Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Hilary Duff, Christie Brinkley, and Gisele Bundchen reportedly love lemon water in its various forms: hot, cold, and lukewarm.
These celebrity endorsements are one of the reasons lemon water has a reputation as the best drink to start your morning. Some people find that drinking lemon water in the morning helps with digestion, balances the body’s pH levels, and detoxifies from the inside out. Some claim it brightens the skin while strengthening the immune system. And many optimists believe that lemon water promotes weight loss.
Can such a cheap and easy home drink live up to the hype? We spoke to a registered dietitian to find out more about the real benefits of lemon water.
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Does lemon juice really work?
After eight hours of Z, drinking a glass of water with a lemon slice is a great way to start your morning on a low-calorie basis, says Wesley Delbridge, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Dietetics. says the doctor. Nutrition. “but water “Part of the benefit of lemon water is that you will appreciate most of the benefits of lemon water that are scientifically supported,” he says.
Most people don’t drink enough water, so increasing your H2O intake (with or without lemon slices) usually helps you reap the benefits of so-called lemon water, including reduced constipation, firmer skin, and weight loss. experience. It’s a loss, he explains.
Although dehydration can slow your metabolic rate, most of the weight loss associated with lemon water occurs when lemon water is used in place of high-calorie beverages such as soda or fruit juice. Dehydration also impairs brain function, causing energy levels to plummet and can lead to brain fog, he says. (If your urine is light yellow or clear, you may be well-hydrated. However, if it is darker, you may need to drink more water.)
But drinking any type of water – hot, cold, flavored, or plain water – will have benefits.
No, there’s nothing magical about lemon water, and there’s currently no research to support the claimed benefits of lemon water, Delbridge says. And lemon itself doesn’t actually contain a ton of nutritional value.
As it turns out, lemons contain vitamin C, and despite research showing a link between vitamin C deficiency and impaired immune function, lemons contain few immune-boosting nutrients. Therefore, it is thought that it does not affect whether or not you catch a cold. According to the National Institutes of Health, women need about 75 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C per day, but the juice from one slice of lemon contains only about 1 mg. Eating the fruit pulp as well can provide up to 4 mg, or 5% of her daily requirement, says Jonathan Valdez, RDN, owner of Genki Nutrition and spokesperson for the New York Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. say.
The same goes for lemon flavonoids, which are antioxidants that have been shown in research to fight cancer, Valdez says. He says a glass of lemon water provides less than 1 percent of your daily needs.
On the other hand, claims that lemon water detoxifies the body and that its acidity somehow changes blood pH are completely false, Delbridge says. The liver and kidneys tightly control the removal of toxins from the body, while the lungs, kidneys, blood, and bones all work together to maintain the body’s perfect pH. Translation: The foods you eat do not change your pH at all.
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Take a sip this way
If you have trouble staying hydrated, don’t like plain ole water, or are trying to cut down on high-calorie drinks, try lemon water. We recommend both Delbridge and Valdez.
That said, acidic preparations are not suitable for everyone. Drinking lemon water, especially in large quantities, can actually cause a burning sensation in your stomach, which can worsen symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn, Valdez explains. However, it can also weaken tooth enamel and irritate the gums, Delbridge says. So if you want to try lemon water, drink it through a straw.
Bottom line: If you like the taste, add lemon to your morning glass of water. But don’t expect it to work miracles.
Gabrielle Cassel (she) is a sex and health journalist who writes about the intersections of queerness, sexual health, and pleasure. In addition to being in cosmopolitanher work includes Shape, Well + Good, women’s healthhealth, yourself, men’s health, Greatist and more! In his free time, Gabriel can be found reviewing one of the approximately 1,000 entertainment products he has tested, reading dirty books, or recording episodes of the podcast he co-hosts. can be seen. bad in bed. Follow her on Instagram @GabrielleKassel.
