When life gives you lemons be sure to make some lemon water, stat! Drinking 10 ounces of lemon water first thing in the morning is an easy and affordable way to improve your health. Warm water is not only easier to drink, the temperature helps extract the vitamin C stored in the fruit. However, it’s not just the juice that packs a punch but the actual lemon rind which is full of the powerful antioxidant and terpene d-Limonene.
D-Limonene is found in citruses and is one of the most common oil nutrient terpenes. It’s been proven to help with a variety of health issues, including cleansing cholesterol sludge, settling the nervous system and weight management. Keep reading to learn five reasons why warm lemon water is a lifesaver!
1. Kidney Stones Be Gone
Kidney stones are hard, small deposits that form over time within the kidneys. In addition to being incredibly painful to pass through the urinary tract, they can cause other symptoms. Luckily lemons are loaded with citric acid which can increase urine volume while softening and breaking up the stones, making them easier to pass and reducing their formation all together. The citric acid coats the stones, preventing other materials from attaching to them and building into larger masses.
2. All Hail Healthy Bowel Movements
The citric acid and vitamin C found in lemons help aid bowel movements. Citric acid acts as a mild stimulant while vitamin C pulls water into the colon causing the bowels to contract. In addition, lemon juice is a diuretic which means it helps eliminate waste and flush toxins.
Although there’s no direct research confirming the use of lemon juice for treating constipation, it has been linked to helping dehydration. Adding lemon wedges to your water not only incorporates the benefits of lemon into your diet, it can also help you drink more water throughout the day regularly.
3. Immunity on Fleek
As we’ve discussed, lemons are loaded with vitamin C which plays an essential role in building up the immune system. Vitamin C can help decrease the severity and duration of respiratory infections like a common cold. According to Vicky Vlachonis, author of The Body Doesn’t Lie, “lemons are very high in bioflavonoids that destroy harmful free radicals that damage the blood vessels and cause inflammation.”
With temperatures dropping, now is the perfect time to snuggle up with a cup of warm lemon water to coat the throat and relieve joint pain thanks to collagen-boosting properties.
4. Collagen Come Hither
The antioxidants found in vitamin C provide a host of benefits, namely fighting free radicals to slow down the aging process and increasing collagen production within the body which helps to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. Collagen also helps with muscle elasticity and joint health. In order to reap these benefits it’s best to introduce lemon water into your lifestyle on a long term basis as opposed to a one-time strategy. All good things take time!
5. Gut Buster
What causes heartburn and other gastrointestinal issues is when the valve between the stomach and esophagus fails to close, causing stomach acid to seep back into the throat. D- Limonene, the terpene found in lemons (specifically the lemon rind), coats the esophagus to help neutralize stomach acid. It also assists the body’s “peristalsis,” the contractions in the intestines that push contents downward instead of upward, and increases gastric mucus production to promote a healthy gut.
With all these amazing benefits we can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t be drinking lemon water or consuming a lemon extract oil on a daily basis. So grab your favorite mug and drink up!
By Abiola Akanni
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