Most people nowadays kick-start their day with warm lemon water. There are seemingly many health benefits of adding a slice of fresh lemon to your water. It doesn’t just quench thirst better than any other drink, it also provides our bodies with plenty of vitamins, minerals and vital trace elements. Here are 10 great benefits to starting off your day with a lemon water beverage.
1. Aids Digestion.
Lemon juice flushes out unwanted materials and toxins from the body. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that is required for digestion. Lemons are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen toxins in the digestive tract.
2. Clears Skin.
The vitamin C component as well as other antioxidants helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes and it helps to combat free radical damage. Vitamin C is vital for healthy glowing skin while its alkaline nature kills some types of bacteria known to cause acne. It can actually be applied directly to scars or age spots to help reduce their appearance.
3. Give 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.
4. Freshens Breath.
The antiseptic qualities in lemon juice help kill off bad bacteria in the mouth by acting as a disinfectant. A glass of lemon water is also a healthier morning wake-you-up than coffee. It also helps relieve toothaches and gingivitis.
5. 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.
6. Helps Shed Off Pounds.
Regularly sipping on lemon water can help you lose weight. That’s because lemons contain pectin, a type of fiber commonly found in fruits. Pectin helps you feel full longer; that satiated feeling means you’ll chow down less throughout the day.
7. Cleanses The Urinary Tract.
Lemon juice is a diuretic, meaning it encourages the production of urine. As a result, toxins are released at a faster rate, helping to purify the system and keep it healthy. Lemon juice can also change the pH level of the urinary tract which discourages the proliferation of bad bacteria.
8. Detoxifies The Liver.
Lemon water acts as a liver cleanser by assisting in detoxification. It purifies and stimulates the liver by encouraging the production of bile, an acid required for digestion. Lemon water can also help control excess bile flow, decrease the amount of phlegm produced by the body and assist in dissolving gallstones.
9. Balances pH Levels.
Lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods for the body and a good pH level is essential as too much acidity in the body can be inflammatory. Lemon water is very alkalizing and most of us have acidic bodies. Educated foodies still think of lemons as being acidic when they are quite alkalizing.
10. Protects Overall Health.
High levels of potassium in lemons can help brain and nerve functioning and control blood pressure. Lemon water can also ward off stress and depression, which have been linked to low levels of potassium. Lemons also contain vitamin P, which improves capillary permeability and overall blood flow.
