Can I lose weight or detox by drinking lemon water in the morning?

Have you heard of the benefits of lemon water ? We all want to feel healthy and vital and often when we wake up in the morning, we feel anything but. Most of us would have several days in the week when we wake feeling tired, lethargic, slow and generally crapola – but what if there was a simple, natural solution that would help to revitalise us and make us healthier in the long run?

I have heard many health nuts talk about starting the day with a squeeze of fresh lemon in room-temperature filtered water. Honestly, I thought this was just a fad – I mean, what difference could a little squeeze of citrus really do?

What are the benefits of lemon water ?

That was until I was introduced to The Benefits of Lemon Water, a great article written by blogger Garrick Dee on his awesome blog Juicing With G. According to Garrick, lemon has so many health benefits. He even breaks down the nutritional properties on his post for you, so you can see what lemon will do for your insides.

Could lemon water replace your morning coffee?

Garrick, like many of us, used to start his day with coffee. The Boyf and I do this every morning too – taking it in turns to make a pot of filtered coffee, strong, with one sugar and low fat milk each. If we don’t have coffee – the day does not start well. If we are even running out – we will urgently text each other in the evening, begging each other to hit the shops on the way home and to make sure that the supply does not run out.

Lemon is good for human digestion

Garrick is made from stronger stuff than us, so it seems. “I heard about the benefits of drinking lemon water in the morning through my wife’s friend who was also into juicing, she told us about how good it is for our digestive system so I decided to research,” he explains.

Some of the benefits of starting the day with lemon water

According to Garrick, there are so many benefits we can enjoy by starting our day with a glass of lemon water.

• Lemon has an alkalizing effect which helps greatly in balancing our body’s pH levels
• The fruit is rich in antioxidants that will neutralize free radicals from oxidizing cells
• It also stimulates our digestive system to flush out toxins from the body
• …and it has very low sugar levels!

Does lemon water speed up our metabolism?

Well, According to Garrick, maybe it’s water that does this, not the lemon itself. He says, “It is a little known fact that drinking 8 glasses of water (8 ounces per glass) each day actually boosts your metabolism or how much your body burns calories by 30%.”

He has based his theory on a study commissioned by Michael Boschmann of the Franz Volhard Research Center. Garrick says, “Lemon adds some flavour to water which will help you drink more plus it has pectin which suppresses appetite.”

The Way You Think blog agrees, “More and more diets have started to include this drink because it is effective, when it comes to dropping weight. It will increase your metabolism, so this means that you are going to be able to burn off calories a lot faster.”

Lemon water for better hydration

Being correctly hydrated really helps with feelings of all round health. Well-Being Secrets is one of my favourite blogs and they suggest that drinking lemon water can be a great solution for people who may struggle to get down their recommended 8 glasses of water every day. Check out this comprehensive post for tons of tips about how adding lemon into your diet could bring more health benefits than you ever imagined!

Pectin is found in lemon. So, what is pectin?

Anyone who has ever made jam (or jelly if you’re in the US) will know about pectin. Pectin can be found in the seeds of citrus fruits and is one of the key components for the “gelling agents” in jams and jellies.

According to Wikipedia, pears, apples, guavas, quince, plums, gooseberries, oranges and other citrus fruits, contain large amounts of pectin, while soft fruits like cherries, grapes and strawberries contain small amounts of pectin.

Other ways to add lemon to your diet

Unlike Garrick, I am not a huge fan of drinking lemon in the morning, but The Boyf will tell you that I normally have a slice of lemon with my dinner every night. I squeeze this on fresh salad, on my grilled meats or even over soft white cheeses like bocconcini or haloumi.

Strong flavours can stop you overeating

I like quite strong tastes as I feel these help to stop me from overeating. Here are some of my favourite ways to flavour my food.

• Fresh basil, dill, oregano or chives
• A squeeze of lemon or lime
• Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
• Ground sea salt
• Horseradish or cream of horseradish
• Seeded mustard
• Shallots or sliced spring onions
• Lemon zest

…does lemon give you lovely skin?

Garrick says that this could be an added benefit too. “Its antioxidant properties help you get more radiant skin from the inside out by repairing damaged cells, flushing out toxins and killing free radicals that can ruin our skin,” he says.

A final word on lemons!

Anthon St Maarten is an international psychic medium, intuitive consultant and destiny coach. He has said, “When life gives you lemons, you don’t make lemonade. You use the seeds to plant a whole orchard – an entire franchise! Or you could just stay on the Destiny Bus and drink lemonade someone else has made, from a can.”

What is your favourite way to eat or drink lemons? Please let me know.