I’ve compiled the top 10 health benefits of lemons, along with ideas for how to easily incorporate them into your routine to boost daily health and wellbeing.
Why I Love Lemons
If you can’t tell yet, I love lamp lemons. I love the taste, I love the smell, I love their color, and I love the way they make me feel. Lemons are one of the simplest ingredients that can make the biggest difference in a recipe. Combine that with their powerhouse health benefits and you can understand why I’m never without a lemon (or three) in the kitchen!
With summer’s last hurrah upon us and colder temps around the corner (hello, flu season), I’ve compiled the top 10 health benefits of lemons, along with ideas for how to easily incorporate them into your routine to boost health and wellbeing.
10 Health Benefits of Lemons
- pH balancing: even though lemon juice on its own has a pH of 2 (acidic), once it’s inside our bodies, it acts as an alkaline substance which can help maintain the body’s natural pH of 7.4 (slightly alkaline). Squeeze a slice of lemon into your water throughout the day to reap the benefits. Plus, you’ll end up drinking more water because it tastes so refreshing.
- Minimize salt intake: the acidity in lemon juice enhances the perception of saltiness, allowing you to use less salt in your food. Try lemon juice and olive oil on your next salad instead of dressing, add lemon to soup, or squeeze it onto steamed veggies so you can pass on the salt.
- Source of Vitamin C: juice from one lemon provides about 30mg of vitamin C, almost half of the daily recommended vitamin C for adult women. While increasing your vitamin C alone won’t help you steer clear of colds if you feel one coming on, a warm cup of lemon juice, water and honey always help tackle that tickle in your throat.
- Electrolyte booster: lemons contain potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which help hydrate the body and regulate its functioning on a cellular level. Feeling sluggish from a big night out or a tough workout? Try making a simple ginger lemon tea by pouring boiling water over a tablespoon of grated ginger and squeeze in some fresh lemon juice.
- Antibacterial cleaner: the citric acid in lemons make them a great antibacterial agent for food and cleaning. Lemon water will even kill the bacteria in your mouth that cause bad breath! Just don’t swish concentrated lemon juice around in your mouth or brush your teeth right after drinking lemon water as this can damage your tooth enamel.
- Aromatherapy miracle: citrus scents energize the body and decrease levels of stress. Adding lemon to your morning glass of water or tea will not only wake up your senses and your digestive system but also send you off to work feeling calm and stress-free.
- Antioxidant powerhouse: the vitamin C in lemons is a strong antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals in your body that are linked to aging and cancer. If you’re a smoker, it’s even more important to get your daily dose of vitamin C.
- Detoxifying: RD’s and nutritionists hate the term “detox” because our bodies are detox machines and shouldn’t need help in that department. However, lemons are a natural diuretic that aids your body’s natural process of flushing out unwanted toxins due to the increased rate of urination. Drinking warm water with lemon in the morning both rehydrates your body after 8 hours without fluids and helps get everything moving after being at rest all night.
- Skin saver: antioxidants in lemons help reduce spots and wrinkles by offsetting the damage caused by free radicals like UV rays. An added boost, Vitamin C helps your skin naturally produce more collagen!
- Increase Iron absorption: the vitamin C found in lemons helps your body maximize its ability to absorb iron. For us ladies, iron is an important nutrient for healthy blood cells since we lose so much during that time of the month. Next time you prepare a heaping plate of spinach, squeeze on some lemon juice to help your body reap the benefits!