What is useful for drinking water with lemon in the morning – 8 facts

Lemon water is a drink made from lemon juice mixed with plain water, which is recommended to drink in the morning on an empty stomach. Despite its simplicity, this drink is gaining more and more popularity and has proven beneficial properties for humans.

Against the background of constant intake, the risk of developing diseases from the cardiovascular, endocrine and urinary systems decreases, the body's resistance to various external infectious agents increases, and excess body weight decreases.

And thanks to its invigorating properties, the drink can serve as an excellent alternative to the usual tea or coffee in the morning.

8 useful properties

Below are 8 scientifically proven facts about the benefits of lemon water.

1. Excellent source of vitamin C

Lemon water is a mixture of one glass of water with juice squeezed from half a lemon. The energy value of such a drink is about 9 calories.

Nutrient content the following :

• Carbohydrates – about 1 gram;
• Vitamin C – 25% of the recommended daily requirement;
• Folic acid – about 1% of the recommended daily requirement;
• Potassium is 1% of the recommended daily requirement.

The drink is an excellent source of vitamin C, and is also extremely low in carbohydrates and low in calories. For comparison : if you replace lemon juice with orange juice, the sugar level and energy value will increase by 2 times.

2. Antioxidant effect

Lemon water is a source of natural flavonoids with antioxidant effects. These substances protect all cells of the body from various damages.

Korean scientists proved that the antioxidants contained in lemon help to increase the sensitivity of peripheral tissue cells to insulin, thereby ensuring the prevention of type II diabetes mellitus. There is also a positive effect on the lipid profile.

According to experts from Italy, lemon water can prevent the development of malignant neoplasms in any organs.

Canadian Scientists claim that the use of such a mixture on a regular basis contributes to the protection of the liver from fatty hepatosis and the prevention of atherosclerosis.

According to the data experiments on rodents, flavonoids contained in citrus fruits reduce oxidative stress and the severity of damage caused by this process.

3. Prevention of urolithiasis

The formation of stones in the lumen of the urinary tract is a rather serious disease.

The most common type of concretions is calcium oxalates. When drinking lemon water, the content of citrates in the urine increases, which reduce the risk of formation of this type of stones.

Works of Turkish scientists demonstrate that lemon juice not only prevents urolithiasis, but can also act as an alternative to the usual drug treatment. Similar information lead specialists from the USA.

It is recommended to include such water in the diet for people who suffer from urolithiasis or have an increased predisposition to it.

4. Improving the condition of the skin

Lemon water is rich in vitamin C, which slows down skin aging, prevents early wrinkle formation, and increases the tolerance of solar radiation.

This compound also helps to moisturize the skin by normalizing metabolism.

Foreign experiments on mice revealed that vitamin C really helps prevent the formation of wrinkles.

Also proven that lemon juice helps to increase the elasticity of the skin, improve the condition of nails and hair.

5. Lowering blood pressure

Japanese Studies show that daily consumption of lemon water reduces elevated blood pressure (systolic and diastolic components).

Therefore, the drink can be used as part of complex antihypertensive therapy in order to more effectively correct hypertension, as well as for prevention in people with an increased predisposition to this disease.

6. Strengthening the immune system

This drink, due to the presence of vitamin C, Improves immunity , having a multifaceted effect on him.

Proven that lemon juice increases the activity of T cells, increases the rate of lymphocyte proliferation and immune response.

Lemon water also effective in order to prevent acute respiratory diseases and alleviate the symptoms of their course.

The drink can be consumed during a period of extreme physical overloads of the body in order to correct the state of the immune system.

7. Lemon water is effective for weight loss

Proven that vitamin C alters metabolism at the level of adipose tissue. Under its influence, the activity of oxidation of adipocytes increases in order to obtain energy.

Also a drink prevents excessive deposition of fats from food into various fat depots in the body.

It is important to note that lemon provides has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect, and adipose tissue is in a state of constant chronic inflammation. Against the background of the suppression of this process, there is an improvement in microcirculation and metabolism, which can help slow down the deposition of fats in the body.

8. Prevention of anemia

Anemia (especially due to iron deficiency) is an extremely common phenomenon. Its causes are numerous: from alimentary iron deficiency to impaired bone marrow or kidney function.

Lemons themselves contain insignificant amounts of iron, but it has a high bioavailability. This volume of macronutrients is enough to provide prevention or even correction of anemia of mild severity.

Another important advantage of lemon water is stimulation erythrocyte synthesis in bone marrow , prevention of the development of aplastic anemia. The positive effect is associated with the presence of citric acid.

How to cook – step-by-step recipe

The recipe for making a drink is quite simple, it will require:

• 1 medium-sized lemon;
• 400 ml of water.

Cooking scheme:

1. Prepare the dishes. Glass materials (jug, decanter) or enameled saucepan are perfect. In order to prepare a soft drink, you can put the dishes in the freezer for several hours.
2. Prepare the lemon. It should be thoroughly rinsed under running water and cut into thin circles. It is necessary to remove the seeds.
3. Squeeze the slices a little and immerse them in the bottom of the dish. It is necessary to compress them in order to partially destroy the pulp and obtain a small amount of juice. Then the lemon slices themselves sink to the bottom of the dish. If you have a juicer, you can use only the juice of one lemon.
4. Pour all the water into the bowl. Use room temperature water (completely cooled after boiling) or filtered cold water. The use of hot water (especially boiling water) will lead to the destruction of some vitamins. Slightly warm water is acceptable.
5. Let it brew for 2-4 hours. Storage in the refrigerator is allowed.
6. Remove lemon mugs (if available).

Various types of fruits and berries can be added to lemon water. The following are perfect:

• Strawberries;
• Pineapples;
• Oranges;
• Plums;
• Peaches;
• Blueberries;
• Raspberry;
• Blackberries.

Lavender, mint, basil or rosemary can be used from herbs. You can also add crushed ginger root and a little honey.

Adding sugar is not recommended (especially if the purpose of consumption is to correct body weight).

Question: is it possible to use mineral sparkling water?

Answer: undesirable. Carbonated water does not change the set of useful qualities of the drink, however, it increases the negative effect on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and digestive tract.

How to take it correctly?

To get the maximum benefit, the drink must be consumed on a regular basis. The main recommendations are as follows:

1. Prepare a drink no earlier than 2-3 hours before consumption.
2. The first reception is in the morning on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before breakfast. The rest – 3-5 times during the day, 0.5 hours before meals or 1 hour after.
3. Do not drink water at night.
4. After each drink, it is necessary to eat a little of any food (after 30 minutes).

The maximum duration of intake is not limited. With good tolerance, you can drink the drink all the time.

In the presence of caries or inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, lemon water should be taken with a tube, this prevents complications.

Harm and contraindications

The use of lemon water is associated with some risk of harm to health due to the presence of contraindications:

1. Dental diseases. Lemon juice, even diluted, accelerates the destruction of tooth enamel (for example, aggravates the course of caries), and also irritates the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. The way out is to drink water through a straw.
2. Diseases of the digestive system. This group includes: GERD, exacerbation of chronic or acute gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, colitis, enteritis. Taking water with lemon in these conditions is fraught with increased activity of the inflammatory process.

In other situations, taking a drink is completely safe for the body!

Conclusion

1. Lemon water is an extremely healthy drink that enriches the human body with vitamin C and a number of other biologically active substances.
2. Against the background of constant intake, there is an improvement in the health of the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, urinary and hematopoietic systems, as well as a decrease in body weight.
3. In order to improve the taste, it is allowed to add various herbs and fruits.
4. Do not forget about contraindications, in which the harm completely covers the entire set of positive properties.