| A Lemon a Day Keeps The Doctor Away |
| | Tue, 21 Jun 2011 |
| |  |
| |
If you had to pick one thing to improve your health today, I’d say go for lemon water. Or eating more greens, it’s a tie really, but considering the great ease of drinking lemon water, lemon water wins.
You have undoubtedly heard of lemon water. I myself however had not figured out the health benefits of drinking lemon water because it was paraded all over for weight loss benefits. I am still unsure why people would think lemon water would aid in weight loss, other than it’s diuretic qualities (but of course this is not weight loss, merely water loss). The more I started researching lemons, the more cool things I came across.
Alkalizing Powers
I find the most noteworthy attribute of lemons (and limes!) are their alkalizing ways in our body. How fascinating is it that such a sour food is actually at the top of alkalizing foods? I will do a post on alkalinity soon, but for now know that our bodies need to be slightly alkaline, as opposed to acid, and a lot of our foods (and habits, hello smoking!) are very acidic. You can see from this that it is important to eat enough alkaline foods, and lemons are THEE most alkaline foods out there. Score!
Cleansing
Lemons and their acid are very powerful cleansers, especially when drank first thing in the morning. It sparks our liver and kidneys to work and eliminate toxins. This in turn aids in digestion (bowel movement) and diuretic action. Bye bloat, hello clear skin!
Flu Buster
Lemons are extremely rich in vitamin C. In fact, as little as 60 ml (¼ cup) provides you with 50% of your daily intake. Vitamin C is one of the most important natural antioxidants and fights the aging process and prevents cancer. Vitamin C also boosts your immune system. It has been researched that taking extra vitamin C after coming down with a flu doesn’t do much good, but it does aid in lowering your risk for getting ill (and seasonal allergies too), plus it fights mucus and fleghm congestion like nothing else. Also remember that vitamin C helps absorb the iron from plant sources. Vegans and vegetarians usually have good iron status because they consume plenty of vitamin C from fruits and vegetables.
Antibiotic
Yes you got that right, according to the world’s healtiest food website, lemon juice has even been shown to work as an antibiotic and was able to fight of Cholera. Now how’s that for a powerful holistic medicine? This is all because lemons contain a lot of plant chemicals, or phytochemicals. These same plant chemicals prevent cell devision which is extremely helpful in the prevention and progression of cancer.
Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells.
Pretty cool stuff huh? The first thing you will notice when you start drinking lemon water (squeeze half a lemon or lime into a glass of room temperature water, store the other half wrapped in the fridge) is clearer skin and better digestion. Our skin can never look healthy, clear and glowing if we hold on to too much toxins. Clear, glowing skin may seem like a superficial goal to strive for, but is actually far from. Our skin reflects how healthy we are on the inside. If you have bad skin, in any which way, this reflects on some sort of imbalance in your body. I noticed pretty quickly after (I think about 3 days) an improvement in my skin. With improvement I mean less outbreaks, rosier tone and overall more energetic looking. More… spark? In the midst of winter, I think that’s pretty amazing!
Bonus tips:
- Drink with a straw as to not ruin your teeth!
- Store lemons at room temperature for more juice
- Gently roll your lemon on a flat surface with your hands for even easier extraction of the juice
ETA:
For most, the taste at first can be a little unbearable. Don’t sip, just guzzle it all up fast. I promise, with some time it’ll get easier and even more enjoyable (when your body recognizes the benefits it gets from it).
Source:
Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Cause Street, Baltimore, MD1201
http://www.lazydesis.com/beauty-health/289256-lemon-day-keeps-cancer-away.html#ixzz1Pymxtxai
http://thefruitpursuit.com/2011/02/14/a-lemon-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away/
|