If you are looking for something very easy and healthy to start your day, a glass of hot water with plenty of lemon mixed in can be the best thing for you. The combination of lemon juice and hot water can do many good things in your body, including helping with weight loss, improving your digestion, increasing your vitamin C intake, and of course, keeping you well-hydrated. If you aren’t happy with simple lemon juice in the water, you can also spice it up in other ways.
There are many benefits to using hot water and lemon as your beverage of choice first thing in the morning. Here are a few:
Lemon juice acts very similar to saliva and digestive juices when it goes to your stomach. This encourages the liver to create more bile, which is required for better digestion. It also flushes out toxins in the digestive tract, with the high quantity of vitamins and minerals in the juice. And finally, if you are suffering from heartburn, belching and bloating, lemon juice could be the key that makes those things much less bothersome or makes them disappear completely.
Lemons also increase how often you urinate, which goes even further in getting those toxins out of your system. In fact, this quick release of those toxins keeps your urinary tract healthy, too. As soon as you drink the hot water with lemon, the citric acid goes to work to increase your enzyme function, which then helps your liver detoxify your body more effectively.
Vitamin C is great for your immune system, and lemons have a great deal of it. It also offers anti-inflammatory properties, allows for more iron absorption. Lemons also have potassium, which controls blood pressure and stimulates brain and nerve function. Finally, the antimicrobial properties of lemons keep you from getting as many colds and can even ward off the flu virus.
Lemons start out as acidic, but they become an alkaline food in the body. Once they are metabolized, the acids vanish, allowing the mineral content to turn the blood more alkaline. This matters a great deal, because more diseases happen when your body is too acidic. Besides that, lowering the acidity can reduce uric acid in the joints, and that leads to less pain and inflammation.
Of course drinking plenty of water can give you clear skin, but did you know that the Vitamin C in lemons can help decrease blemishes and wrinkles, as well as combat damage from free radicals? The alkaline nature of the lemon can also banish some types of acne. If you want to go even further, apply lemon directly to scars or age spots to reduce them.
The mere scent of lemon is known to be a mood-booster, and that can help reduce anxiety and depression. The lemons contain negative charged ions, which give your body more energy. These things all make you feel much more clear-headed.
Vitamin C is abundant in lemons, and that means that lemons can promote healing of wounds, the strength of bones and healthy connective tissue and cartilage. Those good points, combined with the anti-inflammatory properties, means that Vitamin C can help you recover quickly from injury or bodily stress.
Lemon smells delightful, which is why it works well as a breath freshener. Lemons also have the added bonus of helping relieve gingivitis and tooth pain. But remember to brush your teeth after you drink hot water with lemon, because the citric acid can gradually erode your tooth enamel.
When you are well-hydrated, your body benefits from that with a much stronger immune system. This means that you won’t feel those awful side effects of dehydration, which include decreased immune function, lethargy, constipation, blood pressure problems, lack of mental clarity and stress. The more hydrated you are, the healthier you will be.
If you are trying to lose weight, lemons can be a friend. They fight hunger cravings and give you a more alkaline diet; and studies show that a high alkaline diet might help you lose weight faster.
This video can help you learn to make hot water with lemon, as well as give you a few more benefits:
There can always be too much of a good thing; understanding the side effects of hot water with lemon can help you decide just how much of it to drink.
Lemon water can gradually erode the enamel on your teeth, making you more sensitive to temperature changes, such as cold or hot foods. To protect your teeth, you can drink hot water with lemon through a straw. If you are already dealing with tooth sensitivity, consult a dentist before you try hot water with lemon.
Even though lemon can help reduce heartburn, if you drink too much of it, it can have the opposite effect. Heartburn occurs when acid from your stomach moves back up through the esophageal sphincter into your esophagus. This is also known as acid reflux. The severe burning that results can be alleviated by cutting back on acidic food and drinks, including hot water with lemon.
Sometimes lemon works as a diuretic, meaning that it actually dehydrates you. This can be counteracted by drinking small amounts of lemon in the water. If you like your water with a great deal of lemon, you might start to feel dehydrated even when you drink great quantities of water. If this happens, cut back on the lemon until you feel as you should.