It is incredibly important how you start each day of your life!
Whether you’re a writer, a mom, a coach, a yoga teacher or even a small business owner- what you do in the morning really matters to all of us.
Your mind may say that you need to take your dog out, take your kids to school, and check your emails; so that you may not find yourself late for your work or that you simply just don’t have enough room for cultivating your morning rituals.
If you want to minimize the tangy taste of this concoction, then you can add a tablespoon of honey which makes it perceptibly sweet, before you drink it on an empty stomach and then wait for half an hour before you eat your breakfast every day.
Although this early morning elixir may contain even less than 25 calories, there are 20 sure shot benefits from drinking this lemon juice preparation every dawn on a daily basis:
1. Lemon water and weight loss
According to a report by the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 33% adults and 17% of youth are obese in the United States?(1)
And obesity is a main cause of many other serious health conditions like stroke, heart diseases, diabetes etc.
But drinking lemon water can help you out in easing your weight loss efforts because there is a very close relation between drinking lemon water and weight loss.
The reason is lemon juice is low in calories and rich in key elements that help maintain a healthy weight.
An ounce of raw lemon juice has only 7 calories. (2)
Here is also another published study that finds even short term use of lemon honey juice fasting can prevent obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The study finds that such a diet helps in minimizing body mass index, fat mass, and total serum triglycerides.
A total of 50 healthy people were selected for this study. They were given 300 ml of lemon and honey juice four times a day for four consecutive days.
So, you would not underestimate anymore the power of these little yellow fruits in your daily diet. You can also use the combination for some other ways and get the taste as you want.
What if you add some cinnamon? Try and share it with us also.
So how can you take lemon water for weight loss?
You can use lemon juice along with honey and warm water because the combination creates a more alkaline atmosphere inside your stomach that helps in speed up weight loss.
Moreover, pectin or citrus pectin, a dietary fiber present in lemon juice also helps in fighting hunger and reduces our appetite.
How ?(3)
Because it slows down the process of passing of food from the stomach to the intestine and lets you feel fuller.
Anyway, taking fiber rich foods is good for weight loss and many studies support this fact. (4)
But, the consumption of dietary fiber is less than the recommended daily values in US citizens.
It is just 15g/day. That can be a valid reason why the United States has more obese citizens.
If you care about your health and want to have a healthy weight then you need to take care of your fiber consumption. Know that your daily calories requirement and balance fiber intake is 14g/1000 calories. (5)
And you can easily achieve this by ingesting higher fiber content foods.
2. It makes your immune system stronger.
A healthy immune system prevents or limits infections. And infections make us sick.(6)
An unhealthy immune system may also result in autoimmune diseases where your immune system starts attacking your body’s healthy cells and tissues.(7)
Therefore, for the healthy functioning of your immune system, you need to take proper nutrients that could enhance its performance.(8)
Lemon juice has key elements that are capable of giving you a healthy immune system because lemon juice is one of the best natural sources of:
- Vitamin A- Vitamin A deficiency leads to a weaker immune system and various infectious diseases. An ounce of raw lemon juice contains 5.6 IU of vitamin A.(9)(10)
- Vitamin B6 (in a trace amount) - According to this study, vitamin B6 is found to be useful for strengthening the immune system in critically ill patients. An ounce (28g) of raw lemon juice has 0.03mg of vitamin B6.(11)
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - When you’re suffering from infections, the concentration of vitamin C in the plasma drops rapidly. And increasing concentration of vitamin c with supplements is proved to be beneficial for improving the immune system. 1 ounce of raw lemon juice has 13.mg of vitamin C.(12)
- Folate- This is a water soluble B vitamin, and also known as vitamin M, vitamin B9, vitamin Bc etc. Folate deficiency also leads to an impaired immune system. An ounce of raw lemon juice (28g) has 3.6 mcg of folic acid.(13)(14)
- Vitamin E- Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage from free radicals. It also helps to maintain a healthy immune system.(14)
All these vitamins help in fortifying our immunity against tiredness, stress, virus and other nefarious antibodies.
3. Lemon juice improves digestion.
Good digestion of the foods we eat is must for a healthy body, as when food is digested properly; our body gets the nutrients it needs from the food.
And drinking the lemon juice is good for improving the digestive mechanism because lemon juice has several chemicals that help in stimulating our liver, which enhances the production of biliary juices that are needed for healthy digestion, alleviate heart burns, bloating and belching.
Lemon juice is also conducive for promoting healthy bowel movements.
4. Lemon juice helps in reducing inflammations.
Vitamin C is a good inflammation-fighting agent.(15)
And lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C (28g of raw lemon juice has 13mg of vitamin C that is 21% of daily recommended values for a 2000 calories diet for adults and children above 4 years of age) that helps in improving conditions of rheumatoid arthritis patients.
But, the intake of vitamin C is less than half of RDA in U.S. citizens and that is a serious concern.(16)
So consuming lemon juice either with water or in dishes is a good way to fulfill your vitamin C requirements.
5. It acts as a natural diuretic.
Lemon juice helps in frequent micturition that flushes out unwanted materials from our body.(17)
Toxins are therefore released at a faster rate through urination that aids in keeping our urinary tract clean and healthy over the course of time.
6. It helps in nourishing your skin.
Regular early morning consumption of warm lemon water makes a radical difference to our skin.
