10 Health Benefits of Lemons
The tart and flavorful lemon is the most widely used citrus fruit worldwide. The health benefits of lemons are numerous and packed with nutrients. They are also one of the lowest in calories for citrus fruits, just 29 calories per 100 g.
Lemons contain no saturated fats or cholesterol, and they are rich in dietary fiber (7.36 percent of RDA). They are loaded vitamin C, citric acid, flavonoids, B-complex vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and fiber.
If fresh lemons are not a part of your everyday diet, you may want to reconsider after reading the their many health benefits.
Drink Your Lemon Water
Drinking lemon water is an excellent way to benefit from the powerful healing properties in lemons while staying hydrated. Lemons contain 48.3 milligrams of potassium, 4.4 milligrams of magnesium, and 29.9 milligrams of calcium.
Drinking lemon water daily will help:
* Boost Immune System
* Increase Metabolism
* Accelerate Healing
* Lower Cholesterol
* Improve Circulation
* Fight Infections
* Purify Blood
* Neutralize Free Radicals
* Repairs Blood Vessels
* Natural Diuretic
* Reduce Inflammation
Drinking 1-2 glasses of water with half a lemon squeezed is suggested to reap the benefits of this super food. Like any other routine involving health consistency is crucial for the best results.
Balance Your Body Chemistry & Improve Digestion
It may be surprising to learn that while lemons are acidic, they interact with the body’s metabolism to have an alkalizing effect on the bodily fluids. This helps to restore balance to your body’s pH.
The bitter taste of lemon gives the fruit the ability to increase peristalsis–a pumping-motion in the bowels–which helps to eliminate waste from the bowels and improve regularity. There’s no better way to start your day than with a glass of lemon water.
Cleanse Your Liver
When mixed with warm water, the natural antiseptics and compounds in lemons create an alkaline substance that stimulates the liver. This starts the body’s process to eliminate toxins and wastes. The antiviral and antibacterial properties of lemon also help to accelerate the healing process.
Because lemon helps your liver produce more bile, lemons can be very beneficial if relieving stomach problems. Lemon juice not only aids in digestion, it also relieves heartburn, bloating, and gas.
Colds and Flu Reliever
When you have a cold or the flu, the healing power of lemon supplies vitamin C to your defense cells. At the first indication of a cold, try to give your body as much immune-boosting vitamin C as you can so that the virus is eliminated before it gets a chance to take hold. Drink the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon in a glass of lukewarm water every 2 hours.
Lemon juice is also great for a sore throat. Simply add the juice of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon (5ml) of sea salt to 1 cup (250ml) lukewarm water. Gargle three times a day for up to 1 minute to ease sore throat pain and irritation.
For extreme sore throats or tonsillitis gargle with the juice of a fresh squeezed lemon. Make sure you tilt your head back to allow the antibacterial and antiviral properties of the lemon juice to flow into the back of the throat. You can swallow the juice when you have finished gargling thereby benefiting from an immune-boosting vitamin C shot.
Fight Cancer
Lemons contain 22 anti-cancer compounds, including limonene, which is a naturally-occurring oil that slows the growth of cancer tumors in animals. Lemons also contain flavonol glycosides which stop cell division in cancer cells. According to the University of Arizona, an estimated 30 percent of the general population is deficient in this vital nutrient. Those who exercise a lot or people who under under a lot of stress often lack the proper levels of this compound which is needed in order to boost their immune systems and neutralize free radicals in the body. Free radicals damage has been linked to many diseases including cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammation related issues.
Lower Cholesterol
Lemons provide citrus pectin and flavonoid compounds that possess the ability to lower cholesterol. The citrus pectin found in lemons is a water-soluble fiber that attaches to cholesterol in the stomach preventing it from entering the bloodstream. Flavonoid compounds such as flavonal glycosides have the potential when digested regularly to assist in managing cholesterol as well.
Fight Acne
Don’t spend your money on expensive acne treatments. Lemon juice works great internally and externally to heal and prevent acne. Lemon contains citric acid, which can be effective in treating acne, and the abundance of vitamin C found in citrus fruits is essential for healthy glowing skin. The alkaline nature of lemon juice also kills some types of bacteria known to cause acne.
In addition to drinking lemon juice with water first thing in the morning, you can apply fresh lemon juice on acne and leave it overnight. Beware, this may burn at first, but the burning sensation will subside. You can also mix fresh lemon juice with rosewater and apply it to the affected areas for 30 minutes, then rinse. This can be repeated twice per day to clear and fight acne.
Relieve Anxiety & Stress
Lemon has a calming effect on the body, which may help relieve fatigue, exhaustion, dizziness, anxiety, nervousness, and tension. It is also believed that inhaling lemon oil helps in increasing concentration and alertness. Whether it's keeping some essential oil at your desk for that stressful day at work, or buying a lemon scented candle, the aromatic benefits of lemon can help you relax and hold focus.
As as essential oil, lemon has a calming effect, and can help induce sleep. Lemon oil is an anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-infection, detoxifying genius. It has been used to treat stress disorders, skin disorders, and hair disorders.
Help Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association includes lemons on their list of superfoods due to soluble fiber and the high amount of vitamin C. This is because soluble fiber and vitamin C have been found to have beneficial properties for people with diabetes. Lemons have a low glycemic index and some studies even show that lemon may lower the glycemic index of other foods.
Relieve Canker Sores
The last thing you might think of to treat a canker sore is lemons, but their proven antibacterial and antiviral properties can accelerate the healing process. Mix the juice of freshly squeezed lemon into a glass of lukewarm water and rinse your mouth with this solution three times a day.
As expected, you may be a burning sensation when the lemon juice comes into contact with the canker sore, however, the more frequently you use it, the less burning there will be.
Additional Reading:
Green Your Cleaning with a Fresh Lemon
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