop the citric acid from damaging your teeth. Try it out over time and observe the differences for yourself; a lemon water detox will not disappoint you.