Weight Loss: Benefits Of Lemon Water

Let's talk about lemons, did you know that they're actually a nutritional powerhouse? I know right it's crazy. 

Lemons contain fibre in the form of pectin, they're high in vitamin c and b6. They contain potassium and lemons contain citric acid which is an antioxidant which helps to fight off free radicals in your body which is really helpful.

This can increase your heart health and it helps prevent cancer. So what about lemon water? All right, so let's dive into the benefits of lemon water.

Benefits Of Lemon Water

1) So we already know that water is great for weight loss, but adding lemon to your water has that added benefit of pectin which is going to help curb your hunger even more.

This keeps you from snacking all the time and the flavonoids in lemons actually will help to increase the metabolism of fats and sugars in your body. 

Plus, having lemon water instead of your typical apple juice or orange juice in the morning is going to get that juice fixed.  But you're not going to have all those added calories, so that means you're going to be able to keep your calorie intake lower by just replacing it as a healthy replacement.

2) Drinking lemon water helps with reducing inflammation. So when you drink a lot of water it helps to flush toxins out of your body that could be causing inflammation. 

You're also getting all those extra antioxidants which are going to help to rid your body of excess free radicals and reduce inflammation. 

3) Lemon water is also great for your skin and there's actually some research that lemon water can help prevent ageing as well because of the action with the enzymes and the antioxidants.

4) Lemon water freshens your breath so there's a lot of health conditions that can actually lead to bad breath and some of those issues that result in gum disease can actually be helped a lot by lemon water.

Generally having water which is going to flush down anything in your mouth and then rinse it out to reduce bad breath but lemon water specifically has been actually shown to reduce bacteria in your mouth as well lemon water has been shown to help reduce kidney stones.

Basically flushing your kidneys with this lemon water and having that continual flow of liquid is going to help break up any extra particles in your kidneys. 

The citric acid in lemons is actually going to help reduce and eliminate the formation of crystals in your kidney.

Drinking water helps increase your urine volume and that by itself is going to help reduce kidney stones.

5) Lemon water helps improve your immunity and that's because of all of that vitamin c that's working with the antioxidants to reduce free radicals and fight those off in your body, keeping you healthier. 

Vitamin c is actually kind of a multi-purpose vitamin that helps with bone formation and healing wounds. Lemon water boosts your potassium, so bananas aren't the only source of potassium. Lemons are actually a great source of potassium and it is really helpful because it helps regulate your fluid balance in your body.

That means you can have less bloating which means less inflammation overall. It can also help to reduce muscle cramps. Lemon water is a great source of hydration, so let's face it, water can get boring and the more boring water is the less we want to drink it right? 

So if you're someone who has a very difficult time getting water in your daily intake. Adding the lemon juice in there and having the lemon water it makes it more appealing and you're going to be getting more water in your system every day and that is a good thing.

6) Lemon water is great for digestion as well, so drinking some daily lemon water will get your digestive system going. Plus having water is great for all sorts of bodily functions and that pectin is really good for your guts health. 

How Do You Drink Lemon Water?

Good question, it's really as simple as it sounds, you squeeze a little lemon juice into some water and you're good to go. Personally, I like to add that wedge of lemon into my water and that way I get a little bit of extra flavour, but depending on your taste buds and how tart you like it. 

You can add as little or as much as you like. You can spice up your lemon water and add a little bit of turmeric or some sliced ginger or some ground cinnamon. All have antioxidant and fat-burning properties.

These are all valuable things to add to lemon water or if you just can't stand the tartness of lemon water and you really want to add some sweetener to it.

I recommend some raw honey or you can use some liquid stevia. 

Do you drink lemon water hot or cold which is better?

The good news is both have the same effect. There's no positivity of drinking one or the other. It's really just a matter of preference. 

Personally, I like to have a cold glass of lemon water or room temperature throughout the day. Then at nights, instead of having a coffee or replacing it with something caffeinated. I have hot lemon water and that is super tasty. 

When is the best time to have lemon water?

Drinking lemon water any time of day is going to be beneficial because you're going to get that water intake and you're going to get the value from the citric acid and the potassium and all that goodness.

If you're someone that has difficulty drinking water throughout the day. I recommend starting in the morning, not only will that get your digestive system working. It'll also freshen you up the day.

This will guarantee that you've got your water in for the day. Having it in the morning is a great way to replenish any water lost from your rest and sleeping at night. 

How much lemon water should you be drinking?

The minimum amount of water you want to have is half of your weight in ounces per day. So if I weigh 140 pounds, half of that is 70. I would be targeting 70 ounces of water per day then if you have an active lifestyle. 

If you're working out, you're going to want to replenish even more water to make up for all of the sweat loss and all the water loss from that activity. Pay attention to the citric acid in the lemon water because that can cause issues with the enamel on your teeth and you want to avoid that. 

If you find that's an issue or if you're combining it with something acidic like apple cider vinegar definitely focus on having it through a straw and then following it up with regular water to rinse all that down. 

Can I have lemon water while fasting? 

Yes, you totally can, lemon water does not break a fast, it does not elicit any issues with insulin release. So you're good to go, it won't increase your blood sugar levels. 

It's a great thing to have while you're fasting and it's kind of like a nice treat while you're fasting, rather than just plain water. Make sure that you're not adding any sweetener to it like raw honey because that will definitely break your fat.