Lemon water benefits your body by reducing empty calories, lowering your sugar intake, and resetting your cravings. When you swap one daily soda, juice, or sweetened coffee for lemon water, you'll start noticing positive results in your general health over time.
As per the CDC, 49% of U.S. adults drink sugar-sweetened beverages at least once daily. This statistic implies that approximately five out of every ten adults are quietly adding 150 to 400 calories of pure sugar to their day before they take other meals. Luckily, you can change this habit faster if you want to improve your health.
Replacing sugary drinks with lemon drinks is the way to go. Once you do, you'll notice benefits, such as adding antioxidants and vitamin C to your diet.
Why Is Lemon an Easy Alternative to Sugary Drinks?
While sugar-sweetened beverages like soda may taste good, they cause you more harm than good. Here is how sugar can hurt you:
- Spikes your blood sugar fast
- Increases your cravings
- Damages your tooth enamel
- Adds empty calories per serving with zero nutrition
- Raises your risk of gaining weight, fatty liver, and type 2 diabetes
If you're looking for healthy drink alternatives, lemon water should be your go-to. It will quench your thirst while protecting your health. You also get that bright, refreshing citrus flavor that's tasty.
What Is the Nutritional Value of Lemon Water?
A glass of lemon water offers significant nutritional value with almost no calories. Here's what you get from about 48 grams of squeezed lemon into a glass of water:
- 10.6 calories
- 21% of the Daily Value of vitamin C
- 2% of the Daily Value of folate
- 1% of the Daily Value of potassium
- 1% of the Daily Value of vitamin B1 (thiamine)
- 1% of the Daily Value of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
- 0.5% of the Daily Value of vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Drinking lemon water in the morning means fewer calories and more vitamins and minerals. Your body will thank you if you adopt this healthy habit.
What Are the Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water?
Cutting sugary drinks will be easy for you once you know the lemon water benefits you'll enjoy. Here are ways lemon water can improve your health:
Promotes Hydration
Drinking enough water is good for your health. You get to reduce dehydration and its symptoms, such as:
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Constipation
- Dry skin and lips
- Heart palpitations
However, not everyone likes the taste of plain water. If you're among them, you should consider lemon water hydration. Add a squeeze of lemon to your water to encourage you to drink more.
Good Source of Vitamin C
Lemons will give you a dose of vitamin C. Drinking lemon water helps you to enjoy the following vitamin C benefits:
- Absorption of iron
- Protein metabolism
- Production of hormones
- Synthesis of L-carnitine and collagen
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. It can help protect your cells from free radicals, which can lead to inflammation.
Prevents Kidney Stones
Reports from the National Kidney Foundation show that nearly 1 in 10 people is likely to suffer from a kidney stone in their lifetime. You can reduce this risk by drinking lemon water. Lemons contain high levels of citrate, which can prevent the formation of calcium oxalate, a common form of kidney stone.
Boosts Digestion
If you consume lemon water with or before your meal, it can help with your digestion. Lemons contain citric acid that can help your stomach break down food.
Additionally, lemon pulp contains pectin, a soluble fiber that can help ensure regular bowel movements. If you want to get this benefit, don't remove the lemon pulp from your juice.
Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Drinking lemon water with your meal can help stabilize your post-meal blood sugar levels. The acid in lemon will help slow the breakdown and absorption of carbohydrates into your bloodstream. As a result, it causes a lower glycemic response to your food.
Improves Heart Health
Lemons contain a high level of flavonoids. These flavonoids in citrus fruits can boost heart health and reduce your risk of having clogged arteries. Also, taking lemon juice can help lower blood pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Any Downsides of Drinking Lemon Water Daily?
While drinking 1 to 2 cups of lemon water a day may be healthy, you should consider the downsides. If you drink lemon water daily, you have an increased risk of dealing with stomach upsets. Lemons can lead to heartburn if you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The acid in lemon water can also weaken your tooth enamel over time. You'll notice you're experiencing increased sensitivity in your teeth. To protect your teeth, you can drink lemon water through a straw to reduce contact with your teeth.
What's The Best Way to Prepare Lemon Water?
To make your lemon water, squeeze a lemon into 8 oz of cold or warm water. Once you're done, you can infuse your drink with more flavor by adding mint, maple syrup or raw honey, fresh ginger or cucumber, turmeric, or cinnamon.
You can also make lemon ice cubes and add them to your water. Just squeeze your fresh lemon juice into your ice cube trays and place them in the freezer.
What Are Some Myths About Lemon Water?
Drinking lemon water has become so popular among healthy-living enthusiasts. While it offers many benefits, the internet is packed with claims it may not deliver on. Here are some myths about lemon water that you should ignore:
- Lemon water melts belly fat
- Lemon water detoxes your body
- Lemon water cures heartburn
- Lemon water replaces medication
- Lemon water only works on an empty stomach
Lemon water is a healthy habit. However, it isn't a miracle cure. You should only treat it as a healthy swap for sugary drinks and let the small benefits show up naturally.
Enjoy Lemon Water Benefits for Healthy Living
From hydration to better digestion and heart health, lemon water benefits are numerous. These reasons should prompt you to leave sugary drinks and choose healthier alternatives. Drinking lemon water is your start to healthy living.
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This article was prepared by an independent contributor and helps us continue to deliver quality news and information.