“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Leonardo da Vinci
Lemon water is one of the most simple tools we have at our fingertips. It’s a great assistant for our goals of wellness, weight and a complexion that wows. Indeed, lemon serves up much goodness including a dose of vitamin C (which our body can’t store) and citric acid. As well as this it gives our hard-working liver a helping hand and is a great tool to add to our weight management arsenal. In addition, a dash of lemon juice promotes glowing skin and has some great de-ageing components.
What’s more lemon water is easy and inexpensive to make. So with all of that in mind what’s not to love?
There’s a quote floating around the Internet right now that reads ‘simple is beautiful’ and lemon water fits the bill in our book. 😀😀😀 And by the way, don’t you love that Leonardo da Vinci quote above?
Let’s dive a bit deeper into lemon water. What it is and some of its incredible benefits.
What Is Lemon Water & Why Do We Love It?
Lemons have been revered for centuries. They made headlines when their vitamin C content was discovered as a treatment for sailors’ scurvy 1,000 years ago.
This attractive citrus fruit is credited with lots of benefits. These include monikers such as anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-allergic. And science has found lemons to be good for the cardiovascular, nervous, skeletal and respiratory systems. The list goes on and on. Research link.
Those in the know have made starting their day with lemon water part of their routine. This is a good habit to get into because the human body doesn’t make its own vitamin C so we need to get it from our diet. Beginning your day with a glass of lemon water won’t give you your entire daily vitamin C quota but it will set you on the right path.
Going back to simple, lemon water is a blend of water and the juice of either ½ of 1 lemon. Ayurveda recommends drinking only lukewarm or warm water to respect the digestive system.
It’s often enjoyed with optional extra’s too such as mint, ginger, cucumber or – our personal favourite – sea or Himalayan salt.
Tip: The salt adds to the mineral content of the beverage.
Lemon adds pizzazz to plain water and offers a great opportunity to add a nutritional boost.
5 Benefits Of Drinking Lemon Water
1. It Delivers A Vitamin C Boost
Humans used to synthesise and store our own vitamin C but somewhere along the lines of evolution, we’ve lost the ability. Vitamin C is great for our complexion, it’s required to make collagen – the protein responsible for the ‘plumpness’ of our skin, is involved in all aspects of wound healing and science shows vitamin C helps us look younger for longer.
2. Lemon Water Improves Skin Luminosity
In a recent survey we conducted, many of you told us you would love to find ways to increase your skin’s radiance. Lemon water can be a powerful ally in this goal. As we noted above it contains vitamin C, a skin-cherishing antioxidant, it has proven de-pigmenting activity and it helps to increase the penetration of other skincare ingredients. Research link.
3. It’s Liver Loving & Helps with Detoxification
Our gut and the digestive system rely on healthy digestive juices or ‘fire‘ to help the liver to activate its detoxification pathways. Lemon water is claimed to stimulate the digestive enzymes and this study (on animals, not humans) found that the citric acid in lemon juice helps protect the liver.
Drinking lemon water can help keep you hydrated to promote regularity, make you feel less bloated, relieve constipation and assist your body in naturally detoxifying – something it does very well. Lemon water also acts as a mild diuretic, meaning you might find yourself using the bathroom more often. That’s a good thing. 😀
4. Lemon Juice In Water Helps With Weight Loss
For good health, vitality and longevity staying hydrated are crucial. But did you know keeping up your fluid levels (read: water) also helps you to lose weight? As we can often confuse thirst for hunger, keeping well-hydrated keeps you feeling satisfied and curbs cravings. This, in turn, means you feel the need to eat less calorie-dense foods.
And for those who don’t like plain old H2O, lemon water is the bomb with its fresh flavour.
5. It Enhances Immunity
No piece on lemon water – or more precisely vitamin C – would be complete without mentioning the immunity factor. Many people start with upping their lemon juice quota or vitamin C if they feel a dose of the lurgy coming on. We think it’s a much better idea to have it as part of our daily lives – it may even help to prevent, or diminish potential illness.
Don’t you love that lemons are a gift that keeps on giving?
What’s more, a bowl of lemons looks beautiful in your home and their scent is uplifting.
The Nutrient Numbers
Lemon juice serves up vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6, thiamine, folate and copper.
This image Pixabay
Tip: if you’re lucky enough to have an abundant lemon tree make hay while the sun shines and squeeze extra juice into ice cube trays so you’ll always have it on hand.
Photographs by Charlotte May from Pexels
Thanks for stopping by,
Yours in health & happiness ⭐
