Are you looking to kick the caffeine habit?
Caffeine is drying and harsh on the nervous system, meaning it can cause unintended effects on wellness including dehydration and anxiety.
However, many find it hard to quit coffee or caffeinated tea without something to replace it in their daily ritual.
Enter lemon water: hydrating, delicious warm or cold, and a powerful aid to health on many levels.
Lemon water, when consumed daily and made from fresh lemons offer these nine incredible health benefits:
- Hydration
Research indicates that 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Replacing dehydrating caffeinated beverages with a hydrating glass of lemon water, whether hot or cold is a huge step toward protecting your wellness. Adding lemon enhances it’s flavor making it more refreshing and awakening.
- Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an important nutrient and antioxidant contained in citrus fruits such as lemons. vitamin C helps protect against free radicals which cause premature aging of brain tissue and eventually contribute to neuronal degeneration and diseases like dementia. Vitamin C also helps to reduce one’s risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, as well as lowering blood blood pressure. Adding lemon to your water will help you begin your day not only hydrated, but with a jumpstart on your daily vitamin C requirements.
- Healthy metabolism
Both hydration and vitamin C both support a healthy metabolism and weight management. Studies with mice demonstrate that antioxidant compounds also offset the negative effects on blood glucose levels and improved insulin resistance, both of which are primary factors in the development of type 2 diabetes. Beginning your day with a glass of lemon water will help your body digest and make the most of it’s energy reserves. Other studies show that drinking cold water boosts healthy adults metabolic rate by 30 percent, as the body expends more energy heating the cold water, which results in a boost in metabolism.
- Clear Skin
Vitamin C also helps to reduce skin wrinkling, dry skin from aging (hydration also helps with this), and sun damage. Additionally, a study from 2016 demonstrated that a citrus-based drink helped prevent the development of wrinkles in hairless mice. Thus both water and lemons benefit clear, younger looking skin.
- Digestion
Ayurvedic medicine, the ancient sister science to yoga holds that lemon stimulates the digestive fire, also known as “agni.” Agni helps to digest food easily, extracting nutrients and preventing buildup of toxins. Lemon water aids the digestive process, serving as a hydrator and a laxative which helps to prevent constipation. Starting your day with a glass of lemon water will help get your digestive system moving.
- Energy levels
Dehydration is a major cause of fatigue, both for those who are active and those who are sedentary. Fatigue is said to be the primary cause of midday fatigue. Hydrating first thing in the morning is thus much more energizing than most people think!
- Clear Thinking
The brain is highly dependent on proper hydration and even mild dehydration has been shown to lower cognitive functioning. Dehydration disrupts concentration and reduces short-term memory. Lack of proper hydration also increases feelings of anxiety and irritability, disrupting a level mood. Drinking a cup of lemon water first thing thus has powerful effects on whether or not you can bring your best to the table that day.
- Fresh Breath
Ever woke up with morning breath? Then you drink a cup of coffee to get your whits about you and morning breath becomes coffee breath? Avoid bad breath all together with a glass of lemon water in the morning. Lemon’s scent will remove bad odor immediately. Lemon also helps to stimulate saliva production, preventing dry mouth and killing odor-producing bacteria. This helps to improve not only breath odor but oral health in general over the long term.
- Prevents Kidney Stones
Research indicates up to 20 percent of kidney stones are caused by dehydration. Whatsmore, patients who have previously had kidney stones that increased their water intake showed lower rates of recurring kidney stones. Additionally, citric acid in lemons also helps to prevent kidney stones. A component of citric acid called citrate makes urine more alkaline and breaks up small kidney stones. Drinking lemon water provides you with that citrate as well as water needed to flush out stones.
Conclusion
Lemon water promotes nine amazing health benefits which help ensure holistic health and longevity through a simple lifestyle practice. Not only will kicking the morning caffeine improve your wellbeing, but replacing it with this hydrating and nutritious drink will help take your wellness to the next level. Whether you like it hot or cold, lemon water is sure to help you wake and keep your mind and body feeling as fresh as the lemon scent itself.
References:
Survey of 3003 Americans, Nutrition Information Center, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center (April 14, 1998).
Ganio, M. S., Armstrong, L. E., Et. Al (2011). Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men. British journal of Nutrition, 106(10), 1535-1543.
Armstrong, L. E., Et. Al (2012). Mild dehydration affects mood in healthy young women. The Journal of nutrition, 142(2), 382-388.
McKinley, M. J., & Johnson, A. K. (2004). The physiological regulation of thirst and fluid intake. Physiology, 19(1), 1-6.
Boschmann, M, Et. Al (2003). Water-induced thermogenesis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 88(12), 6015-6019.
Kim, D. B., Shin, G. H., Kim, J. M., Kim, Y. H., Lee, J. H., Lee, J. S., … & Lee, O. H. (2016). Antioxidant and anti-ageing activities of citrus-based juice mixture. Food Chemistry, 194, 920-927.
Embon, O. M., Rose, G. A., & Rosenbaum, T. (1990). Chronic dehydration stone disease. British journal of urology, 66(4), 357-362.
Borghi, L., Meschi, T., Amato, F., Briganti, A., Novarini, A., & Giannini, A. (1996). Urinary volume, water and recurrences in idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis: a 5-year randomized prospective study. The Journal of urology,155(3), 839-843.
