Do you start your morning with a glass of warm water and a hint of lemon juice?

It’s been said that lemon water can be cleansing for the body, helping to flush out toxins first thing in the morning.

I am definitely one who loves having a good lemon water first thing in the morning. For me, it helps me wake up.

After recently coming across some posts floating around on the internet questioning whether drinking lemon water was actually good for us, I decided to go and investigate.

Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water

Rest assured, there are benefits to drinking lemon water, some of which include:

1. Acting as a Natural Flush.

The liver is very active while we sleep. It’s during this time that the body is busy restoring and regenerating itself (one of these processes is autophagy). Drinking plenty of water, especially in the morning, helps ensure that the body is able to carry out these jobs effectively. Some studies even show that lemon juice has the ability to help stimulate the proper production of stomach acid and bile.

Forming the habit of drinking 1-2 glasses of lemon water in the morning, before having your tea or coffee, can prove very beneficial and may support a happy, healthy liver and lymphatic system.

Furthermore, the citric acid found in lemons may help prevent kidney stones! Citrate (a part of citric acid) actually helps make urine less acidic and can even break up small stones. By drinking lemon water, it not only provides your body with citrate, but the water will help in preventing kidney stones from forming and/or flush out any existing stones.

2. Promoting Healthier Skin.

By flushing out the body regularly, along with improving digestion, lemon water may encourage clearer, healthier skin! The vitamin C found in lemons may help reduce wrinkling, as well as dry skin from aging, and even damage from the sun.

Vitamin C is also needed for collagen production, encouraging plumper, smoother skin.

3. Assisting Digestion.

Drinking warm lemon water first thing when you wake up may help kick-start your digestive system. However, one of the biggest factors that determine lemon water’s overall benefit is the temperature of the water. Drinking water – especially warm water – in the morning just after waking up will help in flushing out the digestive system as well as rehydrate the body.

5. Immunity Boost from the Vitamin C.

While the vitamin C found in lemons may not come in huge amounts, it does still contain approximately 30-50 mg per lemon. Potassium is another nutrient found in lemons.

By drinking lemon water first thing in the morning, your body has a chance to absorb these nutrients more effectively and provide a little immune boost along with it.

Vitamin C is also wonderful for the adrenals (read up on adrenal fatigue here), and may help in reducing the effects of stress. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys, and along with the thyroid, they create energy as well as secrete important hormones like aldosterone (which regulates water levels and mineral concentrations in the body). By drinking lemon water, this can hydrate the lymphatic system (your detoxifying system) as well as assist in preventing dehydration.

Lemon water is also a wonderful substitute to caffeinated drinks (which is particularly important if you have adrenal fatigue).

Myths about Lemon Water

While drinking more water and adding a small dose of vitamin C to your body each morning can be great habits, they’re no “magic pill.” Some of the claims made online about the benefits of lemon water actually have no scientific backing to them:

1. Flushes Out Toxins.

Drinking water can assist the body in naturally removing cellular waste (a process that the body naturally does on its own already), but claims that lemon water has a special ability to flush out “toxins” without specifically identifying what they are or how this process is done, are overhyped.

2. It “Alkalises” Your Body.

There is a theory that certain foods have the ability to change the alkalinity or acidity of the body, but this only affects the pH of the urine, not the body’s blood pH (as the body tightly regulates blood and extracellular fluid pH itself). Chris Kresser goes into more depth on the acid/alkaline myth here.

How I Drink Lemon Water

Each morning I make sure to drink a few glasses of warm, filtered water. But, a few days a week, I’ll enjoy some warm lemon water to assist my liver in cleansing. Here’s what I do for this.

Before cutting up the lemon to use in my lemon water, I zest the lemon first and store the zest in the fridge for use in recipes.

Homemade Lemon Water

Ingredients

• 3-4 glasses of warm, filtered water (not hot)
• 1 organic lemon, juiced

Instructions

1. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze each half of the lemon into the water. Mix the lemon in with the water and drink.

Note: After drinking, it’s a good idea to swish plain filtered water around your mouth for around 30 seconds or so just to help remove any acidic residue remaining on your teeth from the lemon juice, as this can damage your enamel overtime.

As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.

Do you drink lemon water in the morning too? Have you noticed any benefits? Share in the comments below.

Lots of love,

Vanessa

Sources:

Wells, Katie. (October 26, 2018). Lemon Water in the Morning: Benefits & Myths. Wellness Mama. Retrieved from https://wellnessmama.com/35192/lemon-water/

Top ten benefits of lemon water. (February 16, 2018). Relish Decor. Retrieved from https://www.relishdecor.com/blog/top-ten-benefits-of-lemon-water/

Louise, Teeghan. (December 22, 2019). The Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water: The Facts and Myths. My Muscle Chef. Retrieved from https://www.mymusclechef.com/blog/nutrition/the-myths-and-facts-of-drinking-lemon-water/nutrition-teeghan-the-myths-and-facts-of-drinking-lemon-water.html

Swedish nutrition team. (July 7, 2017). 5 unexpected benefits of drinking lemon water daily. Swedish. Retrieved from https://blog.swedish.org/swedish-blog/5-unexpected-benefits-of-drinking-lemon-water-daily

McDermott, Annette. (Updated: May 11, 2019). 7 Ways Your Body Benefits from Lemon Water. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-of-lemon-water