Drinking lemon water daily, especially first thing in the morning, is a simple way to improve your health. Lemons are packed with nutrients like vitamin B, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, iron, calcium, and magnesium. Adding 1/2 lemon to warm or cold water is a great way to feed your body nutrients, improve the taste of water, and raise your body’s alkaline levels.
As a lifelong coffee drinker I have always craved something warm in the morning. After much health research, and listening to my body, I began to realize drinking 2-3 cups of coffee daily was dehydrating my body. I have replaced my coffee habit with warm lemon water in the morning, and my body feels more hydrated and my cravings for coffee has slowly diminished. Check out this great list of the 10 Health Benefits of lemon water from Life Hacker.
1. Gives your immune system a boost.Vitamin C is like our immune system’s jumper cables, and lemon juice is full of it. The level of vitamin C in your system is one of the first things to plummet when you’re stressed, which is why experts recommended popping extra vitamin C during especially stressful days.
2. Excellent source of potassium.As already mentioned, lemons are high in potassium, which is good for heart health, as well as brain and nerve function.
3. Aids digestion.Lemon juice not only encourages healthy digestion by loosening toxins in your digestive tract, it helps to relieve symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, burping, and bloating.
4. Cleanses your system.It helps flush out the toxins in your body by enhancing enzyme function, stimulating your liver.
5. Freshens your breath.It also helps relieve toothaches and gingivitis (say wha?). Because the citric acid can erode tooth enamel, either hold off on brushing your teeth after drinking lemon water or brush your teeth before drinking it.
6. Keeps your skin blemish-free.The antioxidants in lemon juice help to not only decrease blemishes, but wrinkles too! It can also be applied to scars and age spots to reduce their appearance, and because it’s detoxifying your blood, it will maintain your skin’s radiance.
7. Helps you lose weight.Lemons contain pectin fiber, which assists in fighting hunger cravings.
8. Reduces inflammation.If you drink lemon water on a regular basis, it will decrease the acidity in your body, which is where disease states occur. It removes uric acid in your joints, which is one of the main causes of inflammation.
9. Gives you an energy boost.Lemon juice provides your body with energy when it enters your digestive tract, and it also helps reduce anxiety and depression. (Even the scent of lemons has a calming effect on your nervous system!)
10. Helps to cut out caffeine.I didn’t believe this until I tried it, but replacing my morning coffee with a cup of hot lemon water has really done wonders! I feel refreshed, and no longer have to deal with that pesky afternoon crash. Plus, my nerves are thankful.
Warm lemon water also provides a great substitute for that evening cup of coffee or tea. Drinking coffee or tea after dinner may be doing harm to your sleeping cycles. Studies have shown that drinking even small amounts of caffeine 8 hours before bedtime can effect your sleep in a negative way. Afternoon caffeine can interrupt your REM sleep cycle or prevent you from falling asleep. What benefits have you seen from lemon water? Let us know.
