Last Updated on December 19, 2016 by Marc Seward

Lemon Water Benefits

For just about as long as I can remember, I have woken up and before doing anything else made sure that the kettle was turned on in preparation of the first cup of coffee of the day, and the second and the third. Following a recent health scare, I felt that I owed it to myself to make a few simple lifestyle changes. One of those was to quit or at least severely restrict my caffeine consumption.

A colleague of mine suggested that I try replacing it with lemon water. I cannot say that I was especially enthused by the idea but after doing a bit of research into its benefits, I decided to give it a go.

I must say that I have been very happy with the results up to now. So how effective is lemon water? I feel more energized, more focused and surprisingly, as a jogger, I seem to run a bit more efficiently.

Lemon water is certainly in vogue at the moment and there are many grand claims regarding its benefits. While many of the claims are tenuous, there is little doubt that lemons are good for you. We know for sure that lemons are a great source of vitamin C and that vitamin C is good for us. One lemon contains around 30 to 40 milligrams of vitamin C. Vitamin C is well researched and is known to have a variety of health benefits. It protects us against heart disease, immunity deficiencies, wrinkles and eye disease. Lemons also contain antioxidants which are strongly associated with anti-aging.

After a night in bed, our body needs to be rehydrated, you might well enjoy it, but coffee is a diuretic and is far from the ideal morning tonic. While simply drinking warm water will benefit your body, warm lemon water tastes better than plain water, has a delightful aroma and contains important vitamins and fiber. Lemon water quenches your thirst and nourishes the body with absolutely essential vitamins and minerals.

I doubt that lemon water is the miracle cure that some people claim it to be, but it might well have a number of positive effects on your health.

Give your digestive system a boost with lemon water

This is one of the major benefits of drinking lemon water. Drinking warm lemon water in the morning is a great way to get your digestive system rolling in the right direction. By drinking lemon water, your body gets more time to process the nutrients you should be taking from the food you eat later on.

By absorbing your food more slowly, you will not only get more goodness from your food but also maintain the levels of insulin in your body. Slow absorption of your food is beneficial as absorbing certain carbohydrates too quickly can have a nasty digestive effect.

Detox with lemon water

One of the most cited benefits of lemon water is that it helps to detox the system, so how does it work? The liver’s ability to clean your body is put under a lot of stress especially for those of us with less than healthy lifestyles. Alcohol in particular puts a massive strain on the liver’s ability to function properly.

Your body will not only produce more urine when drinking lemon water but will also benefit from the high citric acid content of the lemons. Studies have shown that citrate inhibits the build-up of unwanted toxins and promotes the ability to flush them out of your system.

Boost your immunity with lemon water

I don’t always live by the adage that ‘prevention is better than cure’ but minor yet common illnesses like the cold and influenza could easily be prevented with some small changes in lifestyle. Lemon water boosts and strengthens your immune system which helps you to ward off those niggling ailments. According to nutrition experts, lemon water and lemon juice helps the body to absorb iron. Iron is necessary to ensure the immune system is working to its full potential.

Give your skin a treat

It sounds too good to be true that along with its other health benefits that lemon water can improve your skin and help reduce wrinkles but lemons are high in antioxidants which are known to have anti aging properties. Aging skin occurs because of the breakdown of collagen fibers in your skin. This process is speeded up with exposure to tobacco smoke, pollution, alcohol and pesticides. The antioxidants found in lemons will help flush toxins from your system. Research has also shown that they can reverse the damage to the collagen fibers in your skin.

So, if you want nice, shining, vibrant skin, it is well worth giving lemon water a chance.

Lemon Water And Weight Loss

While it is unlikely that simply drinking a few glasses of lemon water a day will help you to dramatically cut your weight, there is evidence that lemon water can help suppress your appetite. Lemons contain pectin which promote a feeling of fullness and might well curb your calorie intake.

More research is needed to measure the effectiveness of lemon water in weight loss but simply replacing more sugary drinks with lemon water should have a beneficial effect on your weight.  Some have said Lemon Water helps burn belly fat but there is little direct evidence for that.

 Improve your breath

You can go a long way towards freshening up your breath with a glass of lemon water in the morning. You still need to brush your teeth of course, but it’s a big improvement on a cup of pitch black coffee.

Experts have warned that the acid in lemon water can damage the enamel on your teeth; once gone, you can never get the enamel back so I think it is worth taking the warning seriously. You could use a straw to bypass the teeth or better still rinse your mouth out with warm water after drinking it.

Lemon Water–Alkalizer?

Some people have claimed that lemon water can help prevent cancer by alkalizing the body. The theory suggests that cancer cells are unable to thrive in an alkaline environment. This article by Chris Kresser argues that the theory does not make much sense.
While there is no doubt that drinking lemon water can give your body a real boost and benefits your system in a variety of ways, some of the grander medical claims need to be researched far more.

How to Make Lemon Water

Sit back, drink and enjoy all the benefits of this delicious drink.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, my energy levels are higher and overall feelings of health and well-being have improved considerably since I swapped my morning coffee routine for a daily lemon water regime.

I have also lost a few pounds but that could well be because I am running a bit further and faster than I used to.

I personally recommend the switch to lemon water.

Let us know about your experiences.