Healthy Habit #9: Drink Lemon Water

Most of us know about the many health benefits of drinking water, the elixir of life.  It hydrates your body from within, flushes out toxins, and transports nutrients and oxygen to your cells.  It is essential to get enough water and stay hydrated in order to be healthy. But if you want to kick your water up a notch, add some fresh lemon to it.

Lemons are an amazing little fruit.  Not only do they add a nice pop of color to a kitchen table, but they offer tremendous health and alkalizing benefits.  Lemons are full of vitamin C, citric acid, potassium, are a natural diuretic, and help to cleanse your liver of toxins.  But the thing I love most about lemons is the alkalizing effect they have on your body.

Let me explain.

Your body’s pH (potential of hydrogen) has a significant impact on your health.  Being either too alkaline or too acidic is not good.  Your body is constantly striving for a balance and works best at a pH of 7.35 to 7.45 (pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14 with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline).  When your body is too acidic, which is the case for most Americans, all of your body’s systems are weakened and more vulnerable to disease and sickness.  The other extreme is no better.  If your body becomes too alkaline, the result is light-headedness, confusion, nausea, seizures, muscle spasms, and can even leave you in a catatonic stupor.  Can you see how it’s best to avoid both extremes and strive for a balanced pH?

Here’s where lemons come in.  Despite their high acidity content, they have an alkalizing effect on the body.  Since most Americans fall in the overly acidic range due to a diet high in processed foods, sugar, animal products, and refined carbs, we desperately need some alkalizing going on.  When you drink fresh lemon water, the residue that the lemon leaves behind as it is metabolized is highly alkaline.  This helps to neutralize the extra acid in your body and raise your pH level to be more alkaline.  (Want to know your body’s pH? You can test it yourself using test strips bought at a health food store or you can have a blood test done.)

I add the juice of half of a lemon to a glass of lukewarm water and drink this before I start my day.  It instantly wakes me up, helps to clear my head, and gives me a boost of energy.  I am amazed by the difference in how I feel when I drink lemon water.  I have my husband drinking it now and even squeeze some lemon in Bella’s water.

Here are some other ways lemon helps your body:

• helps to flush out toxins
• aids in weight loss since your metabolism is affected by your body’s pH
• cleanses and detoxifies your liver
• promotes digestion and relieves constipation
• strengthens your immune system

Here are some other ideas for using lemons:

• Make lemonade with fresh lemon juice, filtered water, stevia, and lemon zest.
• Use fresh lemon to roast your chicken, squeeze on your steamed veggies, or add to your salad dressings.
• Make lemon tea for a nice boost or to soothe a sore throat.  Boil water and stir in juice of half of lemon and the zest and 1 teaspoon of raw honey.  This simple concoction does wonders for a scratchy throat!
• Use lemon juice as an astringent in homemade facial cleansers and scrubs.  Once a week I mix fresh lemon juice with some baking soda to form a paste.  Then I use this as a facial scrub before bed.  The natural acid in the lemon really cleanses your skin and helps to prevent blemishes.  And it leaves your skin feeling fresh and smooth.
• Use lemon juice as a natural disinfectant to clean your kitchen counters, sink, and chopping block.  I also throw the used lemon halves down the garbage disposal to keep smells away.

Just be sure you don’t overdo it.  Drinking too much lemon water can actually dehydrate you (since lemon is a natural diuretic) and cause other problems like heartburn and tooth erosion because of its high acid content.

Want to learn more about the benefits of lemons?  Check out this link:  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=27