Lemon Water Detox: Myth or Matter?
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My quest to discover if there is any foundation to the old belief that drinking lemon water every day improves health and makes you feel better.
Every day, first thing, before coffee or breakfast. That’s the footnote I’ve always seen attached to the sentiment that drinking hot Lemon Water is a beneficial Detox method to improve health. But are there any grounds for that sentiment? Also… before coffee? Does anything even exist before my morning pick-me-up? Most people rightfully wonder how this simple diet addition can be of any real help. So I began to dig a little deeper into the matter.
What benefits could one fruit have?
Other than a restaurant dressing their water up a bit, most people don’t usually find themselves with this dynamic drink duo in hand.
And let’s be honest, by the time you’re able to acquire lemons, cut them up, and make a conscious effort to heat the water and drink it regularly… actually, I know most people are lost by “acquire lemons.” Who has the time and/or extra money to pick up a bag? And, to bring it back to the whole point, would it even be worth the effort?
It seems like everyone has been throwing around the words “detox” and “cleanse” recently, attaching them to juices, clean eating/drinking, whole foods, even powders, and pills, which are for diet reasons a lot of times. That can be pretty intimidating to navigate when starting out on your own path to health, which is why I personally gravitated toward the simplest place to start: one ingredient, and 100% natural.
No extensive research needed to go into this about what anything was made of or where the produce was coming from.
I am lucky enough to have a lemon tree growing in my backyard that produces enough lemons to drown in, so, fortunately, I didn’t have to waste any money or really any time getting the source to my experiment. I did do a little research before I got started, and found lemons are chalked full of Vitamin C – a natural immune system booster, as well as antibacterial properties which aid in cleaning out the digestive tract amongst other claimed benefits.
Sounds pretty good, right? It did to me too, so I decided that I’d take a week to give it a go really – I’d stick to it religiously and just see how I felt.
I decided to take the plunge for myself
One of the most immediate things I noticed my first day was my lack of desire for coffee. Yes, you fanatics heard me correct. I don’t at all fancy myself addicted to coffee, but do drink it pretty regularly, and once I had finished my warm, tea-like cup, I really didn’t even have a desire for it.
I can’t claim that will be every person’s experience, but it was almost as if my need were lessened by the healthy replacement in my morning ritual. I wasn’t about to complain that a shift in coffee thirst happened, and I didn’t for the entire week. I found that lessened desire carried through the rest of the experiment and only had a couple cups during the entire week where usually I make around 5-6. I felt more awake and, of course, didn’t have a coffee crash at 3 PM. I noticed a very slight flattening in my stomach and felt more refreshed in the morning. Before I started, I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was when first waking up, but it makes perfect sense when you go eight hours every night without any water.
To sum up my experience: I absolutely loved it! I felt great, and it helped reduce my unhealthy habit with coffee, so I’d say that alone made the experiment successful. For those thinking of giving warm lemon detox water a try for themselves, I found that I could make one medium lemon last comfortably through the week, and cut into seven slices just fine. If you feel like adding a little pizzazz, you can toss in oranges, mint, grapefruit, strawberries, anything that sounds good really, but keep it whole and natural (if you start adding sugar or other goodies, it can seriously counteract the benefits.)
Nothing says hello summertime quite like a citrusy drink and feeling refreshed. If you need some help motivating, check out this article to help kick your summer into gear and get the ball rolling with your healthy habits. Happy sipping everyone!
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