3 amazing reasons to add lemon to your water

Sunday, April 27, 2014 by: Jeanette Padilla
Tags: lemon water, weight loss, juice benefits

(NaturalNews) Lemons have a plethora of positive health benefits. They are packed with vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium. To reap the health benefits of lemons simply add them to your water. Lemon juice can potentially wear down tooth enamel. In order to avoid this problem, simply dilute the lemon juice with lukewarm water.

Lose weight

One reason to add lemon juice to you water is to lose weight. Pectin fiber, present in lemons, helps fight hunger cravings. Lemon juice is also a digestive aid. It encourages the production of bile, which is what breaks down food during digestion. Drinking lemon water can also help keep your liver clean. This is important because the liver metabolizes fat and secretes bile. Together, these small advantages can help you lose weight over time.

Boost your immune system

Drinking lemon water can also help keep your immune system strong. Due to its antibacterial properties, drinking lemon water can help soothe a sore throat. Lemon water is a great support to the lymphatic system, which works in conjunction with your immune system to trap and eliminate pathogens. Lemon water helps cleanse the lymph stored by the nodes of the lymphatic system. Lymph is basically a collection of "garbage" collected from the body.

Reduce inflammation

Good news for those who suffer from inflammation. Adding lemon juice to your water can help significantly reduce inflammation. Lemons have anti-inflammatory properties. They also help neutralize acidity which is the main cause of tissue inflammation. Lemon juice is acidic outside of the body but once metabolized, it becomes alkaline. Alkalinity reduces acidity and thus, reduces inflammation.

Whether adding lemon wedges or pure lemon juice to your water, make sure to use organic non-GMO lemons. Stay away from lemon juice concentrate that is sold in stores. These pre-bottled juices contain preservatives and other additives that have negative effects on the body. Processing during manufacturing eliminates natural enzymes, vitamins and antioxidants found in lemon juice, for this reason, it's best to use natural, fresh-squeezed lemons.

Start by using 1/4 of a lemon (juice) in an 8-ounce cup of water. Work your way to one lemon per 8 ounces. It's typical that the lemon water will taste bitter or sour when you first start out. After a few days you may notice the lemon water taste sweet, like lemonade. This is just your body's pH level adjusting and become less acidic.

Click here for a list of 25+ benefits of lemons written by the author, Jeanette Padilla.

Sources for this article include:

www.lifehack.org

www.chicagonow.com

foodmatters.tv

About the author:
Jeanette Padilla is an experienced herbalist, writer, and co-creator of Sunshine Natural Healing. Read more of her work at Sunshine Natural Healing, or follow her on Facebook