As we have already stated above, lemon juice which is high in Vitamin C and several other antioxidants, keeps free radical damage at a bay and thus purifies our blood.
The collagen-boosting and antibacterial properties of this juice not only promote a wrinkle and blemish free skin but also encourage the growth of new blood cells inside our circulatory system.
Here is a science-backed study that has something good to say for the use of lemons for the glowing of your skin. The study points out that a citrus-based juice mixture is beneficial in preventing the oxidative stress of skin which results in premature aging of the skin.
The lemons are rich sources of citrus acid (1.44 g/ounces).
7. Lemon juice also helps in preventing the bad breath.
The acidic property of lemon juice along with warm water and honey helps in eliminating bad breath.
It not only helps in destroying odor-causing bacteria but also aids the reduction of white plaque that develops on our tongue while we sleep, which harbors bad smell inside our mouth.
8. It also boosts your energy.
As a catalyst which promotes digestion, lemon juice provides an additional energy boost when it passes through our digestive track.
9. A natural source to potassium.
Lemon juice replenishes the loss of potassium in our body.
It is a natural source for resupplying potassium in our cells that is needed for proper functioning of nervous and cardiac systems, which constitutes of our brain, heart, and our peripheral nerves.
However, an ounce of the raw lemon juice has ONLY 34.7mg (it is only 1% of RDA) of potassium, but these values add up with your diet and can help you fulfill your daily potassium requirements.
10. Enhances our mood.
The scent of fresh lemon juice is a mood elevator that helps to clear our mind.
Lemon juice contains an abundant quantity of negatively charged ions, and when it enters our digestive track, it releases energy that helps reduce anxiety and depression.
11. Promotes faster healing of wounds.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) present in the Lemon juice helps with faster healing of our wounds.(18)
It is also an important nutrient that promotes the maintenance and growth of healthy bones, tissues and cartilages.
A study was conducted on the effectiveness of vitamin C in healing wounds on rats, and the results came out in favour of vitamin C.(19)
12. Repairs the lymphatic system.
Lemon juice is a source for trace elements like:
These elements help repair our lymphatic system.
To name just a few, low and high blood pressure, lack of concentration, feeling sluggish during the afternoon are some of the factors that are determined by our lymphatic functions which can be controlled by the intake of warm lemon water along with honey during the wee hours of the morning.
13. Protects us against rheumatoid arthritis.
The vitamin C present in lemon juice provides us protection against inflammatory polyarthritis.
Degenerative arthritis which occurs with aging can also be prevented by drinking lemon juice with warm water and honey on an empty stomach in the morning.
14. A good natural remedy to fight with cancer.
Limonoids (these are the phytochemicals and generally found in citrus fruits) which are present in lemon juice is well known for its anti- carcinogenic properties.(20)
Regular intake of lemon juice in the morning helps prevent and fights against cancer of the mouth, lungs, colon, stomach, breast and skin.
15. It is helpful in preventing diseases like cholera.
Lemon juice contains flavonoids which are known as flavonol-glycosides that also include many kaempferol-related molecules, which have a strong protective effect against cholera.
16. Helps to cut out caffeine.
According to a recently published scientific opinion by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) on caffeine consumption, your daily caffeine consumption from any source should not exceed 400 mg a day, because excess caffeine consumption may destroy your overall health.(21)
Therefore, replacing our morning coffee with a cup of lemon juice with warm water and honey gets rid of the pesky afternoon crash, which is a common side effect of drinking caffeine on an empty stomach.
However, on the contrary, drinking lemon juice on an empty stomach acts as an elixir for our nerves.
17. A good natural remedy to fight with throat infections.
Lemon juice along with warm water aids in fighting ailments associated with throat infections.
Common maladies like tonsillitis and early morning sore throat often find relief by drinking warm lemon juice, which is much appreciated for its antibacterial properties.
18. Helps to maintain your oral health.
Lemon juice, when consumed with warm water in the morning, relieves us from toothache and gum-related problems.
Citric and ascorbic acids which are active ingredients of lemon juice often assist in curing early morning bleeding gums.
19. Reduces neural tube defects.
Drinking lemon juice along with warm water and honey during the first stage of pregnancy reduces the risk of several birth defects like anencephaly and spina bifida.(22)
It is often recommended that when a pregnant woman drinks the lemon juice with warm water on an empty stomach, it proves benefits for both the mother and the unborn baby inside her womb.
20. Decreases the risk of Anemia and Cataract.
As it is a well-known fact that Vitamin C increases the absorption of non-haem irons, so drinking lemon juice with warm water in the morning decreases the risk of anemia.(23)
Moreover, as oxidization of the eye’s lens plays a vital role in the formation of age-related cataracts, drinking lemon juice which has high levels of Vitamin C over the long term also decreases the risk of developing cataracts.
Packed with all the goodness of the cleansing and healing effects of lemon that has been known for centuries, drinking a little warm water with lemon juice is a fantastic way to start your day.
However, it is important to note as lemon juice can ruin the enamels of your beautiful teeth, it’s advisable that one rinses one's mouth thoroughly after drinking this elixir on an empty stomach every morning.
And now, what is your feedback on this morning drink? Have you ever tried drinking lemon water in morning? Please write your feedback in the comment section.
